Bianca Jackson

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EastEnders character
Bianca Jackson
Portrayed by	Patsy Palmer
Introduced by	Leonard Lewis (1993) John Yorke (2002) Diederick Santer (2008)
Duration	1993–1999, 2002, 2008–
First appearance	16 November 1993
Book appearances	Bianca's Secret Diary
Profile
Date of birth	17 July 1977
Status	Divorced
Home	31 Albert Square
Occupation	Works for Ian Beale in the Café
Family Family Beale family Branning family Husbands Ricky Butcher (1997–2000) Father David Wicks Mother Carol Jackson Half brothers Robbie Jackson Billy Jackson Joe Wicks Half sisters Sonia Fowler Karen Wicks Sons Liam Butcher Morgan Jackson-King Daughters Natasha Butcher Tiffany Dean Grandfathers Pete Beale Jim Branning Grandmothers Pat Evans Reenie Branning Great grandfathers Albert Beale Great grandmothers Lou Beale Lydia Harris Uncles Ian Beale Simon Wicks Derek Branning Max Branning Jack Branning Aunts April Branning Suzy Branning Great uncles Harry Beale Ronnie Beale Kenny Beale Jimmy Harris Geoff Harris Great aunts Maggie Flaherty Dora Beale Pauline Fowler Joan Harris Great great uncles Terence Medeemey Great great aunts Liz Medeemey Flo Medeemey Elsie Medeemey Queenie Medeemey Doris Miller Mabel Great great  great aunts Dolly Beale Cousins Lucy Beale Peter Beale Bobby Beale Steven Beale Bradley Branning Lauren Branning Abi Branning Oscar Branning Penny Branning Nieces Rebecca Miller First cousins  once removed Elizabeth Beale Billy Harris Jean Harris Eamonn Flaherty Conor Flaherty John Flaherty Tommy Flaherty Mark Fowler Michelle Fowler Martin Fowler Gordon Branning Second cousins Joanne Colette Flaherty Eamonn Flaherty Jr. Declan Flaherty Kylie Flaherty Carl Flaherty Mary Flaherty Vicki Fowler Mark Fowler Jr. Rebecca Miller Second cousins  thrice removed Nellie Ellis

Bianca Jackson (né Branning; previously Butcher) is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character back for a special spin-off show. She returned to EastEnders as a full time character in April 2008, reintroduced by Diederick Santer.^[1]

During her first run on the show during the 1990s, she was known for her bizarre sense of style, her sharp tongue and fiery temper and for screaming "Rickaaaaaaay!"^[2] at her husband. Bianca has been featured in numerous high profile storylines, including affairs, feuds, bereavements, family problems, spina bifida and abortion, and a problematic marriage to Ricky Butcher.

Contents 1 Character creation 1.1 Background 1.2 Casting 1.3 Personality 2 Character development 2.1 "Rickaaaaaaay!" 2.2 Spina bifida 2.3 Exit (1999) 2.4 Spin-off (2002) 2.5 Return (2008) 3 Storylines 3.1 Early life 3.2 Relationship with Ricky 3.3 Affair with Dan 3.4 Ricky and Bianca reunited 3.5 Return to Walford 4 Reception 5 In popular culture and other media 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Character creation

[edit] Background

1994 was a "historic" year for EastEnders, as in April, a third weekly episode was introduced.^[3] Due to the programme’s increased frequency, a number of new characters were introduced to the regular cast in the latter part of 1993 and early 1994.^[3] Among them were the Jackson family: mother Carol (Lindsey Coulson), her four children, Bianca (Patsy Palmer), Robbie (Dean Gaffney), Sonia (Natalie Cassidy), and Billy (Devon Anderson), as well as Carol's partner Alan Jackson (Howard Antony). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in the serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billy, the whole family took on Alan's surname.

Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of Albert Square. Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period.^[3] The Jacksons have been described by EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake as a "classic problem family".^[3]

[edit] Casting

Future Spice Girl, Emma Bunton, auditioned for the role of Bianca,^[4] however, it was actress Patsy Palmer who was eventually cast.^[5] Palmer's casting has been described as an "accident", as she did not formally audition for the role. The BBC came into her drama class at the Anna Scher theatre school, and although she had not even auditioned, they contacted her the following day to offer her the role of Bianca. In 1996, Palmer commented to The Independent, "I've been a lucky girl. I always used to say I'd love to get in EastEnders, because I used to think 'God, I'll never get a part where I have to speak really posh', - I'm not very good at accents."^[6] Palmer was 21 when she first appeared on-screen as 17 year old Bianca.

