| Joanne Francis | |||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||
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| Portrayed by | Pamela Salem | ||||
| Duration | 1988–1989 | ||||
| First appearance | Episode 351 16 June 1988 | ||||
| Last appearance | Episode 408 3 January 1989 | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
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Joanne Francis is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Pamela Salem. [1] She appears on screen between 16 June 1988 and 3 January 1989, as the Manager of Strokes Wine Bar.
Joanne is first seen in Albert Square in June 1988. She is a member of the gangster organisation known as The Firm, and is sent to Walford by Mr Vinnicombe (The Firm's boss) to manage Strokes Winebar, which is actually a facade for an illegal gambling den. Her arrival upsets Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), as he had thought that he was being given managerial status. Despite initial hostility, Joanne and Den prove to be a good team and build up a strong working relationship.
Den, however, is too unpredictable for the Firm's liking, and after his best friend's wife, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), is raped by rival wine-bar owner, James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde), he goes against the Firm's orders and instigates a revenge attack without their approval. With the help of another member of The Firm, Brad Williams (Jonathan Stratt), he has Willmott-Brown's winebar set on fire. This leads to a police investigation, putting Strokes under surveillance and The Firm under suspicion. In order to put the police off, The Firm decide that Den has to take the blame for the arson. Den unwillingly does so following pressure from Joanne, and then goes into hiding to avoid arrest. However, The Firm's real agenda is to lure Den into a false sense of security before killing him, thus stopping him implicating them for their heinous crimes. Realising this, Den manages to escape The Firm and goes on the run, but when The Firm trace him to his hideout, he is forced to turn himself in to the police in order to avoid being killed. Den is sent to Dickens Hill prison, leaving The Firm to assume that it will only be a matter of time before Den divulges his knowledge about their criminal antics. Actually, Den has no intention of grassing, but the investigating officer, D.I. West, decides to play up to The Firm's fears, spreading rumours that Den is on the verge of implicating them. Gregory Mantel (Pavel Douglas), a superior member of The Firm, makes plans to have Den eradicated from within prison. Joanne does not believe that Den is an informant and she tries to do everything she can to stop her associates from setting up a hit on him, even going above Mantel's head and relaying her doubts to Mr Vinnicombe, which earns her the wrath of Mantel, but manages to spare Den's life temporarily.
Joanne moves into a flat in Albert Square and continues running Strokes, but her position is put in jeopardy when a new Detective Inspector, Bob Ashley (Robin Lermitte), starts to take umbrage with her presence in Walford. He begins putting pressure on Brad Williams to frame The Firm, threatening him with prison unless he obliges. Brad divulges the whereabouts of evidence that will show Joanne's criminal dealings, enabling him to get rid of her and close down Strokes. Sensing her imminent downfall, Joanne considers resigning from The Firm. This does not please Mantel, he reminds her not to 'rock the boat' or else she will meet the same fate as her late husband. It is revealed that Joanne's husband had also been employed by The Firm, and his association had led to his untimely demise. So Joanne flees, stealing thousands of pounds of The Firm's money in the process. Her exit is nearly halted by a speeding car, driven by Brad, who has been instructed by Mantel to eliminate her. Brad misses his target and she manages to escape unharmed. Her last appearance is in January 1989. Strokes closes down soon after.
One of the most popular characters in the early years of EastEnders was Den Watts, played by Leslie Grantham. [2] The character was deemed so popular by the producers of the serial, that when Grantham announced he was quitting the soap in November 1987, creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland devised a storyline that would keep the character on screen for a further year, while only requiring Grantham to commit to a couple of months filming. [3] This was done by sending Den to prison on remand and mixing the previously filmed prison storyline in with the current happenings in Albert Square. On screen, the build-up to Grantham's exit occurred throughout 1988, as Den, always portrayed as a petty criminal with shady connections, was recruited to work for the more serious East End organised crime operation, known as The Firm. Various characters were introduced as part of the storyline. [3] Among them was Joanne Francis, a middle classed "hard woman", who was brought in to be the manager of Strokes winebar, a facade for an illegal gambling den owned by The Firm. [4]
Actress Pamela Salem was given the role of Joanne. Salem had known Grantham for many years prior to her casting. [4] Before EastEnders went to air, Grantham had served time in Wormwood Scrubs prison for the murder of a taxi driver, and occasionally actors were brought in to entertain the prisoners. Among the visiting actors were Louise Jameson (who later went on to play Rosa di Marco) and Salem. [4] Both actresses were instrumental in introducing Grantham to acting while he was in prison, and helping him to enroll in drama school upon his release. Salem had already auditioned for a part in EastEnders, Jan Hammond, the mistress of Den Watts. She was unsuccessful, and that part went to Jane How; however, Grantham later persuaded the casting director of EastEnders to give Salem the role of Joanne. [4]
Dennis Alan "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".
