Lydia

Lydia made her first appearance on 21 March 1995. She is portrayed by Marlaine Gordon.

Storylines
Lydia, played by Marlaine Gordon, is a recurring character appearing between 1995 and 1996. Lydia is first seen in Walford in March 1995, when she is hired as an apprentice hairdresser by Della Alexander. She is a bit obnoxious and likes to gossip, and she often ends up infuriating her employer, particularly as she is often the topic of the gossip. Lydia loses her job in May that year when Della decides to move away from Walford. Audacious Lydia spends the last few days of her employment badmouthing Della to anyone who will listen and boasting about a new job she is applying for in an upper class salon. She then gives Della her reference to sign, which describes her as popular, bubbly and humorous. Della has the last laugh however, when she re-writes the reference depicting her as obnoxious and useless. A furious Lydia then leaves, uttering a tirade of homophobic abuse at her lesbian employer as she goes.

Later in the year Lydia comes back to Walford to apply for a job at Ian Beale's chip shop. She is rejected after a disastrous interview, but manages to get herself a job working on Sanjay and Gita Kapoor's market stall instead. She soon starts dating the philandering chef Steve Elliot. Steve, who has always run a mile from commitment in the past, seems quite taken with Lydia, and in 1996, the two move into a flat together. In February, Steve gets into trouble with a criminal firm, who refuse to allow him to testify at a trial, which they fear will place them under a police investigation. After several threats Steve decides not to testify, but this earns the scorn of Lydia and she manages to persuade him to go through with it. In order to change his mind the firm kidnapped Lydia. Steve is frantic, but he eventually finds a distraught Lydia, who informs him that the mobsters have attempted to drown her and threatened to kill her if he doesn't back out of testifying. Fearful for his girlfriend's life, Steve packs his things and both he and Lydia leave Walford later that night. Their last appearance is in February 1996.