List of minor EastEnders characters (1988)

The following is a list of minor characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1988, by order of first appearance.

Johnny Harris
Johnny Harris was a criminal associate of Den Watts, who would show up occasionally to liaise with Den about various scams they were involved with. He was first seen in February 1988 when he conned Den's nemesis, Darren Roberts, by selling him fake pornographic videos.

In June 1988, Johnny revealed to Den that his latest scam had been uncovered by the police and it was likely that he would serve time in prison. Johnny was sent to Dickens Hill prison on remand, where he met up with Den in September 1988, after he was imprisoned for the arson of the Dagmar winebar.

Johnny had been promoted to "number 1" of the prison wing (head prisoner), meaning he was in charge of issuing supplies to the other inmates and given a cell on his own. Johnny was also on the payroll of The Firm, and he was instructed to keep a close eye on Den in order to stop him stepping out of line. When The Firm suspected Den of being a "grass", they instructed Johhny to organise a beating for him as a reminder to keep quiet. Johnny did so with the help of his ally Queenie. Although Johnny ordered Den's beating, he took no pleasure in seeing his former friend hurt.

When The Firm decided that Den was not the "grass" after all, Johnny tried to make peace with him. Before Johnny left Dickens Hill to attend his trial, he arranged for Den to take over his position of "number 1". Johnny also informed Den that he suspected Queenie of being the police informant, which Den later proved.

Elizabeth Beale
Elizabeth Beale was born in New Zealand to Kenny and Barbara Beale, and came to Walford with Kenny when they visited her sick grandmother Lou.

Elizabeth began an unlikely and brief liaison with her cousin Ian. She stayed with her uncle Pete and his wife Kathy when her father returned to New Zealand. She soon angered Ian by flirting with other men, and Pete subsequently threw her out of his house when she tried to bring a boyfriend home to stay. She has never been seen since, and it is assumed she returned to New Zealand.

Family

 * Father: Kenny Beale
 * Mother: Barbara Beale
 * Grandfather: Albert Beale (deceased)
 * Grandmother: Lou Beale (deceased)
 * Uncles: Ronnie Beale (deceased), Pete Beale (deceased), Harry Beale
 * Aunts: Maggie Flaherty, Dora Beale, Pauline Fowler (deceased)
 * Great great aunt: Dolly Beale (deceased)
 * Cousins: Eamonn Flaherty, Conor Flaherty, John Flaherty, Tommy Flaherty, Mark Fowler (deceased), Michelle Fowler, Martin Fowler, David Wicks, Ian Beale
 * First cousins once removed: Mary Flaherty, Colette Flaherty, Eamonn Flaherty Jr., Kylie Flaherty, Vicki Fowler, Mark Fowler Jr., Rebecca Miller, Bianca Jackson, Karen Wicks (deceased), Joe Wicks (deceased), Peter Beale, Lucy Beale, Bobby Beale
 * Second cousins: Natasha Butcher (deceased), Liam Butcher
 * Second cousin twice removed: Nellie Ellis

Harry Jameson
Harry Jameson was an old business associate of Chris Smith, who provided Chris with money for his new haulage firm.

Brian Wicks
Brian Wicks was the second husband of Pat Harris. He only appeared twice on-screen, but the character's history was heavily intertwined with several other key characters within the series, and he was mentioned regularly for the first three to four years. The character was involved in one of EastEnders most complicated storylines, the paternity of Simon Wicks.

Brian began an affair with Pat in the 1960s, while she was still married to her first husband, Pete Beale. During this time Pat fell pregnant with her second son Simon, and claimed that Pete was the father. When Pat and Pete eventually divorced, Pat latched on to Brian. They married in 1966 and Brian adopted Simon, and Pat's older child David. Both boys took on Brian's surname. Brian used to beat Pat and her children, so she eventually left him in 1986, to return to Walford. Pat caused havoc by reavealing to Simon that Pete was not his father. Several other men were put in the frame, including Brian, Den Watts, Frank Butcher and Pete's brother Kenny. Furious rows erupted between all concerned, but Pat ominously refused to divulge the father's true identity.

Brian first appeared in April 1988. He had been informed that Pat had settled down with Frank Butcher, and was running the The Queen Vic pub. Brian was interested in Pat's monetary affairs and their brief reunion was not pleasant. After calling Pat a slag and almost getting into a fight with Frank, Brian left. It wasn't until Lou Beale died in July 1988 that Pat finally revealed that Simon's father was Brian. Simon and Brian never appeared on-screen together, although later plots implied that they did correspond with each other, despite Simon claiming regularly that he hated him.

Aside from this plot, Brian continued to remain a menacing off-screen presence, continuously pestering Pat for money. Brian wasn't seen again until May 1989. Pat had decided that she wanted to marry Frank, and in order to do this she needed to divorce Brian. She met Brian and asked for the divorce, but he made it clear that he would only divorce her if she gave him either £1000 or one of Frank's cars as pay-off. Pat had no choice but to get Brian the car. She deceived Frank by claiming that her aunt Mabel's car had been written off and asked if he could provide one for her. Frank agreed to get her the car free of charge. He managed to get hold of a mini, and Pat telephoned Brian to tell him of her success. Although he was slightly annoyed that the car he was getting was only a mini, he nevertheless agreed to give Pat a divorce.