[edit] Personality

The character has been classified by Rupert Smith, author of EastEnders: 20 years in Albert Square, as a drama queen, a "strong passionate [woman]" and "Walford's trouble-maker-in-chief".^[7] She has also been described as "mouthy",^[8] "feisty" and someone "who never minced her words".^[9] In 1996, Palmer described Bianca as someone who deserves "a good slap". She added, "I probably wouldn't like Bianca if I knew her in real-life. But I do love playing the character. She is so cheeky and gets to say outrageous things".^[10]

"A woman you would not want to cross",^[11] Bianca is a tenacious foe, but a loyal friend.^[12] The way the character was portrayed, as a "person who wouldn't take nonsense from anyone", has led James Rampton of The Independent to comment that she embodies "girl power", a cultural phenomenon of the mid-late 1990s, which is also linked to third-wave feminism. He added, "Bianca could sulk for Britain - and we adored her for it." However, it has also been noted, that underneath Bianca's bravado, the character is capable of showing "the most affecting vulnerability".^[11]

[edit] Character development

Bianca was featured in various high profile storylines during her initial six years in the soap, which included numerous affairs, feuds, bereavements, family problems, abortion, and a problematic marriage to Ricky Butcher.^[7]

[edit] "Rickaaaaaaay!"

Bianca's relationship with mechanic Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) has been central to her narrative; their affiliation began in 1994. Palmer and Owen already knew each other before working together on the soap, as both attended the Anna Scher theatre school. Owen has said, "We practically grew up together. We'd known each other for years. It was wierd [sic] when she started on the show and we began playing the 'Ricky & Bianca Get To Know Each Other' bit. I had already spent a lot of time with Patsy. I think we were both seven when we met."^[13]

The dynamics of their relationship were clear from the start, with Bianca portrayed as the dominant, bossy and authoritative partner, while Ricky was shown as the hen-pecked,^[14] dim-witted "loser" or "soft touch", comically under the thumb of his female counterpart.^[7] James Rampton from The Independent has commented, "to her eternally put-upon husband, Ricky, Bianca was a ferocious reincarnation of H Rider Haggard's 'She Who Must Be Obeyed'."^[11] Bianca was notorious for shouting the catchphrase "Rickaaaaaaay!" (a cockney pronunciation of Ricky) at her lover, and Palmer admitted in 2008 that "not a day has gone by in nine years when someone hasn't shouted that from cars and even up at my bedroom window at night."^[15] It has been suggested that Bianca's catchphrase — "Rickaaaaaaay!" — transitioned, becoming "shorthand for any sort of heinous henpecking."^[11] On "Friday night with Jonathan Ross" (aired 18 April 2008, BBC1), Palmer explained that it was actually Ross, as a DJ, who had originally inspired the catchphrase.

One of the first notable storylines featuring the couple occurred in 1995, when Ricky embarked on an affair with Bianca's "put-upon sidekick", Natalie Price (Lucy Speed).^[16] On-screen Natalie and Ricky found themselves sidelined and bullied by Bianca, forcing them together and leading to their eventual affair, which continued for several weeks on-screen, with Ricky seeing both Natalie and Bianca. The storyline reached its climax on 21 February 1995; 17.0 million viewers tuned in to witness Bianca discovering that her boyfriend was sleeping with her best friend.^[17] The characters were shown to reconcile later in the year when Ricky supported Bianca through a personal crisis — the revelation that she had unknowingly tried to seduce her estranged father David Wicks (Michael French).

Various crises between the characters were featured over the following years, causing them to break up and reconcile numerous times. In the book Seeing Things: Television in the Age of Uncertainty, author John Ellis uses the couple's combustible relationship as an example of emotional intensity and pathos: "A couple like Ricky and Bianca... can have constantly sniped at each other for several episodes, for no apparent dramatic purpose except that it is the nature of their relationship. Then they will suddenly be confronted by a life-changing decision...There is suddenly a shift in emotional intensity for the audience. Every word now counts, and all the previous audience attitudes of irritation or even condescension to this 'not very bright couple'...become a feeling of utter absorption in their dilemma."^[18] The BBC has reported that Bianca and Ricky's on-off romance "captivated millions of fans", and in April 1997 22 million viewers tuned in to see them marry on-screen, one of the biggest soap audiences ever.^[19] In 2000, Owen stated that the storyline he most enjoyed in EastEnders was the build up and marriage to Bianca, because "the public's enthusiasm for the event was a great motivation".^[20] The Daily Mail branded Ricky and Bianca "EastEnders' most popular couple",^[21] and they have also been described as "iconic".^[22]

