Andy O'Brien | |||||
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EastEnders character | |||||
Portrayed by | Ross Davidson | ||||
Duration | 1985–1986 | ||||
First appearance | Episode 10 21 March 1985 | ||||
Last appearance | Episode 156 14 August 1986 | ||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||
Created by | Tony Holland and Julia Smith | ||||
Book appearances | Good Intentions | ||||
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Andy O'Brien is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Ross Davidson. One of the original characters created for the series, Andy made his first appearance one month after the show first broadcast, in the 10th episode on 21 March 1985. Portrayed as altruistic and middle-classed, Andy and his girlfriend Debbie were an attempt to represent gentrification of the East End. Despite Davidson claiming that there had been plans for his character, Andy is the first regular character in EastEnders to be killed off. Davidson claimed this was due to an altercation between himself and Executive Producer and show creator, Julia Smith. He was killed in August 1986 when he was hit by an out of control lorry.
Andy O'Brien was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. The character of Andy along with his girlfriend Debbie Wilkins were an attempt by Holland and Smith to represent the influx of middle-classed people that were opting to move to the usually working-class areas of the East End of London. Gentrification of the East End was on the increase in the 1980s, and in Holland's experience, the new, wealthier residents were never welcomed or truly accepted within the community, and this was what he hoped to convey on-screen with these two characters. [1]
Andy's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story .
Holland required the character of Andy to be somewhere between a wimp and macho; to be on an equal footing with his partner and to represent newish thinking about the male role and equal opportunities. Ross Davidson, a sporty working-class Scot was eventually cast, although Holland and Smith felt he came across as a male chauvinist. [1]
According to Smith and Holland, Andy and Debbie were created to represent a young couple with outwardly mobile pretensions, but it was decided that the formula did not work and both characters were eventually written out of the show. [1] Andy ended up being the first main character to be killed off in 1986, just over a year after the show began. During this time, rumours began to circulate in the British press that Ross Davidson was dropped because Julia Smith disapproved of the off-screen relationship he was having with Shirley Cheriton, the actress who played Debbie. This was denied by Smith in EastEnders: The Inside Story . [1]
In 1994, Davidson gave his own account of why Andy was written out of the serial to the American-based fan newspaper, Walford Gazette. [2] He stated that hostility arose between him and Smith following the recording of an EastEnders LP of cockney songs. The producer of that LP thought it would be a great idea if Davidson and Cheriton (known to be dating in real life) were to make a record of their own. Cheriton refused but Davidson accepted and took on the producer as his manager. [2] BBC Records were not pleased and following an altercation between the head of BBC Records and the producer, Davidson had an altercation with Julia Smith, who Davidson claimed had never been happy that he and Cheriton were dating in the first place. Davidson comments, "I made the mistake of telling off Julia Smith. She was a bit rude to me and I unfortunately reacted like a Celt." [2] Their argument escalated until Smith threatened to write Andy out of EastEnders, and Davidson's angry response was to tell her to kill his character off if she intended to write him out. Andy was subsequently killed in a motor accident shortly after. Davidson commented, "I would have like to have stayed another 6 months to a year, but like a lot of their characters, it was time to move on." [2]
According to Davidson, the decision to kill Andy led to various script changes as he claims that it had been the original plan for Andy to marry Angie Watts (Anita Dobson), whom he had a brief affair with on-screen. [2] He also claimed that Andy would have left the nursing profession to run The Dagmar wine bar, which was instead given to a different character, James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde). [2]
Nurse Andy O'Brien moves to Albert Square in March 1985 along with his girlfriend Debbie Wilkins (Shirley Cheriton). Andy and Debbie are decidedly 'middle class', in contrast to the working class locals who inhabit the Square. Andy and Debbie have a rocky relationship. Andy wants to settle down and start a family but Debbie is not so keen and she soon attracts the attention of policeman Roy Quick (Douglas Fielding). Debbie obviously enjoys being pursued by Roy so they agree to have an open relationship. The pair continue to live together, which is not ideal for Andy, as he still has feelings for Debbie and regularly gets jealous when he sees her with other men.
Andy wants to make a difference in Walford, so he occupies himself with altruistic activities, like campaigning against the demolition of the Square, and racism. When he discovers Mary Smith (Linda Davidson) is illiterate, he starts teaching her to read. This backfires when Mary decides that she is in love with him, forcing him to reject her advances. Mary is not impressed at all, and ends her reading lessons.
