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Johnny Allen was the villainous father of Ruby and the deceased Scarlett Allen.

Johnny originally grew up in Walford where he grew up to be a fearsome gangland boss Johnny had connections to other gangsters around the time such as Eric Mitchell and gangland boss Jack Dalton. Johnny took his business else where from The Firm in 70s. Johnny had a ruthless streak and took no prisoners in his younger days murdering his enemies at any given cost. Johnny has murdered at least seven people although he could have killed many more. Johnny did have family life he had two daughters Ruby and Scarlet both both in the 80s however a rival gangster ordered Johnny's house to be lit up and this killed Scarlett. Johnny was described to never have been the same since.

Johnny's ruthlessness carried through to when he returned to Walford in 2005 this was first seen when he murdered Andy Hunter in February. Johnny's time in Walford saw him also have feuds with the likes of the Watts, Mitchell's and the Moon's. in December Johnny ordered Dennis Rickman to be killed and was successful this later led to a storyline and a showdown Phil and Grant Mitchell with the set of episodes then being named and titled 'Get Johnny Week'. Johnny was caught and he confessed to all his crimes after being arrested in March 2006. Johnny is sent to prison and is not seen until October of that year when Jake Moon informs him of Ruby's villainous boyfriend, Sean Slater, Johnny is taunted by Sean making him so angry to the point Johnny has a heart attack and later dies in Hospital. Johnny's memory continues to thrive throughout Walford to this day more so now since his daughter Ruby moved back to Walford in September 2018.

1943-2005: Backstory[]

Johnny Allen was born to a deprived family in Walford in 1943. Dot Colwell (later Cotton) remembered him when he was a baby as Johnny's mother bought him home from the hospital and he was the ugliest baby Dot had ever seen. Johnny, an only child, was educated and grew up where he became familiar with the locals such as the Beale family, Ethel Skinner and the Watts. He attended a street party in Albert Square in 1953 to celebrate the Queen's Coronation. Johnny got into trouble and his dad gave him a good hiding. Johnny went on to become a boxer from an early age, but got involved in the criminal underworld. In the late 1950s, when he started as an up-and-coming gangster and he employed a well-known young prostitute Pat Harris who had several flings with before she married in 1961. In December 1963, 20 year old Johnny got Pat to help one of his backstreet prostitutes have an abortion.

In about 1965, Johnny was involved in his first killing, whether he did it himself or arranged for it to be done is unknown.

Johnny also employed a fellow boxer in the late 1960s, named Eric Mitchell. Johnny used to bully Eric because Eric was a better boxer than he was and the two developed a strong feud. Johnny also knew Eric's wife, Peggy, who used to try and seduce him out of desperation but he turned her down. Allen was a well-known man of the underworld and became notorious in the East End of London because he killed and tortured people including those who worked for him. Johnny left Walford when he grew older, presumably in the early 1970s, in order to expand his flourishing business empire named J.A Enterprises but he still worked as a gangster but lived in his mansion in Essex. He married a woman named Stephanie, and they had two daughters: Scarlett (born 1986) and Ruby (born 1988). In 1994, he began an affair with Tina Stewart, a barmaid who worked for him but was many years his junior, who went on to become his partner. His wife, Stephanie, and his eldest daughter, Scarlett, were killed in an arson attack by one of his criminal rivals.

Storylines[]

2005-2006: Reign of terror in Walford[]

Johnny made his first appearance to back-up Jake and Danny Moon from the crime boss Andy Hunter, who they had a feud with; Andy was giving Jake and Danny's cousin Alfie a hard time, which led to the feud. Johnny soon began appearing more often, to sort out the Moon brothers' problems. After a while, he bought the club "Angie's Den" (renaming it "Scarlet", after his deceased daughter) and the Ferreira's' flat, and moved in with his only daughter, Ruby. Andy began to despise Johnny, and it really showed. On a mission set by Andy and Eddie (his right-hand man), they decided to double cross Johnny and run off with the profits, cheating Johnny out of his money. This plan was foiled, as Eddie got cold feet and told Johnny what Andy had planned. This led to Johnny killing Andy by throwing him off a motorway bridge in February 2005, coincidentally on the same night of Den Watts's murder; Andy's death was wrongly believed to have been suicide. That was the last of Johnny's dirty work for a while.

