Billy Mitchell (EastEnders)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| EastEnders character | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Billy Mitchell | |
| Portrayed by | Perry Fenwick |
| Duration | 1998, 1999— |
| First appearance | 9 November 1998 |
| Date of birth | 10 May 1959 |
| Marital status | Married |
| Home | 11a Turpin Road |
| Occupation | Video shop manager |
| Family | Honey, Janet |
William "Billy" Mitchell is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Perry Fenwick, who made his first appearance on 9 November 1998. Billy was seen when Phil went to visit his godson Jamie however he didn't arrive in the Square until 2 August 1999, almost a year after his initial appearance.
Contents |
[edit] History
Billy arrived in the square as Phil, Sam and Grant Mitchell's distant cousin, and Jamie Mitchell's abusive uncle.
His parents left him in a children's home, where he was physically abused by the staff. After his brother and sister-in-law died, Billy became guardian of their son Jamie, and vented his anger on him. When Phil realised what was happening, he took Jamie in and Billy has since learnt from his mistakes.
He became very good friends with Little Mo Morgan, a very timid, soft-hearted woman who was being regularly beaten and humiliated (and at a later stage, raped) by her husband, Trevor. Following the end of Mo's marriage, Billy and Mo started a relationship, despite Trevor's attempts to break them up. Billy proposed to Mo by spelling out 'MARRY ME' on her plate with alphabet spaghetti, and the pair were engaged. They married on Christmas Day 2002, the same day that Billy's nephew, Jamie, died of severe injuries after being knocked down by a car.
Eleven months after their wedding, Little Mo was raped for the second time. This time, the perpetrator was Graham Foster, a darts-playing friend of her father. Mo later discovered that she was pregnant, as a result of the assault. Billy pressed her for an abortion, but Mo, who had always wanted children, refused. Little Mo left Walford to clear her head, and came home with baby Freddie in tow, to see Graham convicted of rape. Billy and Little Mo reunited, but Billy confessed that as much as he tried, he couldn't love Freddie as his own, and thought of Graham whenever he saw him.
Following his putting the family first, Billy started a fire in the nightclub Angie's Den, and left it in tatters, following a massive explosion that rocked the club.
Billy and Little Mo separated, but remained friends until Billy discovered Mo's relationship with Alfie Moon. Billy then started a relationship with newcomer Honey Edwards, who he made barmaid in The Queen Vic in November 2005. He found out Honey was pregnant in January 2006, and was full of joy that he was finally becoming a father. He soon proposed to her and she agreed to become his wife.
On April 25, 2006, Billy and Little Mo received their divorce papers. Several weeks later, on June 2, Billy and Honey were due to marry, but had to postpone the wedding when Honey was admitted to hospital with food poisoning; they promptly re-scheduled it for July 21.
On the night of Billy's second stag party, Phil and his employee Garry Hobbs jokingly got him to sleep in a bed warehouse, taking his clothes away with them; they were to return the next morning. Billy believed it to be a hotel, so when he awoke early in the morning, he did not know where he was; he walked out of a back door, which slammed behind him. He was then attacked by a dog, which pulled down his boxer shorts when he was asking a women for help; Billy was arrested for flashing. Later, when he was released, he walked back to Walford wearing a pear of wellington boots and a compost sack which he stole from the allotment. Minty Peterson had just returned from his holiday, and helped Billy get ready. Billy's wedding outfit was still with Phil, who was trying to find Billy and had been arrested for punching someone in the police station; Billy then had to get dressed into the only suit Minty had in the flat, which made Billy look ridiculous. They were then accidentally locked them in the bathroom when Minty fell onto the shower, bringing part of the ceiling down and knocking the door handle out of the door; Garry and Phil returned to find Billy and Minty on the floor in the bathroom. Honey had given up waiting for Billy at the church, and had since returned to the Square; on seeing Billy, she questioned him but he explained all.
After their second failed wedding, Billy and Honey decided they should elope, as the wedding always failed when other people get involved; they said they would wait until after the baby was born. However, Peggy organised a surprise wedding in early September. Phil told Billy on the morning of the wedding, and Billy persuaded Honey at the church to go ahead with the ceremony. Just after Honey said "I do" her waters broke and she was rushed to hospital. Billy and Honey were overjoyed when their daughter, Janet, was first born, but Honey held a negative response when they found out the baby had Down's syndrome. Billy changed her name to Petal, but Honey continued to resent their baby. Billy eventually helped Honey to begin accepting Petal. Unfortunately this did not last. Billy and Honey's visit to a meeting for parents of children with Down syndrome only made things worse for Honey. The situation took its toll on her and she destroyed Petal's nursery, admitting to Billy that she could not cope. On 31 October 2006 she announced to Billy that she wanted Petal to be adopted. Honey forced Billy to choose between her or Petal, and he made the difficult decision to give up his beloved daughter. In the weeks coming up to the adoption process, Billy spent as much time with Petal and also hoped that Honey would change her mind. He made sure that Petal was going into safe hands and also made excuses so that he could be with his daughter longer. Billy wrote a letter to Petal, which he kept hidden. He was in tears when he was forced to hand over Petal to the foster parents, Kim and Tony Smith.
On 24 December, Billy received news that Petal had to have a heart operation and had been admitted into hospital. He rushed to her side and prayed for his daughter. Bryan Nolan later joined him and they both watched while the priest in the hospital baptised her. Honey had found Billy's letter to Petal and torn it up, but later stuck it back together. This made her realise that she wanted to keep Petal. Honey came to the hospital and said that the baby's name was Janet, not Petal. She decided to stay with Billy at the hospital. They spent Christmas Day together watching over Janet, and were thrilled when they found out she was responding well and was making an improvement. Billy and Honey left the hospital after they were instructed to get some rest. They went to The Queen Vic and enjoyed the rest of the day with Peggy and the residents of the Square.
[edit] Family
- Father: Steven Mitchell (deceased)
- Mother: Janet Mitchell (deceased)
- Brother: Charlie Mitchell (deceased)
- Wife: Honey Mitchell
- Daughter: Janet Mitchell
- Grandfather: Kenneth Mitchell (deceased)
- Grandmother: Barbara Mitchell (deceased)
- Great grandfather: Edward Mitchell (deceased)
- Great grandmother: Betty Mitchell (deceased)
- Uncle: Ted Mitchell
- Aunt: Vi Mitchell
- Nephew: Jamie Mitchell (deceased)
- First cousins once removed: Eric Mitchell (deceased), Clive Mitchell
- Second cousins: Phil Mitchell, Grant Mitchell, Sam Mitchell
- Second cousins once removed: Mark Fowler Jr., Ben Mitchell, Courtney Mitchell, Louise Mitchell
[edit] In popular culture
The character of Billy Mitchell has been spoofed in the cartoon sketch show 2DTV.