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is the primary setting for the soap. EastEnders is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work is filmed in nearby Watford, which was chosen for many of the exterior scenes due to its close proximity and the town's name being so similar to Walford. Thus, any stray road signs or advertising boards which are accidentally filmed in the back of shots will appear to read Walford. Locations used in Watford include most interior and exterior church scenes of various churches, the snooker club, the County Court and Magistrates' Courts courtrooms, and the cemetery.
Chrissie Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tracy-Ann Oberman. She first appeared on 29 April 2004 and transpired to be the second wife of the show's "most enduring character", Den Watts - thus ended up becoming a prominent regular for the next 18 months. In 2005, Chrissie was the focus of one of "the programme's biggest and most high-profile narratives" when she murdered her husband in self-defence at the end of the special 20th anniversary episode. The broadcast, airing on 18 February, was watched by 14.34 million people - with "almost 60% of possible viewers" tuning in to see Chrissie killing Den. The character was credited by former head of BBC Drama Serials, Mal Young, as "anchoring the success of the anniversary storyline", and was described on the news programme BBC Breakfast as the "centrepiece" of the show, with the on-screen drama playing out over the course of the year and culminating in Chrissie's departure on 9 December 2005.
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.
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.
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/script-editor Tony Holland and directed by co-creator/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 the 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.
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.
Kate Morton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jill Halfpenny.
Michelle Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Susan Tully from the show's first episode on 19 February 1985 up until the character's departure on 26 October 1995. She returned on 24 December 2016, with Jenna Russell taking over the role, before leaving the serial once again on 17 April 2018.
Ali Osman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nejdet Salih. He was a member of the original EastEnders cast, appearing in the first episode on 19 February 1985. He remained with the show for nearly five years afterwards, making his last appearance on 10 October 1989. Ali was scripted as happy-go-lucky, which was in stark contrast to his highly strung wife, Sue. Central to his storylines were his penchant for gambling, his tempestuous marriage, and the loss of his son to cot death, which was one of the first controversial storylines covered by the soap. He was created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland, the creators of EastEnders.
Mehmet Osman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Haluk Bilginer. Mehmet is portrayed as a charmer, rogue and a serial womaniser, and makes recurring appearances in EastEnders from 1985 to 1987, and then regularly until 1989.
The Banned is a fictional band in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The storyline first aired in 1986 and although it was considered to be a failure on-screen, it nevertheless became a successful part of the serial's extensive merchandising industry that year, as it spawned two hit singles on the UK Singles Chart.
Paul Priestly is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by Mark Thrippleton, from 20 April 1989 to 1 March 1990.
Dickens Hill is a fictional prison in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The prison is part of a storyline that first aired between 1988 and 1989. The storyline centres on the popular character Den Watts and was filmed on location at Dartmoor Prison in Devon. The episodes were shot in a block of intensive filming, over five weeks, but they were worked into regular episodes of EastEnders later in the year, from September 1988 to February 1989. This was done in order to keep the character Den Watts on-screen after Den's actor, Leslie Grantham, had left the show. Although not part of the original storyline, the prison also briefly appears in 2017 when Max Branning visits his former cellmate, Luke Browning. The prison also appears in a separate storyline in 2018 when Mick Carter is on remand for the shooting of Stuart Highway.
James Willmott-Brown is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by William Boyde. The character originally appeared in Albert Square from 1986 to 1989, where he established the square's second pub – "The Dagmar" – and instigated a feud with his business rival Den Watts. Willmott-Brown then developed a romantic obsession with his employee Kathy Beale, which sparked the events of the character raping her in 1988.