[edit] Spina bifida

In 1997, the character was featured in a storyline about spina bifida and hydrocephalus, a developmental birth defect resulting in an incompletely formed spinal cord of the baby.^[23] After falling pregnant with Ricky's baby, a pre-natal scan revealed that her unborn foetus had the conditions. In the storyline, Bianca agonised about whether to have an abortion, but eventually decided to terminate her pregnancy at 20 weeks, following the diagnosis.^[24] In scenes shown after the forced abortion, Bianca and Ricky were given the chance to see and hold their dead daughter, named Natasha, after the birth (Ricky was unable to do this, though Bianca later said her baby had been "perfect"), and a period of heavy grief followed as the characters came to terms with what they had done. The Peterborough-based Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH) helped and provided information to the programme makers during the storyline.^[25]

Bianca's decision to abort reportedly angered a proportion of viewers, including parents with handicapped children, who rang the BBC to complain that they showed the abortion of a disabled baby.^[26] However, many were "moved" by the storyline,^[11] and Patsy Palmer received critical acclaim for her acting throughout.^[27] As a result, Palmer was nominated in the 'Best Actress' category at the Royal Television Society Awards — the first soap actress to ever be nominated.^[11]

The storyline was later used to spread a public message. When Bianca fell pregnant once again in 1998, the scriptwriters included scenes of a practitioner advising the character to take folic acid, which protects against spina bifida.^[28] ASBAH issued a public plea to EastEnders, urging them to allow Bianca's second baby to be born with spina bifida, in order to show parents that having a baby with spina bifida is "not the end of the world".^[29] This did not occur, however, and Bianca was shown to give birth to a premature but healthy baby, Liam, in an episode that aired on Christmas Day 1998.

[edit] Exit (1999)

The character was featured in various other storylines, including a feud with Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp); a tug-of-love for Ricky's affections with his first wife Sam Mitchell (Danniella Westbrook); a one-night-stand with Lenny Wallace (Des Coleman), causing an STD scare; and the death of her best friend Tiffany Mitchell (Martine McCutcheon). However, in November 1998, the BBC announced that Patsy Palmer had decided to leave EastEnders to spend more time with her family.^[19] The BBC said that Bianca would not be killed off, and a spokesman commented: "Bianca has always been an amazingly powerful character and the door is open to her if she wants to return in the future. She has been fantastic in the years she has been in EastEnders and we will miss her."^[19] Palmer was one of several high-profile EastEnders stars to announce their departures that year; Martine McCutcheon and Ross Kemp (Grant and Tiffany Mitchell) had also decided to leave, and Gillian Taylforth left the serial in 1998 after 13 years playing Kathy Mitchell. The BBC said, "no-one is bigger than the show, which is doing extremely well at the moment. We will send her off with all our very best wishes."^[19] Richard Stokes, EastEnders' series editor and producer of Palmer's exit storyline commented, "you don't expect people to stay here for ever. But it's a double-edged sword. Yes, it's a shame when a well-loved character announces they're going, but the flipside is that it provides us with the space to do the best possible story. If someone is going, you can up the stakes. The whole of Bianca's story was developed once we knew she was going to go."^[30]

Bianca's exit storyline centred upon an extramarital affair with her mother's boyfriend Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass). Lindsey Coulson, who played Bianca's mother Carol, returned to the serial especially to facilitate Palmer's exit.^[31] Carol had last been seen on-screen in 1997. When the affair was uncovered, Bianca was disowned by Carol, and her marriage to Ricky ended after Carol forced her to confess the affair to him too. Bianca's exit week was spread out over five episodes, beginning with an hour long special on Sunday 5 September 1999 (at the time the typical weekly broadcast was 3 episodes a week). Mal Young, BBC's Controller of Continuing Drama Series, described the revelatory hour-long Bianca special as a Play For Today, and Kathryn Flett of The Guardian described the week's episodes as a "bravura, edge-of-the-sofa, five-night performance".^[30] Commenting on her exit in 1999, Palmer said, "It was really sad. We were all crying our eyes out - the crew as well as the cast. The tears you see on screen are real."^[32]

