List of minor EastEnders characters (1998)

The following is a list of minor characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1998, by order of first appearance.

Bruno di Marco
Bruno di Marco was the father of Rosa di Marco's husband, Giuseppe. Bruno and his wife Luisa were Italian but London raised. They were extremely patriotic, even though they actually knew very little about their homeland.

Bruno—like his father before him—had been the owner of an Italian restaurant in London's Soho, which he later gave to Giuseppe as a wedding present. The restaurant began to struggle financially, and when Giuseppe died in 1998, the di Marcos were forced to close it down. Giuseppe's friend George Palmer—who had bailed the restaurant out of debt several times in the past—recruited the di Marcos to run his new Italian restaurant in Walford, which he named Giuseppe's. Bruno's family referred to him as Nonno, which is Italian for grandfather.

Bruno was stricken with bronchitis due to years of heavy smoking, which meant that he was unable to work or help out in the restaurant. He liked to drink, play cards and hold family meetings at his favourite table. Luisa suffered a stroke shortly before Bruno's birthday in July 1998. She recovered but remained frail and in December Bruno and Luisa decided to take a trip to Italy to discover their homeland together, before it was too late. When they got there they liked it so much that they decided to stay. They telephoned Rosa to tell her they weren't returning to Walford a few weeks later.

Family

 * Wife: Luisa di Marco
 * Son: Giuseppe di Marco (deceased)
 * Grandsons: Beppe di Marco, Gianni di Marco, Luca di Marco
 * Granddaughters: Teresa di Marco, Nicky di Marco
 * Great grandson: Joe di Marco

Luisa di Marco
Luisa di Marco first appeared at the funeral of her son, Giuseppe. Luisa had been a doting mother to Giuseppe and was devastated by his death. She and her husband Bruno lived with Giuseppe's wife, Rosa, and her family. Luisa was Italian, a fact that she was extremely proud of. She actually knew very little about her homeland, as she had been raised in London and lived there most of her life.

Luisa's husband had owned a restaurant in Soho, which had been given to Giuseppe when he married Rosa. The restaurant began to struggle financially, and when Giuseppe died in 1998, the di Marcos were forced to close it down. Giuseppe's friend George Palmer—who had bailed the restaurant out of debt several times in the past—recruited the di Marcos to run his new Italian restaurant in Walford, which he named Giuseppe's.

Most of Luisa's family referred to her as Nonna, which is Italian for grandmother. Luisa had always been active in the upbringing of her grandchildren. She was a traditionalist, and disapproved when her grandson's wife, Sandra, opted to go back to work instead of staying at home to look after her son, Joe. When the di Marcos interference became too much, Sandra walked out, abandoning Joe. Luisa had subsequently played a big part in her great grandson's upbringing.

Luisa was often troubled by the antics of her grandchildren and when she saw her youngest granddaughter, Nicky, kissing Martin Fowler, the shock was too much and she suffered a stroke. She recovered but remained frail and in December Bruno and Luisa decided to take a trip to Italy to discover their homeland together, before it was too late. When they got there they liked it so much that they decided to stay. A few weeks later they telephoned Rosa to say that they were not returning.

The following year Luisa sent over an Italian salami, which was responsible for giving several of the di Marcos a bout of food poisoning. Rosa initially blamed café worker, Mick McFarlane, for serving unsanitary food, which led to him being sacked in May 1999.

Family

 * Husband: Bruno di Marco
 * Son: Giuseppe di Marco (deceased)
 * Grandsons: Beppe di Marco, Gianni di Marco, Luca di Marco
 * Granddaughters: Teresa di Marco, Nicky di Marco
 * Great grandson: Joe di Marco

Saskia Duncan
Saskia Duncan arrived in Walford as the obsessive ex-girlfriend of new e20 club owner Steve Owen in December 1998. It was clear that Steve was not happy to see her but Saskia continued to stalk him even though he constantly told her he didn't want her anymore. When Steve started a relationship with Melanie Healy, Saskia tried to break them up by trying to seduce him. She succeeded when she and Steve ended up sleeping together one drunken night, but Steve made it clear it was a mistake. Even so, Saskia wouldn't listen.

She went too far one night on 14 February 1999, the launch night of e20, when she broke into Steve's club office. It was then revealed that she was pregnant with Steve's baby but had had it aborted when he didn't want it, so she blamed him for killing the baby. Steve told her to get out but she attacked him and tried to strangle him with his tie. Matthew Rose, who worked in the club as a DJ, came in and tried to get her off him but she pushed him away. Steve reached for the nearest object, an ashtray, and gave her a brutal blow to the head, killing her instantly. Steve and Matthew then buried her body in Epping Forest.

Saskia's disappearance was investigated by police, and her sister Claudia Fielding arrived and was suspicious that Steve had something to do with her disappearance. Matthew panicked that Claudia would find out about Saskia's death but Steve tried to keep him under control. The body was later discovered and both Steve and Matthew were arrested. In a cruel twist of fate, Matthew ended up being found guilty of her manslaughter when Steve pointed the finger of blame on him.

Matthew was eventually released after his conviction was quashed in December 1999 and got revenge on Steve by tying him to a chair and threatening to burn him alive, but later revealed it was all fake just to turn Steve into an emotional wreck, and left Albert Square.

Family

 * Sister: Claudia Fielding