After Jake and Danny brought stolen booze into Scarlet, Johnny fired them, leaving them jobless and in debt. Jake accepted the situation, but Danny decided he wanted to pay Johnny back. After Johnny stole his idea for a Salsa night at the club, Danny had had enough. On 8 July, he went back to Johnny's house in a drunken state, and set it on fire. On discovery of the fire, Johnny ran into the house; he couldn't bear the thought of losing his youngest daughter the same way he had lost Scarlet and his wife previously, but found out Ruby wasn't there and at a friend's house instead. Even so, he hunted down Jake and Danny, who tried to run away from Walford. He found them, and held them at gunpoint. He drove them to the woods and left Jake behind in his car, and dragged Danny out to prepare to shoot him. Jake smashed the car window and escaped, just in time to change Johnny's mind as he was about to pull the trigger. Johnny then let both of them go and ordered them to leave Albert Square and never return. Jake, however, did return on his own in September, and told Johnny he was there for personal reasons, so Johnny let him stay. Tina Stewart was Johnny's mistress for ten or eleven years, who followed him to Walford. When Ruby found out about the relationship, she was upset, but eventually accepted it and they lived as a family for a while. But soon Johnny got bored with Tina, and cheated on her with Amy, one of the barmaids working at Scarlet. When Ruby found out, she confessed to Tina, who left Johnny and the Square. Johnny and Amy's passion re-ignited on 12 December 2005, after over a month of being apart, but Johnny made it clear to her it was just a one-off.

Johnny has since showed an even darker side to his character; after putting in an offer for The Queen Vic, he sparked a war between him and Peggy Mitchell, whose offer he had outbid. It was soon discovered that there was a certain degree of history between the two; her deceased husband Eric had worked for Johnny, many years earlier, and they had also come across each other when it came to boxing. Generally, Johnny had mistreated Eric, and Peggy blamed this for the reason Eric took it out on her. Peggy also had knowledge of Johnny's past crimes, such as cutting the fingers off the hand of a prostitute, and beating up a man for disrespecting him by misspelling something on a birthday cake. Johnny's daughter, Ruby, walked into the Vic as the story unravelled. It was here that Ruby began to learn of her father's true past, as well as the fact that he may be to blame for the death of her mother and sister. Johnny became distressed and angered; he had already lost his wife and eldest daughter, and was now losing the only thing he had left. As Peggy continued to interfere and protest for the safety of Ruby, Johnny acted nicely, but Peggy continued, only to find Johnny crushing her hand in a door using her birthday cards as bait, whilst taunting '1-2-3-4-5, Once I caught a fish alive.'

When Johnny first arrived in Albert Square, it was quickly established that Johnny had heard of the Mitchell name; in fact, he even felt somewhat sorry for an unemployed, homeless, sad Billy Mitchell. In fact, it can be assumed that Billy was very similar to Eric Mitchell. Whilst Eric took his torment out on his family, Billy had previously done so too with Jamie. As Johnny had retired from the gangster world, perhaps he had realised his wrongs of the past. In early 2005, when Phil made a return to the Square whilst being on the run, Billy had begged Johnny for money to give to Phil. Johnny did so, but made it clear that he didn't want the likes of Phil on his doorstep. Though Johnny appears to still hate the Mitchell family, he has stated that the only reason he put in an offer for The Queen Vic, for a mystery third-party buyer, was because he hated the Mitchell's. This was fuelled even more by a desperate Peggy.