Andy later begins an affair with the alcoholic landlady of The Queen Victoria public house, Angie Watts (Anita Dobson). However, Angie's husband, Den (Leslie Grantham), catches them in bed together, and furiously chases a half-naked Andy into the street, which prompts a feud between the pair. It soon emerges that Angie is using Andy to make Den jealous, so their affair is short-lived and Andy soon regrets getting involved in their volatile relationship. Upon seeing that Andy is in such demand with the ladies, Debbie has a change of heart and she and Andy get back together and are soon engaged. Their happiness is short-lived as in 1986, 37-year-old Andy is mowed down by a lorry after running into the road to save a child from being hit. He is killed instantly. True to form, Andy is even altruistic in death, as his organ donor card ensures that someone gets his kidneys. Shortly before his death he has had an argument with Debbie which she finishes by telling him to "drop dead", which ironically, he does
Den Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den".
Pat Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She was played by Pam St Clement from 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired, until her departure on 1 January 2012. Pat was also portrayed by Emma Cooke in a soap 'bubble', Pat and Mo: Ashes to Ashes, delving into her past with sister-in-law Mo Harris, which aired in 2004. The character was killed-off on 1 January 2012, shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her funeral was on 13 January 2012. Pat was one of the longest serving characters on the show, appearing for 25 years and six months. She returned, along with other women from Ian Beale's past, in a concussion-related dream sequence for a Children in Need special on 14 November 2014. She also made a return as a hallucination for Peggy Mitchell's death on 17 May 2016.
Angie Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anita Dobson from the first episode of the series until 1988, when Dobson decided to leave, and the character was written out.
Anthony John Holland was a British screenwriter and actor. He is best known as the writer and co-creator of the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Vicki Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Emma Herry from the character's birth in 1986 to 1988, Samantha Leigh Martin from 1988 to 1995, and Scarlett Alice Johnson from 2003 to 2004. She is the daughter of Michelle Fowler and Den Watts. The character is born in the serial, conceived in a controversial storyline about teenage pregnancy. Exploiting a whodunnit angle, at the time of the first showing, viewers were not initially told who was the father, and press interest in the fledgling show escalated as journalists attempted to guess. The audience finally discovered his identity in October 1985 in episode 66. Written by series co-creator and script editor Tony Holland, and directed by co-creator and producer Julia Smith, it was considered a landmark episode in the show's history. Early suspects were Ian Beale and Kelvin Carpenter, but then four possible suspects are seen leaving Albert Square early in the episode: Tony Carpenter, Ali Osman, Andy O'Brien, and Den Watts. As Michelle waits by their rendezvous point, a car pulls up and the fluffy white legs of the soap landlord's poodle Roly leap out of a car to give it all away: Den Watts is the father of Michelle's baby. After this storyline the programme started to appear in newspaper cartoons as it moved more and more into the public mainstream. Vicki's character was written out in October 1995, after Susan Tully, who played Vicki's mother Michelle, decided to leave the soap.
Pete Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Peter Dean. He makes his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was introduced by Tony Holland, one of the creators of EastEnders; he was based on a member of Holland's family. Pete is featured in the soap for eight years as the local fruit and veg trader of Albert Square; he is a member of the original focal clan in the serial, the Beales and Fowlers. Pete is portrayed as a macho and somewhat insensitive individual who struggles to cope with emotion. Pete was axed from the soap in 1993 and departed in May that year after over eight years on-screen. The character was killed off-screen later that year, following Peter Dean's public criticism of the BBC.
William Russell "Ross" Davidson was a Scottish actor best known for his role as Andy O'Brien in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Mary Smith, also known as Mary the Punk, is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Linda Davidson, from 5 March 1985 to 26 May 1988. Punk Mary is Walford's original wild child. She often makes life difficult for herself due to her stubborn, defensive nature and she tends to feel that everyone around her is out to get her. In fact, Mary is her own worst enemy and most of her misfortune is down to her irresponsible behaviour and her inability to heed good advice. Davidson's return to the soap for a single episode was announced in December 2018. She returns for the funeral of Doctor Legg in episode 5871, originally broadcast on 19 February 2019. Davidson reprised the role of Mary again in 2022 for the funeral of Dot Cotton.
Sue Osman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sandy Ratcliff. She is one of the serial's original characters, appearing in its first episode on 19 February 1985 and departing on-screen in May 1989. Created by Tony Holland and Julia Smith, Sue is portrayed as argumentative, insecure and tragic. A pivotal storyline in the character's narrative is the cot-death of her son, which was one of the show's first controversial plots. During her four years on-screen, the character contends with a phantom pregnancy, marital breakdown and finally insanity. Ratcliff left the role in 1989.
Debbie "Debs" Wilkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shirley Cheriton, from 21 March 1985 to 14 May 1987. Debbie is Walford's first upwardly mobile character. She has an on/off relationship with her ill-fated boyfriend Andy O'Brien and she tends to be a bit too pretentious for the working class locals of Albert Square.
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Naima Jeffery is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shreela Ghosh from 19 February 1985 to 19 November 1987.
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Shirley Cheriton is an English actress and performer, best known for her roles as Debbie Wilkins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her portrayal of Miss Prescott in the Are You Being Served? follow up, Grace & Favour.
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