The discovery of Bianca's affair has been described as "one of the truly great emotion-charged scenes in soap history."^[33] Bianca left the serial on a train for Manchester with her son Liam, in an episode that aired in September 1999.^[34] In 2005, Binaca's exit storyline was voted number 8 in Sky's top 10 greatest moments of EastEnders.^[33] The storyline was also voted as one of Top 20 greatest soap moments of all time. Chosen by thousands of TV viewers, the televised countdown was presented by Dale Winton and aired on ITV in 2001.^[35]

[edit] Spin-off (2002)

In 2001, the BBC announced that Patsy Palmer and Sid Owen were reprising their roles as Bianca and Ricky, for a special spin-off, entitled EastEnders: Ricky and Bianca. Filmed in Manchester in January 2002, the two part, hour long special reunited the characters for the first time in over two years.^[36] The spin off or 'soap bubble' was part of Mal Young's (BBC's controller of drama serials) plan to expand the EastEnders brand — he created a "bubbles unit" to make, at most, six one-off specials a year.^[37] EastEnders: Ricky and Bianca aired in May 2002, and proved a ratings winner, with more than 10 million viewers tuning in.^[38]

In the spin-off, Bianca had fallen upon hard times, and accidentally got a visiting Ricky embroiled in a drugs heist. Despite talk of reconciling, Bianca opted to leave Ricky behind once again, leaving Liam in his care. The spin-off brought in various characters unrelated to the main serial, including Vince, Bianca's drug dealing boss played by Craig Charles, and Ricky's fiancee Cassie, played by Sally Ann Triplett. Both Ricky and Liam returned to the main serial as regular characters later that year, without Bianca. In an interview, Patsy Palmer discussed the spin-off and the reasons why she did not want to return to EastEnders: "I have absolutely no desire to return to EastEnders. Not at all. In fact, I think that brief spin-off of a storyline for Ricky and Bianca was a double-edged sword. On one hand, I don’t think we should ever have done it, it was a mistake on my behalf. But on the other, it convinced me that Bianca was someone that I did not want to see again. She was past history as far as I was concerned, I certainly learned that. Don’t get me wrong, I had the time of my life when I was in EastEnders in the middle and late nineties and I worked with some terrific people both in front of and behind the camera. But that was then and this is now - the cast has nearly all changed and going back would be worse than foolish."^[39]

[edit] Return (2008)

"[I'm] really excited about rejoining the cast and working with old friends again [...] I can't wait to explore what Bianca has been doing with her life and seeing what she is going to get up to next" —Patsy Palmer[1]

However, it was announced on 29 October 2007 that Palmer would be reprising the role of Bianca in EastEnders,^[1] despite previously saying she would never return to the show as it was "rubbish".^[40] EastEnders executive producer Diederick Santer said he was "delighted" that Bianca was returning, commenting: "Millions grew up with her and, like the audience, I can't wait to see her back in the show. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter in her story."^[1]

On 30 October 2007, a day after the announcement of Bianca's return, it was announced that Sid Owen was also be returning to the show as Ricky.^[41] Owen commented: "It will be interesting to see what has been happening to Ricky and Bianca over the last few years. Although, I must admit I'm not looking forward to her nagging me by shouting his name."^[41] Santer commented: "First Patsy comes home, now Sid! Ricky and Bianca were a hugely popular and well-loved partnership on the show, spawning one of the best (and perhaps most irritating) of TV catchphrases - Rickaaaaay!"^[41]

It was said that Bianca would return "as a single mother with a hoard of children in tow".^[40] On 18 March 2008, it was announced that her family would consist of Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), the fifteen-year-old daughter of Bianca's deceased partner; Liam Butcher (James Forde), Bianca and Ricky's son who previously appeared in the serial; Tiffany Dean (Maisie Smith), Bianca's five-year-old daughter, named after Tiffany Mitchell; and Morgan Jackson-King (Devon Higgs), Bianca's three-year-old son who is "the most [spoilt] out of all of the kids".^[42]

To promote the characters' return, the BBC began airing trailers across the BBC network in March 2008. One trailer utilised Bianca's "trademark holler" of Ricky's name, which is so loud that it smashes the windows of The Queen Victoria public house.^[22] The trailer features the Righteous Brothers song "Hung on You". Another trailer sees Bianca singing The Jackson 5 hit "I Want You Back" and performing a dance routine with her four children. The promo uses the tag line "Introducing The Jackson 5".^[43] Within three days of being posted on the video sharing website YouTube, the promo had been viewed 52,000 times.^[44]