In November 2005, Johnny thought that he had got one over on the Mitchell's when he noticed that the CCTV system at Scarlet had recorded Chrissie Watts confiding in Jake Moon that she had been the one who had murdered her husband Den Watts, a crime for which Sam Mitchell was being held by the police. In order to provoke them, Johnny deliberately let Billy see the recording, and when Billy told Phil Mitchell (who had recently got out of jail himself) and Grant Mitchell (who was visiting from Brazil, in order to help Sam) about the tape, they went steaming in to see Johnny about it; a fist-fight ensued, that culminated in a stand-off with an armed Johnny in his office that was only diffused by Ruby, when she went to see her father at the club. The Mitchell's left with the tape, and Johnny also revealed that Ian Beale - a long-standing enemy of Phil - was the mystery buyer of The Queen Vic. Johnny's feud with the Mitchell's appeared to have settled, but Phil started it up again when he paid Juley Smith to sleep with Ruby, knowing that Johnny would get wound up about it. The plan worked, but Johnny hated Juley's relationship with Ruby, and tried everything to break them up. As the relationship grew, Juley started to have real feelings for Ruby, and wanted to end his deal with Phil to wind up Johnny, but Phil wanted it to continue.

Dennis Rickman also became dangerously involved in Phil Mitchell's vendetta against Johnny Allen, and this ended in tragedy. It all started on Boxing Day, when Dennis and Sharon decided to have a housewarming party, and invited everyone from the Square, including Juley Smith, and Johnny and Ruby. At the party, Johnny had an argument with Juley about his relationship with his daughter Ruby, and began to insult him. Dennis intervened after laughing at Johnny, when the supposed hardman was pushed to the ground by Ruby's friend Stacey Slater. Dennis then threw Johnny out, after humiliating him. Johnny became angry that Dennis was interfering in his affairs, and the matter became worse when Sharon came to see him and defended Dennis; Johnny then threatened Sharon by grabbing her by the neck, and telling her Dennis would end up the same way as Andy Hunter if he didn't stay away from him. He told her she and Dennis should leave Walford before midnight on New Year's Eve, or else Dennis will die. She confided in Phil that Johnny was forcing them to leave the Square, but she did not intend to tell her husband about the event. Phil tried to convince Sharon that Johnny must be sorted out once and for all; however, Sharon said she didn't want things to get worse. She made Phil promise her that he wouldn't tell Dennis, knowing that he would go mad. She managed to convince Dennis that she wanted to leave the Square for a fresh start, and he agreed.

Ignoring the promise he made to Sharon, Phil told Dennis, just as they were preparing to leave on New Year's Eve, what Johnny did. Predictably, just as Phil wanted, Dennis went to Johnny's club office and brutally beat him up, leaving him with a swelling to the brain. Johnny begged Dennis to help him, and Dennis, for Ruby's sake, tossed him a mobile phone to call for an ambulance. Over at The Queen Vic, Sharon was having a send-off by everyone in attendance, and was waiting for Dennis to get a taxi. Just after Dennis had left, Johnny instead called a henchman while he was on the floor, to kill Dennis. As Dennis walked across the Square to meet Sharon, he was stabbed by a hooded passer-by (later revealed to be Danny Moon) and died in Sharon's arms just seconds into the New Year. Johnny was in hospital recovering from his beating, and Phil started to feel guilty about Dennis dying, and went to the hospital to try and kill Johnny in his sleep, but decided to make him suffer slowly. Phil then ordered Juley to end his relationship with Ruby, so that Ruby would become upset and that would also make Johnny suffer. Juley reluctantly dumped Ruby, who then told Johnny after he got out of hospital.

