Billie Jackson (originally spelt Billy) was the son of Alan and Carol Jackson, half-brother of Bianca, Robbie and Sonia Jackson and great-grandson of Blossom Jackson. He made his first appearance on 2 December 1993.
Backstory[]
Billie Jackson was born on the 8 October 1988. He is the youngest of four siblings, as his mother had three children prior to meeting Alan.
Storylines[]
1993-1997: Life in Walford[]
He moves to Walford in 1993 with his family. In 1994, his great grandmother, Blossom Jackson also moves in with the Jacksons.
Billie is very close to his father and when Alan has an affair with the malicious Frankie Pierre and moves out of the family home, Billie takes the separation badly. On Christmas Day 1996, he becomes so upset that Alan is not there for the festivities that he runs away from home, prompting most of the Square's residents to abandon their Christmas dinners to search for him. He is found by Nigel Bates and Clare Bates, hiding in a derelict building. They return him to his worried parents and the Jacksons eventually have a happy Christmas together, including Alan.
In February 1997, Billie accompanies his great grandmother Blossom Jackson on a trip to a local building society. Whilst there, the building society is held up at gunpoint and robbed by a gang of masked thieves. Billie and Blossom are unharmed, but another man is shot and killed and Billie, the only witness, gets a glimpse of the thieves without their masks on. Billie is asked to provide testimony and help identify the thieves in a police line-up, which leads to several arrests. Carol remains apprehensive about Billie's involvement throughout the ordeal.
In September 1997, the Jacksons hear news that the court case to try the suspected robbers is soon to take place. The family then suffer intimidation from the gang, in order to stop Billie from testifying against them. After picking Billie up from school one day, a woman claiming to be a supply teacher approaches Carol and asks if she can talk about Billie's behaviour. Whilst she is distracted, some men jump out of a van, bundle Billie inside, and drive off. After several days of investigation, the police trace Billie and he is reunited with his family. After this, the Jackson family, apart from Bianca, are placed in a witness protection program and rehoused away from the Square for their own safety. They depart on 16 October 1997.
Following the trial, Robbie and, later, Sonia return to Walford and Carol also returns in 1999 when she splits up with Alan for a second time. Billie remains living with his father and grandmother in Balham and Carol later returns to live with them.
2004: Brief return[]
Billie returns to the Square briefly in June 2004 with Robbie to attend Sonia's wedding to Martin Fowler. He flirts with Martin's niece, Vicki Fowler, at the reception and gets drunk.
2010: Moving back to Walford, joining the army and death[]
Billie returns to Walford in 2010, calling at Bianca's home, and later attends her wedding.
After his cousin Bradley Branning dies, Carol and Billie move back to Albert Square and Billie starts seeing Bianca's adopted daughter Whitney Dean. It is revealed that Billie is hiding a handgun in Bianca's home. He tells his former gang mates, Kylie, Connor Stanley and Mitch Gannon, that he has disposed of it. After they arrive in Walford and find the gun and plan to hold up The Queen Victoria public house. However, Billie is unmasked during the raid and it is revealed that he used a water pistol. He then chooses Whitney over his former gang members, so Kylie takes revenge by attempting to shoot Billie with his gun, but accidentally shoots his uncle Jack Branning instead, who is left critically ill in hospital.
Blaming himself, Billie announces his plan to join the army, but Carol is opposed to the idea until she discovers the gun came from Billie and tells him that the army is the best place for him. When he is accepted into the army, Whitney promises to make the most of their remaining two weeks together. However, he discovers that Leon Small kissed Whitney and is angry when she does not mention it, but she insists she has not cheated on him. Billie apologises and they reunite before Billie goes away for army training. When Billie is due to return on leave, he tells Carol that the army have denied it. However, Carol, Whitney and Bianca discover that he is taking his leave with friends instead of returning to Walford.
When Billie finally does return to see Whitney, he upsets her by ending their relationship - saying he has changed. He reveals he has started a relationship with a female recruit named Siobhan and decides that he should leave. Whitney's brother Ryan Malloy punches him in the face. Carol overreacts as she wipes the blood off him so Billie snaps at her, saying she causes carnage wherever she goes. He then says she does not have to worry about him as he has a new life now.
For Billie's birthday, Carol arranges a birthday party. However, she discovers from Whitney that he is having a party in Southend-on-Sea. Bianca brings him back to Walford on his birthday and he makes amends with Jack. At the party, Billie's friends bring lots of alcohol and his cousin, Lauren Branning brings a bottle of vodka, which Billie drinks in one go. Carol decides to let him keep on drinking as he is an adult and makes his own choices.
The next morning, the family think Billie is sleeping on the settee, but Bianca finds him dead when she tries to wake him, having died from choking on his own vomit from alcohol poisoning. His body is later taken away by undertakers. Whitney later discovers a text message on her phone from Billie, saying he still loves her and wants to make a go of things again. Billie's personal possessions are brought home to Carol, one of which is his laptop, on which Carol discovers a video of Billie saying he wishes she would drop dead. Billie's funeral takes place on 29 October 2010.
Background information[]
- Billie's name was originally spelt 'Billy Jackson'. However when his 2010 return was announced, it was also announced that the spelling of his name would change in order to avoid confusion with Billy Mitchell on the ending credits.