Hold on to your rich husbands and stay away from any nearby cliff edges, as Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) is making her long-awaited return to EastEnders.
The popular character, who was last seen in Walford in 2014, is set to make a resounding comeback, one that will no doubt send shockwaves through the Square.
With Executive Producer Jon Sen teasing ‘lots of drama’ for Janine, it’s safe to say that all eyes will be on the BBC One soap to witness the comeback of one of the greatest characters of all time.
The word is ‘iconic’ is thrown about a lot these days, but there are few as worthy of the term as much as this villainess.
Charlie Brooks’ portrayal went hand-in-hand with Janine’s strong characterisation, which cemented her as a huge part of British pop culture history.
With her sassy comebacks, penchant for murder, and her ability to get away with just about anything, Janine is a the very definition of soap royalty, and we at Metro.co.uk thought only fitting to honour this momentous occasion with a look back at some of the character’s finest moments.
Pushing Barry off a cliff
When it comes to iconic EastEnders moments, there are few that can compete with Barry Evans’ (Shaun Williamson) shocking death.
Janine, having tied the knot with Barry on New Year’s Eve 2004, accompanied her new husband on a walk in Scotland.
The schemer, however, was left in shock when Barry revealed that he wasn’t actually dying, after previously telling her that he had a heart condition.
Janine was appalled, and came clean, revealing that she had only married him for his money!
She didn’t stop there, as she went into detail about how much she disliked him.
Poor Barry then attempted to grab Janine, but she pushed him off, which resulted in him falling down the side of the mountain, where he hit his head off a rock.
Her feud with Laura – and Laura’s death
Janine had something of a feud with Laura Beale, after Laura discovered that husband Ian had been paying Janine to sleep with him!
The animosity between the two continued for quite some time, and culminated with a heated showdown on the eve of Laura’s demise.
Viewers will know that Laura tripped and fell down the stairs to her death.
Pat Butcher found Laura dead at the bottom of the stairs, and having learned of Barry’s death, she refused to provide Janine with an alibi.
Janine was therefore charged with murder. That is, until Pat reconsidered and vouched for her whereabouts on the night of Laura’s death.
The wedding
Janine walked down the aisle a number of times, but it’s her huge return wedding in November 2008, which saw her tie the knot with an elderly jewish man named David, that viewers remember fondly.
Pat was horrified when she realised that Janine was yet again out to steal another man’s money, and she wasted little time in interrupting the service to reveal that her stepdaughter was not who she claimed to be!
‘I’m going to be very bad!’
You could always rely on Janine to have a great sassy comeback amid a serious argument, and Charlie’s delivery was always spot on.
One of her more memorable lines came in January 2009, when she told Pat that she had enough of being ‘good’.
‘I have had it with being good!,’ she exclaimed. ‘It gets you nowhere! From now on, I’m going to be bad! I’m going to be very bad!’
Let’s hope when Janine graces us with her presence once again, she will continue to live by this mantra!
Her relationship with Ryan
Janine has had multiple relationships during her time on the Square, but few were as fiery and passionate as her fling with Ryan Malloy.
The two troubled souls found comfort in one another’s villainy, and the connection between them was nothing short of electric.
Ryan was first to admit that he was in love, and Janine later revealed her feelings for him too. They got married, but it wasn’t meant to be, as Ryan later had an affair with Stacey Slater.
Janine was livid, and vowed revenge. What’s more, she even attempted to murder her hubby!
We’re sensing a pattern here.
Her feud with Stacey
As mentioned above, Janine was horrified when she discovered that Ryan had been having an affair with Stacey, but it wasn’t just Ryan she wanted revenge on.
At first, the villainess plotted to murder both Stacey and Ryan, but following her failure to kill her hubby, she changed tactics.
Janine later discovered that Stacey had murdered Archie Mitchell, and she subsequently announced it in The Queen Vic!
With no evidence to back such a thing up, however, no one would believe her claims. Therefore, she decided to take drastic action, as she stabbed herself in an effort to frame Stacey for her attempted murder!
Michael Moon’s death
Janine wed Michael Moon several years later, but the pair soon began an intense feud.
Michael had planned to kill Janine with some assistance from daughter Scarlett, but clever Janine turned the tables, as she had been working alongside Scarlett this whole time to take him down!
The legend murdered Michael, and ended up framing Scarlett for the crime! Charming, isn’t she?
Her departure
Janine, believing that she would get her hands on The Queen Vic, was horrified to learn that the premises had been bought by then newbies Mick and Linda Carter (Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright).
After a showdown with new landlady Linda, Janine resolved to leave Walford in her rear-view mirror once and for all.
However, while at the airport, she chatted up an attractive and evidently wealthy young man, which implied that, in spite of everything, she still had not learned her lesson.
We can’t wait to welcome her back to Walford!
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From metro.co.uk
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