Johnny confronted Juley about why he dumped Ruby, and eventually found out, after getting the truth out about Juley being paid by Phil to sleep with Ruby. He decided to leave him alone, but told him to stay away from Ruby or he would die. Johnny decided to deal with Phil in his own way. Sharon soon realised that Johnny had played a part in Dennis's death, she started to attack him in the pub just after the funeral. Phil didn't tell Sharon that he had told Dennis about Johnny threatening her, and feeling guilty, he told Sharon he would take her away from Walford to America, for a while, and vowed to sort Johnny out once and for all, when he returned. When Ruby, too, discovered that Juley had been paid to sleep with her, she got drunk and collapsed of alcoholic poisoning. Phil found her and rushed her to hospital, eventually saving her. When Johnny discovered Phil had saved her, he thanked him as Phil was leaving with Sharon for America. As they were leaving, Phil said to Sharon, 'Johnny is a dead man,' which implied the feud with Johnny and the Mitchell's was far from over.

Johnny left Walford on 19 January 2006, when he decided to take Ruby away on a holiday which looked like a permanent one when he put his house and the night-club up for sale. Ruby returned briefly on 2 March, by herself, to collect more of her personal belongings, then revealed, to her friend Stacey Slater, that she was living with Johnny in Essex. On 28 March, as part of a week-long storyline entitled "Get Johnny Week", Phil and Grant returned. Phil tracked down Johnny to his country house in Essex, to get revenge for Dennis's murder, and involved a sceptical Grant in his plan. They were then held captive by Johnny, and it was revealed that Johnny had hired the long-absent Danny Moon to kill Dennis, and that Danny had recorded the whole thing on a mobile phone for him. Johnny's reason for hiring Danny was because he didn't hesitate to ask any questions about a job, and he owed him a favour for when Johnny spared his life before telling him to leave Walford. He ordered Danny to take the Mitchell brothers into a forest and kill them. As Danny was about to follow the orders, his brother Jake turned up and shot him, killing him instantly. Ruby found out about the true extent of Johnny's crimes, and contacted the police, threatening to disown Johnny if he didn't confess. Johnny then handed himself in, and confessed everything about his life of crime. He was subsequently convicted of being involved in the murders of both Andy Hunter and Dennis Rickman, along with four others. He later received life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should serve at least 27 years.

In October, Johnny was seen again in prison when Jake Moon contacted him telling him he was concerned about Ruby's new relationship with Sean Slater. Johnny asked Jake to tell Sean he wanted to meet him. Sean visited Johnny in prison with the unclear idea of wearing a suit and intimidated him, giving out hints that he is only dating Johnny's daughter for her money. Johnny then suffered a heart attack in prison after being verbally attacked by Sean. Johnny went to attack Sean, only for the prison wardens to break up the fight. Johnny then went back to his cell, punching the walls in anger. His cellmate Cahill who appeared to have contacts with contracted hitmen followed him out of his cell, on his way to the telephone before suffering a heart attack. Johnny believed he was on the phone, talking to Jake, and when Johnny's cellmate asked for the person's name he wanted killed, Johnny said "Jake, kill him for me". He later told his cellmate to "Get Jake Moon". The cellmate misunderstood what Johnny was trying to say and thought he wanted Jake killed. Johnny was rushed to hospital but died on the evening of 20 October 2006.

Kill count[]

Murders/manslaughter victims[]

  1. Unknown person (sometime in the 1960's/70's) - Johnny confessed to the Police that his first murder was fourty years prior to 2006, unknown if Johnny killed this person directly or had his hitmen do it.
  2. Unknown person (prior to 2005, revealed on 3 April 2006) - Johnny confessed and was subsequently charged of the murder of four gang rivals.
  3. Unknown person (prior to 2005, revealed on 3 April 2006) - Johnny confessed and was subsequently charged of the murder of four gang rivals.
  4. Unknown person (prior to 2005, revealed on 3 April 2006) - Johnny confessed and was subsequently charged of the murder of four gang rivals.
  5. Andy Hunter (18 February 2005) - Pushed off a bridge over a motorway as revenge for attempting to scam him out of £750,000.
  6. Dennis Rickman (30 December 2005) (by proxy) - Johnny ordered Danny Moon to kill Dennis, Danny then stabbed Dennis in the chest.
  7. Jake Moon (20 October 2006) (instigated/death implied only) - Tries to tell Jake to kill Sean but Johnny suffers a heart attack and his cell mate Cahill over hears "Jake kill him for me" and it is taken out of context and Jake ends up getting targeted and possibly killed by Cahill's hitman instead.