The character returned on-screen on 1 April 2008, but made her first appearance back in the soap's setting of Albert Square the following week, drawing 10.4 million viewers and 42.6% of the total TV viewing audience.^[45] In the storyline, Bianca had fallen on hard times, and after being evicted from her flat her children were taken into custody, so Bianca returned to Walford to seek help from her grandmother Pat Evans (Pam St. Clement). In the documentary EastEnders: Ricky and Bianca, which aired to celebrate the character's return, the changes in Bianca's character were noted: "The carefree, wild child of yesterday, has been replaced by the wore-torn and downtrodden single mum of four. Bianca has done what she always wanted to avoid, repeating the mistakes that her mother Carol had made." EastEnders' series consultant Simon Ashdown has commented, "Bianca's still the same Bianca in a way, she still speaks before she thinks, comes out fists flying. She's got that family of misfit kids with different fathers [...] She's like Carol."^[46] The BBC described the character's comeback as a "big hit".^[47] However, James Walton from The Telegraph accused the Jackson family of being melodramatic and "boring", adding "Perhaps the storyline is meant to be an updated version of Cathy Come Home – yet if so, the writers have forgotten one important thing. We’re supposed to be rooting for the mother rather than for Social Services."^[48]

[edit] Storylines

[edit] Early life

Bianca was conceived by Carol Branning and David Wicks in 1976, when they were fourteen. David tried to persuade Carol to have an abortion and fled, not knowing that she kept the baby.^[12]

Bianca first appeared in the serial in November 1993 with the rest of her family; the Jacksons.^[49] She initially worked at Ian Beale's fish and chip shop, before becoming the market assistant of Sanjay Kapoor. Later on she branched out, running her own clothing stall on Bridge Street market.

Bianca had a short relationship with Richard Cole in 1994, and when he dumped her, she and her friend Natalie Price harassed him with prank calls, rearranged the furniture in his flat and stole his credit card. When Richard discovered that they were behind the trouble, Bianca and Natalie blackmailed him, telling him that Bianca was only fifteen and that they would inform the police that he had slept with an underage girl if he did not leave them alone.^[7]

Bianca then set her sights on David Wicks, unaware that he was her father. She and David flirted with each other, until Carol told David the truth — that Bianca was his daughter. After that, David kept his distance from Bianca.^[12]

[edit] Relationship with Ricky

Bianca then entered into a relationship with Ricky Butcher. They moved into a bedsit together, however, things did not go smoothly for the couple. Bianca spent a lot of time clubbing with her friend Tiffany Raymond, and Ricky started an affair with Natalie. Natalie later set it up so that Bianca would discover the affair, and when she did Bianca dumped Ricky, and drove Natalie out of Walford (it took four years for Bianca to forgive Natalie's betrayal). When a drunk Bianca was nearly assaulted, David took her to the car lot to sober up. She tried to kiss him, but he told her that he was her father. She spent several weeks coming to terms with the revelation.^[7]

Ricky and Bianca reunited and got engaged in June 1995, however in July 1996, she ended up sleeping with Lenny Wallace. She soon regretted this however, when she feared she'd fallen pregnant to him. It was a false alarm, but the shock made her realise how much Ricky meant to her and so in 1997 the two married. Later that year, Bianca fell pregnant with her and Ricky's first child, however, a pre-natal scan confirmed that the unborn child was affected with spina bifida. Distraught, Bianca opted to abort her unborn child, a decision which put a massive strain on her marriage. More problems arose in 1998, when Bianca's infidelity with Lenny was finally revealed to Ricky, following an STD scare. Ricky considered ending their marriage, but Bianca managed to convince him to give her another chance and in September 1998 Bianca fell pregnant for a second time. She gave birth to baby Liam on Christmas day in The Queen Vic, helped by her nemesis Grant Mitchell — the volatile husband of her best friend Tiffany. Days later, disaster struck for Bianca when Tiffany was run over and killed by Frank Butcher. Bianca spent the early part of 1999 trying to force Tiffany's mother Louise to leave Walford, having discovered that Louise slept with Grant.^[7]

