Janine Butcher (also Evans, Malloy and Carter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, introduced in 1989. The character is played by Rebecca Michael, Alexia Demetriou and Charlie Brooks respectively. Brooks initially departed on 7 May 2004. She returned for a three episode guest stint in April 2008 before a permanent return on 18 December that year. Brooks took a break from September 2012 until April 2013 before departing on 20 March 2014. In April 2021, it was announced that Brooks would reprise the role for a third stint starting from 6 September 2021 until her departure on 26 December 2022. It was revealed in July 2026 that Brooks had agreed to reprise the role for a short stint later that same year.
The character has been described as a "super-bitch" and a "classic villainess". She has proven popular with critics and fans of the show. Her storylines typically involve her in an antagonistic role. She has been married five times: to Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson), whom she killed on New Year's Day 2004; David (Harry Towb), who died on their wedding day; Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott); Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd); and Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) who "died" on Christmas day 2022, a day after their wedding. Her feuds include a long-standing conflict with former stepmothers Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement) and Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor). She also had feuds with Sonia Jackson (Natalie Cassidy), Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), Laura Beale (Hannah Waterman), Kat (Jessie Wallace), Zoe (Michelle Ryan), Stacey (Lacey Turner), and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright), Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack), Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Jada Lennox (Kelsey Calladine-Smith), Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright). Her initial departure saw Janine being wrongfully charged for the death of Laura Beale. Upon her return, she attends her father's funeral and wake. Later that year, Janine is caught forging a wedding to a wealthy, old-aged pensioner, which ends with her new husband abruptly dying of a heart attack upon discovering her false identity. She later accidentally kills local resident Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace) by running her down; conspires with Peggy's husband Archie (Larry Lamb) to defraud the Mitchell family from their ownership of The Queen Victoria public house; and becomes a prime suspect in Archie's murder investigation (Who Killed Archie?). Janine later becomes involved in a love triangle with her third husband, Ryan, and his baby's mother, Stacey. All of this results in Janine framing Stacey for her attempted murder and also attempting to kill Ryan by poisoning him. Janine later gives birth to a daughter, Scarlett, with her fourth husband, Michael, and they become embroiled in a custody battle, which leads to Janine murdering Michael, prompting her second departure from the show after she was acquitted for his murder.
In Brooks' third stint as Janine, her storylines include being in a custody battle for Scarlett (now Tabitha Byron) with Kat, accidentally starting a fire that almost kills Scarlett and Kat's son Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall), reigniting her feuds with both Kat and Stacey, framing Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) for car theft, manipulating a separation between Mick and Linda Carter in order to have him to herself, regaining custody of Scarlett, a feud with Linda in which she frames her for a car accident, blackmailing Jada into helping her bring Linda down, discovering she is pregnant with Mick's child and later marrying him, before being widowed the following day after another car accident with Linda that she indirectly caused, leading to her arrest and fourth departure from the show.
Creation Casting The character was first mentioned in September 1987, when her father Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) first appeared on-screen. Frank and his children Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) and Diane Butcher (Sophie Lawrence) were introduced as regular characters in 1988. However, Janine did not become a regular character until a year later, in June 1989, her arrival completing the Butcher family.
Janine was initially seen as a 6-year-old, played by Rebecca Michael. In 1993, following a storyline that saw her stepmother Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement) imprisoned for manslaughter, Janine was sent to stay with her off-screen sister Clare Butcher, but she returned later that year, played by 11-year-old Alexia Demetriou, who appeared as Janine from 14 October 1993 until 12 March 1996, when the character was written out again, as Demetriou left to concentrate on her studies. Executive producer Matthew Robinson re-introduced Janine in 1999 as a 16-year-old, played by Charlie Brooks. On her getting the part, Brooks said, "It's funny, but for as long as I can remember I knew I was going to make it, I never worried about my career or money, and when I left college I was headstrong and confident and felt very grown. Then I joined EastEnders and I felt like a lost little girl. I remember the casting director taking me to meet Patsy Palmer on my first day there and, because I'd been watching EastEnders since I was little, I actually felt sick".
Characterisation Janine's backstory states that she was born just four years before her mother, June, died from cancer, and Janine subsequently went to live with her sister Clare (Lucy Foxell; Caroline O'Neill). Eventually, Janine's father, Frank (Mike Reid), moved to Walford with her older siblings Ricky (Sid Owen) and Diane (Sophie Lawrence), as well as with his beloved wife Pat Wicks (Pam St Clement). Soon afterwards, Clare moved to Manchester in 1989, leaving Janine with Pat and Frank.
Janine is described by the EastEnders website as a "brutal minx whose motto is that money can buy happiness. She will manipulate, marry and murder once she's had a sniff of the Queen's head." It continues: "Janine's a great actress who enjoys seducing people, but the clever diva doesn't always get the end results she desires, which has even led to her imprisonment."