Note: It was implied in dialogue between Johnny and the Mitchell's that Johnny had killed more than mentioned, he was also a killer long before arriving in Walford, However he could also be telling the truth about killing seven people as he promised Ruby he would confess to all his crimes.

Connected murders and deaths[]

  1. Scarlett Allen (28th March 2004) (indirectly caused) - Died in a house fire started in retaliation by one of Johnny's rivals.
  2. Stephanie Allen (28th March 2004) (indirectly caused) - Died in a house fire started in retaliation by one of Johnny's rivals.
  3. Den Watts (18 February 2005) - After discovering the true circumstances of Den's death, he blackmailed Chrissie Watts and Jake Moon.

Attempted murder victims[]

  1. Unknown person (prior to 2005, revealed on 15 December 2005) - Attempted to kill a person for unknown reasons, witnessed by his daughter Ruby Allen.
  2. Dougie Collins (prior to 2005, revealed on 13 October 2005) - Beat Dougie almost to death for making a mistake on Johnny's birthday cake.
  3. Danny Moon (8 July 2005) - Kidnaps Danny and Jake Moon and plans to shoot them both but is talked out of it by Jake.
  4. Jake Moon (8 July 2005) - Kidnaps Danny and Jake Moon and plans to shoot them both but is talked out of it by Jake.
  5. Phil Mitchell (8 November 2005) - After a fight with Phil and Grant over Chrissie Watts confession tape, Johnny prepares to shoot them but Ruby Allen intervenes.
  6. Grant Mitchell (8 November 2005) - After a fight with Phil and Grant over Chrissie Watts confession tape, Johnny prepares to shoot them but Ruby Allen intervenes.
  7. Juley Smith (15 December 2005) - After discovering Juley had slept with his daughter Ruby in his bed, Johnny took Juley into an ally way and attempted to stab him with a pair of sciccors but was interrupted by Dennis Rickman.
  8. Sharon Rickman (29 December 2005) - Strangles Sharon as revenge on Dennis for showing him up, Johnny releases Sharon when she tells him she's pregnant.
  9. Phil Mitchell (28 March 2006) - Prepares to beat Phil to death with a large bat but is interrupted by Grant.
  10. Grant Mitchell (31 March 2006) (by proxy) - Orders Danny Moon to shoot both Grant and Phil, but Jake moon kills Danny before he can carry out the order.
  11. Phil Mitchell (31 March 2006) (by proxy) - Orders Danny Moon to shoot both Grant and Phil but Jake moon, kills Danny before he can carry out the order.
  12. Sean Slater (20 October 2006) (by proxy) - Tries to tell Jake Moon to kill Sean but Johnny suffers a heart attack and his cell mate over hears "Jake kill him for me" and it is taken out of context and Jake ends up getting targeted and possibly killed instead.

Employment history[]

Occupation Years active
Gangster/career criminal 1960's-2006
Businessman 1960's-2006
Owner of Scarlett Nightclub 2005-2006
Gangland boss 1970's-2006
Semi retired prior to 2005-2006

Residence[]

Address Years
Unnamed Essex mansion 1970's-2006
5 Albert Square 2005-2006
Prison 2006

Crimes[]

  • Mass Murder
  • Murder by proxy (×2)
  • Attempted mass murder
  • Connected murders and deaths (×3)
  • Gangland activities
  • Assault
  • GBH and ABH
  • Robbery
  • Possession of a fire arm with intent
  • Blackmail
  • Money laundering
  • Illegal Gambling
  • Kidnapping
  • Incitement to violence
  • Torture
  • Perverting the course of justice

Background information[]

See also[]

Gallery[]

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