Armed with a list of her misdeeds, Janine Butcher became one of the most unforgettable villains to ever appear in the British soap opera EastEnders. Charlie Brooks' performance as Janine Butcher earned her the 'Villain of the Year' award at the 2004 British Soap Awards. She has since been nominated and shortlisted for the same honor, along with several other awards from subsequent ceremonies.
First being introduced as an angst-ridden schoolgirl, Janine's history is complex. She is the daughter of Frank Butcher and the stepdaughter of Pat Butcher and Peggy Mitchell. She was initially sympathetic to audiences. Janine becomes a scheming adversary in her insatiable pursuit of riches and her continuous personal relationships. She came into the limelight for killing her stepbrother Barry Evans shortly after marrying him, all in the hope of acquiring his wealth.
She wasn't done with her sad march. Janine killed her third husband, Michael Moon, in self-defense during a violent custody battle over their daughter, Scarlett. These sensational goings-on were just part of a life of plotting and betrayal that Janine led. She tried to marry David, a wealthy businessman, for his money; she plotted to kill Ryan Malloy, her second husband; but she accidentally caused the death of Danielle Jones.
Janine also framed Danielle's best friend, Stacey Slater, for attempted murder while wrongfully imprisoned for Laura Beale's murder. In this article, fast-living Janine Butcher—one of EastEnders' most memorable characters from the British soap series—will take us through her world of crime.
Crimes committed by Janine Butcher on EastEnders
The memory of Janine Butcher is forever inscribed in the annals of soap opera history. She is a multifaceted character whose shrewdness and brutality keep viewers of EastEnders on the edge of their seats.
Janine Butcher, a troublesome schoolgirl, had first appeared in Walford in 1989. She initially tricked Frank into getting her what she wanted, but by 1999, her mischief had continued, causing her brother Ricky Butcher to lose his job. In 2000, Janine revealed her father’s involvement in a motor scam, leading Dan to expose them to the police.
1) Drug addiction and prostitution
Janine became addicted to drugs on EastEnders and was forced into prostitution due to Billy Mitchell’s involvement in cocaine for Steve Owen’s crime boss.
Frank had left the square, leaving Janine homeless. Terry Raymond, a sympathetic resident, had allowed Janine to live with him, but she took advantage of him.
2) Murder of Barry Evans
In her cunning scheme on EastEnders, Janine had planned to marry Barry Evans for his inheritance, skillfully employing manipulation tactics. She tricked Barry into viewing her as his sole confidante and persuaded Paul Trueman to assist her. However, fate took an unexpected turn: Barry wasn’t dying, and Janine revealed the truth to him.
Consumed by rage, she took Barry’s life by pushing him off a cliff, resulting in his demise. As a consequence, Janine inherited his estate, leaving her infant son Jack with nothing. Despite the relentless efforts of the police, Janine remained unarrested due to a frustrating lack of evidence.
3) Laura Beale's death
Driven by revenge, Janine sought to expose Laura Beale for benefit fraud on EastEnders. She insulted her boss, Andy Hunter, and vehemently denied any involvement in Barry’s death. But fate had other plans: Pat confronted Janine, who eventually confessed to killing Barry.
Pat implicated Janine, but she stubbornly refused to accept responsibility. Soon, Janine found herself arrested and imprisoned for Laura’s murder. However, a twist awaited: Pat discovered Janine was granted bail. In 2005, an off-screen turn of events led to Janine’s release after Frank convinced Pat to alter her testimony.
4) Archie's murder plot
In 2009, on EastEnders, Janine caused Danielle Jones’s death in a road accident, her guilt stemming from the revelation that she was the long-lost daughter of Ronnie Mitchell. Later, she teamed up with the Mitchell Family to exact revenge by swindling the Queen Victoria public house.
Janine assisted Archie’s ex-wife, Sam Mitchell, and blackmailed Ian Beale into renouncing Phil’s pub loan. Together with her boyfriend, Ryan Malloy, she plotted a get-rich scheme against Archie.
However, on Christmas Day 2009, Archie betrayed Janine by throwing her out of her home, leading to suspicions that she might have committed Archie’s murder. Janine became a prime suspect in the police investigation into Archie’s demise.
In 2010 on EastEnders, Janine married Ryan and later divorced him due to his affair with Stacey Slater. She fought with Stacey and her relative, Kat Slater, which ultimately led to their arrest.
Janine discovered that Stacey was Archie’s murderer and that her late husband, Bradley Branning, was posthumously found guilty. With cunning, she exposed this truth and tricked Stacey into attacking her, leading to Stacey's arrest.
5) Michael Moon's murder
In 2011 on EastEnders, Janine helped Lauren Branning stop Whitney from being sexually groomed by Rob Grayson. The following year, she married Michael Moon and gave birth to their daughter, Scarlett.
In 2013, they initiated a custody battle, with Michael attempting to kill Janine. In an act of self-defense, Janine stabbed him, and then she framed Alice for Michael’s death. Bianca’s father, David Wicks, assisted in taking Janine into custody.
She was charged with Michael’s murder but was acquitted in 2014. Leaving with Scarlett, Janine sought a fresh start, and in her final scene, she contemplated targeting another family to satisfy her insatiable greed.
6) Return in 2021 and final downfall in 2022
Over the years, Janine struggled with her daughter Scarlett’s upbringing, which led to Scarlett going into foster care homes. Eventually, Janine reunited with her half-brother Tommy and reconciled with Scarlett.
In 2022, Janine seduced pub landlord Mick Carter and supported him and his family after their relative, Tina, was found dead on the square. This continued even after Gray was arrested for the murders of Chantelle and Tina, as well as killing fellow resident Kush Kazemi.
At Tina’s funeral on EastEnders, Janine crossed paths with Mick’s estranged wife, Linda, who recognized her from a previous conflict. Eventually, Janine managed to convince Mick to propose to her, but Shirley grew suspicious of her intentions. They got married at Christmas 2022, when Shirley found evidence exposing Janine's involvement in Linda's car crash. Shirley told Linda, and together they told the truth to Mick.
Eventually, he started to believe them after Scarlett found out about what her mother did. Mick finally ended things with Janine once and for all and told her that she would end up behind prison bars for all her crimes. As Mick was letting Shirley and Linda call the police, Janine attempted to make a break for it out of Walford.
In the final scene, Mick and Linda sped off to chase her in a high-speed pursuit that culminated in a confrontation in Dover. Mick blocked Janine from escaping. Linda jumped into Janine's car just when she finally got to drive away. They fought and drove off the cliff into the sea. Mick managed to rescue Linda but insisted that he should save Janine first, who was pregnant with his about-to-be-born baby.
Janine returned to the Square in EastEnders, where Shirley and Linda blamed her for the disappearance of Mick. They bonded to force Janine out of The Queen Vic despite her efforts to stay. Janine tried to get Scarlett to be her alibi for her, but Scarlett refused and disowned her mother.
The police then arrived, and Janine was arrested for perverting the course of justice. She was taken away from the square and would probably be sent to prison for her crimes.
EastEnders airs on BBC One from Monday to Thursday at 7:30 p.m. GMT.
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