Steve Owen

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EastEnders character

Steve Owen
Portrayed by	Martin Kemp
Duration	1998–2002
First appearance	28 December 1998
Last appearance	1 March 2002
Date of death	1 March 2002
Marital status	Deceased
Occupation	Businessman
Family	Mel, Jackie, Barbara

Saskia is murdered

This article is about the television show character. For the football player and coach, see Steve Owen (football).

Steven Richard "Steve" Owen was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. He was played by Martin Kemp.

[edit] History

When Steve first arrived in 1998, he had bought the Market Cellar, which he had renovated and named E20. It was not long before his obsessive ex-girlfriend, Saskia Duncan turned up on Albert Square. She had carried his child and then had a termination; he ended his relationship with her but she wanted revenge. She tried to come between Steve and his new girlfriend Melanie Healy. When Saskia ended up in bed with Steve, she made sure it was public knowledge.

On the opening day of the E20 - Valentine's Day of 1999 - Saskia turned up and started taunting him and then began knocking him around until she finally tried to strangle him with his tie. In self-defence he reached for the heaviest object - an ashtray - and hit her over the head. The blow was fatal, killing her instantly. She was buried in Epping Forest with the help of Matthew Rose, who witnessed the events.

Her body was later discovered months later and Matthew confessed all to the police but Steve walked free while Matthew was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. Matthew's conviction was quashed on appeal within months, and he took revenge upon his, tying Steve to a chair in the E20 and threatening to set fire to the club. Steve found himself reduced to a scared, helpless man, which was all Matthew wanted.

Steve turned into an emotional wreck and became a drug addict. In June 2000, his addiction almost killed his business partner, Beppe di Marco, when he took a mixture of drugs that Steve had left around, and collapsed. He then left the Square and returned a few weeks later, having conquered his addiction. He came to the rescue of Melanie Healy who was being threatened by Dan Sullivan. He drove Dan out of the Square by pointing a gun on him and threatening to kill him if he showed up again. Steve and Mel eventually fell in love and Steve proposed to her and she accepted.

On 1 March 2001, Steve married Melanie, despite finding out only a day earlier that she had slept with Phil Mitchell on Christmas Day in a drunken one-night stand. He then became the prime suspect in the infamous Who Shot Phil? storyline when Phil was shot by a mystery person on the same night of Steve and Mel's wedding. He was most likely considered to be the suspect because he had known that Phil and Mel had a one-night stand on Christmas Day a day before the wedding, and the fact that his gun that he kept in the E20 office was missing. Melanie suspected it might have been him but he protested his innocence. But later Phil recovered from the shooting and confronted the culprit who turned out to be Lisa Shaw. Surprisingly he forgave her and decided to frame his arch nemesis Dan Sullivan.

Dan Sullivan was wrongly imprisoned for trying to kill Phil Mitchell, and after his release, believing that it was Steve who actually shot him, kidnapped Mel in revenge. Dan demanded a large sum of money and Steve grew desperate. During her few days of captivity, Mel was informed about Steve's dodgy dealings and criminal activities. After Phil came to her rescue and Dan fled, she took time out after burning down her and Steve's club, E20, an act which she did to get her own back after Steve's lies.

Steve's demise in 2002

Steve wooed Mel over, however, and they got back together. Steve then started a vendetta against Phil which he was about to lose. He planned to flee to the United States with Mel, Lisa, her boyfriend, Mark Fowler, and daughter, Louise (who was the daughter of Steve's arch-nemesis, Phil Mitchell). After Mark was unable to go, Lisa was torn as to what to do, and the plan was falling apart close to the day of departure. On March 1, 2002, exactly a year since he and Mel got married, Steve had to sort a few things out, and Phil was hot on his trail (baby Louise was in the back of Steve's car). After a high-speed car chase Steve swerved and crashed into a wall. Phil rushed to get Louise out of the car. He went back for Steve but the car exploded into flames with Steve inside.