[edit] Affair with Dan

In the Summer of 1999, Bianca's mother, Carol, returned to Albert Square with her new fiancée Dan Sullivan. Unbeknown to Carol, an underage Bianca had previously had a relationship with Dan, and the two rekindled their affair behind their partners' backs.^[7]

They ended the affair when Carol discovered she was pregnant with Dan's child, and Bianca and Ricky made plans to move away to Manchester so Bianca could attend fashion college there. However, after finding an old photo of Bianca and Dan together, Carol demanded to know their history. Dan told Carol that they once had a romance that ended years ago, and swore on the life of his unborn child that it was over. Carol went to question an unsuspecting Bianca about her relationship with Dan. Unaware that Dan had lied to Carol about the affair, Bianca confessed the truth. Carol decided she wanted nothing more to do with Bianca, and Bianca left for Manchester with Liam in September 1999, after informing Ricky that she no longer loved him.^[7]

[edit] Ricky and Bianca reunited

In May 2002, in a special spin-off episode, Ricky went to see Bianca in Manchester to discuss custody of Liam. Bianca had been expelled from her university and ended up working in a seedy nightclub. Struggling to support her child, Bianca became desperate and was caught up in a plan to steal £50,000 from her drug-dealing boss, Vince.^[50]

Ricky persuaded her to return the money, but as they delivered it they were apprehended by Vince, who threatened to harm them unless they became his drug couriers. Ricky and Bianca were forced to oblige. They took what they thought was a package of money, but as they arrived at the meeting point, Bianca realised that the package contained paper instead of money. The drug dealers arrived expecting payment and weren't pleased to discover Bianca and Ricky were attempting to con them. They pulled out knives, but Ricky and Bianca were saved when armed police raided the establishment. Ricky and Bianca escaped and spent the night in a hotel room, where they slept together.^[50]

The next morning they returned to Bianca's flat to find that Vince had kidnapped Liam and Ricky's fiancée Cassie. Vince divulged that he had used them to set up the drug dealers, hoping that they would also get arrested. Vince then let them go, promising that the matter was now closed. Ricky and Bianca spent time alone together and they confessed that they still loved one another and decided to reunite. While Bianca returned home to pack, Ricky broke the news to Cassie, but she was unwilling to let him go. She convinced Bianca that a life with Ricky would bore her and she would end up breaking his heart again. She pleaded with her to let Ricky have full custody of Liam and Bianca eventually decided this was the right thing to do. She packed her belongings and left. Ricky searched for her and then looked on heartbroken as Bianca hitched a ride in a car and departed for a destination unknown.^[50]

[edit] Return to Walford

Bianca was seen being thrown out of a bed and breakfast with her children (stepdaughter Whitney, Liam, Tiffany and Morgan) in April 2008. After sleeping in a bus shelter for a night, she posed as a prostitute to steal a client's money, but was assulated instead. When a police officer saw her children unattended and expressed concern, Bianca hit him and was arrested, her children being taken into care. Bianca then returned to Albert Square to seek help from her grandmother, Pat, who contacted Ricky and, after various arguments, Bianca went to social worker, Alice, claiming that her children could stay at Pat's, and that she and Ricky were back together. Pat's house was approved by Alice and Bianca's children joined her in Walford.

Since her return, Bianca has made enemies with both Stacey Branning, due to her daughter Whitney stealing a top from her stall and later Bianca belittling the quality of the clothes she was selling, and Zainab Masood, again due to her daughter Tiffany who graffitied Zainab's wall with chalk and then when Bianca refused to clean it off Tiffany brought a bucket of soapy water and washed the graffiti away before dumping the rest of the water into Zainab's flower beds resulting in them being ruined.

However, Pat was determined to control her granddaughter's bolshy ways and convinced Bianca that the best thing to do was to be at peace with her neighbours. Bianca reluctantly agreed and set about trying to find a job in order to pay Zainab back for her ruined flower boxes. She hit minor setbacks due to Liam feigning illness and then nobody wanting to hire her. Having been reduced to grovelling to Zainab for a job at the post office in order to pay her back, Bianca was given a lucky break when her cousin Steven Beale gave her a job at his stepfather Ian Beale's cafė. Although her uncle was initially furious and unimpressed by his stepson's decision to hire Bianca as they did not see eye to eye, Ian reluctantly agreed to the decision and Bianca was allowed to keep her new job.