Development Drug addiction In 2002, a storyline saw Janine using drugs and prostituting to fund the habit. She was shown about to snort cocaine in a scene that sparked viewer complaints to the BBC. Brooks has said about Janine's behaviour: "Sleeping with her pusher is very sad and desperate. But she feels she has to do it to get more drugs. Janine has such low self-esteem that she's deliberately reckless. She thinks, 'Why not take drugs if they make me feel good about myself for a while?' I think she knows she's on a slippery slope but she believes she can get out of it like she's always done before."
Departure (2004) The character was written out of the series in the spring of 2004 when Janine was falsely charged with the murder of Laura Beale (Hannah Waterman) and remanded in custody. Pat Evans (Pam St Clement) refuses to give Janine an alibi due to her awareness that Janine murdered Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson) earlier in the year. According to Williamson, prior to his resignation storyliners planned for Barry to kill Janine.
Brooks rejected an offer to re-appear in late 2005 for the murder trial, although BBC bosses did persuade Mike Reid to make his final appearances as Frank Butcher for scenes involving his former wife Pat during the duration of the trial. Janine was present off-screen for the duration of the trial.
Reintroduction (2008) Four years after her initial departure, Brooks was asked to reprise the role by executive producer Diederick Santer as part of a storyline that was dubbed "Frank Week". Mike Reid died in July 2007, and due to the popularity of the character he played, Santer decided that Frank would also be killed off in the serial. A funeral was held for the character as a tribute to both the actor and the "iconic" character he played. Brooks was one of several actors brought back to the show especially for the storyline. She was joined by Sophie Lawrence, who played her older sister Diane Butcher, and Sid Owen as her brother Ricky.
Following the conclusion of her three episode guest stint in April 2008, it was announced the following month that Brooks would reprise her role as Janine on a full-time basis. Brooks said she was "thrilled" to be back and admitted her recent appearance gave her "a taste" of being Janine again. Executive producer, Santer, said her recent appearances "reminded us what a fine actress she is, and what an intriguing, watchable and engaging character she plays as Janine". He promised a longer spell on the programme would enable viewers to see "what makes Janine tick" and also find out where she got the "flashy big black car" with which she was seen at the funeral. Janine's return scenes aired in December 2008. In June 2009, she signed a three-year contract.
Relationship with Ryan Malloy In December 2009, the show's executive producer, Diederick Santer teased about upcoming storylines involving Janine and her flatmate Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott), saying: "There's something really interesting with Ryan and Janine [...]. They're both people who don't know how to love. So will they fall in love? And if they do, can they cope with it? Will they understand the alien feelings coursing through their bodies?" In August 2010, Janine proposes to Ryan. Brooks said that the idea of getting married would be daunting for the character, but added that she believes Janine is genuinely in love with Ryan. She commented: "It's easy to assume that Janine is playing games or using him for sex, but [...] Ryan clearly adores her too, so he may be the man to tame her wild ways." Brooks hinted at possible trouble for the couple if Janine discovers that Ryan fathered a baby with local resident Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), saying "Janine will be absolutely destroyed when she finds out. She wants Ryan all to herself, and the idea of a baby snatching his attention away would be devastating. All she needs is to be loved." McDermott stated that he believed Ryan was the right man for Janine, and that they could be perfect for each other, saying: "Janine's never loved any of the men she's been with before. She has only ever been in it for the money. Ryan understands her and knows why she does the things she does. They both forgive one another's mistakes very easily, and that's why their partnership works."
Lydia Simmonds In February 2011, Janine's estranged grandmother, Lydia Simmonds, "a lady of class and dignity," was announced. Lydia's backstory states that she loved her daughter June but hated the man she married, Frank, so she grew old alone. Lydia and Janine have been estranged for many years and Janine is shocked to have her grandmother back in her life. Executive Producer Bryan Kirkwood said: "I can't wait to see Janine meet her match."
An EastEnders source revealed that Lydia is more of a schemer than Janine, saying "Janine is going to think there's a potential meal ticket arriving in the form of Lydia. But she's a very complex woman—and Janine won't be able to manipulate her as easily as she'd imagined." EastEnders executive producer stated that Lydia was introduced to help explore Janine's fun side. Kirkwood said to Inside Soap: "After the stories she's had lately, it's time for Janine to have some fun, I think."
Sabbatical and second departure (2014) In February 2012, Brooks announced that she would take a six-month break from the show later in the year, and departed on 14 September. Brooks returned to filming on 21 February 2013 and returned on screen on 18 April that year. On 28 October 2013, it was announced that Brooks had decided to leave the show for a third time, but to allow for her to return again, the character would not be killed off. Following Janine's arrest on Christmas Day, she returned to screens on 24 February 2014 when Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) visited her in prison, and last appeared on 20 March 2014.