Family

 * Biological
 * Brother: John Wicks
 * Son: Simon Wicks
 * Grandson: Steven Beale
 * Nephews: Kevin Wicks
 * Great nephew: James Wicks (deceased)
 * Adoptive
 * Adopted son: David Wicks

Barnsey Barnes
"Barnsey" Barnes was the initial cellmate of Den Watts at Dickens Hill prison. He was serving time on remand for GBH and he and Den soon became friends. When Den was branded a "grass", all the prisoners turned against him except Barnesy, who served as his protector while others, such as Queenie, attempted to attack him.

In order to get to Den the other prisoners needed to get rid of Barnsey, so they reported him to the prison guards for a crime he did not commit. Barnsey was sent to solitary confinement for the night and the following day, Den was given a severe beating.

When Den was promoted to the "number 1" of the prison wing (head prisoner), he was given a cell on his own. Barnsey's new cellmate turned out to be Nick Cotton, who he instantly disliked. After Barnsey attacked Nick, he applied for a cell move, though he instantly regretted it, as he was moved in with Queenie.

Barnsey stood trial in January 1989, and left Dickens Hill to await his fate. Den was deeply sorry to see him go. Den was shot in February 1989 and presumed dead. A body was wrongly identified as Den's the following year, and Barnes attended the funeral in May 1990.

Queenie Price
Michael "Queenie" Price was a prisoner, who was serving a sentence in Dickens Hill prison along with Den Watts. He went by the name of Queenie because he was an effeminate homosexual. The other prisoners referred to him as "she" rather than "he", despite the fact that he was a large, butch looking man, with a moustache. Although Queenie acted in a camp manner, he was actually tough and the other prisoners knew not to mess with him. Nick Cotton often got on his wrong side due to his homophobic slurs, and he was eventually given a beating because of this.

It was revealed that Queenie was on The Firm's payroll along with another prisoner, Johnny Harris. When The Firm believed that Den was trying to frame them, Queenie and Harris sought Den out, intending to give him a severe beating. Den eluded this for a while, but Queenie and his gang eventually cornered him, leaving him bruised and battered with a fractured arm.

After The Firm discovered Den was not the informant, he began to suspect that it was Queenie. He concocted a plan to catch him out. He gave him the false name of a drug dealer and as he predicted it wasn't long before the police were questioning Den about him, confirming that Queenie was the "grass". Den stunned Queenie with his discovery, but instead of turning him in to The Firm he used him to provide information on them.

Trevor Kellow
Trevor Kellow was an inmate at Dickens Hill prison. Originally from the north of England, Trevor had been imprisoned on remand for the mugging of an old lady. It was the second time he had been imprisoned for this offence, though he claimed to be innocent this time.

Because the other prisoners felt that Trevor's crime was despicable, they immediately took against him. They began to bully him mercilessly. Trevor looked to Den for support, and although he seemed sympathtic, he could do little to stop the bullying. He managed to prevent a few attacks, but the abuse of Trevor still continued behind his back.

In 1989 Trevor's friend contacted him with new evidence that proved he was not guilty of the mugging. However, the following month his friend disappeared with the evidence, meaning he had no chance of avoiding a prison sentence. His solicitor instructed him to plead guilty to the crime to ensure a shorter sentence, but Trevor felt he could not cope with imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit. His mental health swiftly deteriorated and he became depressed, morose and severely paranoid.

Shortly after, Trevor was found dead in his cell, having hanged himself on the morning of his trial. Den was disturbed to discover that Trevor died in vain, as his solicitor had uncovered evidence to exonerate him.

Victor Hampton
Victor "Vic" Hampton was an inmate at Dickens Hill prison. He was imprisoned on remand for the theft of antique furniture. Vic was married to a woman named Gillie, but the marriage had come under strain due to Vic's continuous infidelities. Gillie visited and expressed her concerns about Vic's promiscuity. She asked him to get tested for any STDs he may have picked up.

When the prison officers found out about Vic's concerns he was quarantined in isolation, as they feared he could spread diseases to the other prisoners. Vic was tested and was told by the prison chaplain that he was HIV positive. He became severely depressed and berated himself for giving the virus to his wife. He talked of the humuilation he felt, having the entire prison know about his condition, being segregated from the other prisoners and treated like a leper. He talked about the dreams he had for the future, which would now have to be forgotten. Gillie was supportive and Vic was relieved to discover that she had actually tested negative. She promised to stay with him no matter what.

Victor became the first character in EastEnders to be disgnosed as HIV positive.

Family

 * Wife: Gillie Hampton

Gillie Hampton
Gillie Hampton was the wife of prisoner Victor Hampton, who was in prison on remand for theft. The couple had a young son. Gillie came to Dickens Hill prison to visit Vic. Their mariage had come under strain due to Vic's adulteries. Gillie had been visited by one of Vic's partners and she began to fear that Vic had unwittingly passed on a STD to her. She had blood tests to put her mind at rest and pleaded with Vic to do the same.

Vic eventually did and it turned out he was HIV positive. He was deeply sorry that he passed the disease on to his innocent wife, but to his relief she informed him that she had tested negative. She was supportive and promised to stay with him no matter what.

Family

 * Husband: Victor Hampton

Bob Ashley
Detective Inspector Bob Ashley was based at Walford Police Station, who was determined to shut down The Firm. He arrested Den Watts for arson on The Dagmar, and was transporting him to court when he was kidnapped by The Firm.