[edit] Reception

Bianca has been described as "one of the most popular characters [EastEnders] has ever had",^[51] and James Rampton, journalist for The Independent, has commented that she is "adored".^[11] Palmer has suggested that viewers "rooted" for Bianca because people love a stroppy girl. In 2000, she commented, "[Bianca] makes them laugh. A character like that is about living out your fantasies. Everybody would love to be like Bianca and really say what they think."^[11] Following her exit from the serial in September 1999, Palmer claimed that members of the public would approach her to plead with her to return to EastEnders, as they missed her character and relationship with Ricky. She commented in 2000, "It makes me feel bad. I sometimes think I should go back [to EastEnders] for everyone else's sake."^[11] Palmer's portrayal of Bianca earned her a nomination for 'Best Actress' at the Royal Television Society Awards — being the first soap actress to ever be nominated — and in 2000 she was awarded 'Best Actress' at The British Soap Awards, a prize voted for by viewers.^[52]

Conversely, when the character departed the serial in 1999, Molly Blake of the Birmingham Evening Post said "Good riddance!". She described Bianca as a "king-sized pain in the backside...A screeching and screaming virago with a big mouth and pea-sized brain" and a "prize slapper [who] tormented all those whose paths [she] crossed."^[53]

In 1995, Chris Barker carried out television research on post-transmission perepctives of British Asian teenage viewers of EastEnders, using the character Bianca as one of the focus points. He discovered that the participants were both active and implicit in the reproduction of idealogy about family relationships and gender. The males regarded Bianca as a "saucy cow", with implications of unacceptable assertiveness in women. They disliked that Ricky was pushed around by Bianca and treated as a subordinate by her friends. The author comments that "such a relationship appears to these boys as the world turned upside down." Girls also viewed Bianca unfavourably in 1995, and the author noted that tensions in "girl-culture"—attraction to the traditional private world of interpersonal relationships and the desire to take up more assertive characteristics in public—manifested themselves in discussions about Bianca and her friend Natalie Price. Natalie was constructed as a "nice person" in contrast to Bianca, "she can relate to Ricky...cares for other people and doesn't just think about herself [like Bianca does]", qualities that were said to be constitutive of the traditional identity of women.^[54]

In 2008, when it was announced that both Ricky and Bianca were being reintroduced, executive producer Diederick Santer described them as "a hugely popular and well-loved partnership on the show".^[55] Other media sources branded them two of "the most popular characters on the soap" and an "iconic couple".^[9][22] However, Hazel Davis of The Guardian was critical about their reintroduction. She commented, "It's a no-brainer on the show's part. Last year, ratings for EastEnders were at an all-time low. But, just for once, wouldn't it be nice if a soap opera actually introduced new characters with verve and staying power rather than digging up the oldies?".^[56] Conversely, Mark Wright from The Stage said that the decision to bring these much-loved character back "is very welcome". He comments, "Previous returns have been all about the numbers and not about the story, which is the cardinal sin in this game. While there is, of course, the resultant publicity that comes with any new or returning soap character being announced, the storyline possibilities for Ricky and Bianca arriving back in the Square are good. Bianca is turning up with a brood of kids in tow, all belonging to different fathers (how many of them can we expect to see over the next couple of years?). Like it! Ricky arrives with a glamorous WAG...on his arm. I sense friction along the way, especially when Ricky realises he never got over Bianca (how could he?). All very well thought through and positive. This sounds like a soap getting back in touch with its roots..."^[39]

[edit] In popular culture and other media

In 1999, EastEnders and the BBC launched a book about the character Bianca, entitled Bianca's Secret Diary. The paperback details the affair between Bianca her mother Carol's lover Dan. A BBC source reportedly told the Sunday Mirror: "We've recently dethroned Coronation Street at the top of the viewing charts, and this book has the potential to make No.1 in the best-sellers list." It was released on September 10, 1999, just as the TV storyline reached its conclusion.^[57]

The character was also spoofed in the BBC comedy sketch show, The Real McCoy (1991–1995). One of the show's recurring sketches featured a spoof version of EastEnders, with black comedians taking over roles of well known EastEnders characters, who frequent a pub called Rub-a-Dub.^[58] Actress and comedian Judith Jacob played the role of Bianca in the sketches. Notably, Jacob had previously appeared as a regular character in EastEnders between 1986 and 1989, as health visitor Carmel Jackson.^[59]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Bianca Jackson at bbc.co.uk

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