Steve Elliot

Infobox EastEnders character


character_name=Steve Elliot
actor_name=Mark Monero
years=1991–1993, 1994–1996
first=22 October 1991
last=12 February 1996
dob= 10 December 1974
status= Single
occupation= Chef

Steve Elliot was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders".He was played by Mark Monero.

Steve was a bit of a dilettante where women were concerned. He always preferred to take the easy-way out instead of facing the consequences of his actions and any sniff of commitment made him scarper.

History

Steve was first seen in Albert Square in October 1991 as an old school pal of Hattie Tavernier and Sam Mitchell. He initially worked as a pizza chef, but his talents were soon noticed by Ian Beale who quickly gave him a job as head chef at his catering business, 'The Meal Machine'.In 1992, after much flirting, Steve and Hattie finally got together. Steve always tried to 'go with the flow' as far as the relationship was concerned, but as things progressed it became obvious to everyone (except Hattie) that Steve wasn't as committed as she was. Nevertheless, Steve, who always shied away from confrontation, continued with the relationship and Hattie even ended up moving in with him. Hattie fell pregnant in 1993, and although the pregnancy was unplanned she decided to keep the baby and asked Steve to marry her (although she refrained from telling him about the pregnancy, for fear he would accept her proposal out of obligation and not love). A shocked Steve said yes, but after much stirring from Mandy Salter, who constantly jibed him about not being ready for marriage, he soon began to regret his decision. Hattie meanwhile was busy making plans for their imminent marriage, even rehearsing a speech for the big day. This was too much for Steve and the next day he decided to leave Albert Square and take a job as a chef on an ocean-liner, without informing Hattie. Hattie was heartbroken and had a miscarriage soon after.

In 1994 Steve returned to Walford with the hope of reuniting with Hattie. Hattie had not long left Albert Square, however, and after an ill-fated attempt to win her back he resigned himself to the fact that she was gone for good. Grant Mitchell gave him a job as a barman in The Queen Vic and it wasn't long before a new Walford arrival, Della Alexander, had caught his eye. Della had moved to the square in the hope of starting a hair salon and she had soon coaxed Steve into becoming a partner in the fledgling business, which they named 'Kool for Kutz'. After some problems at home Della came to live with Steve at The Vic, and Steve soon began seeing Della as more than just her business partner. He actively pursued her, which she seemed to encourage. However, Della was only leading Steve on in order to mask the fact that she was a lesbian and days later he caught her in bed with her girlfriend Binnie Roberts. Steve threw Della out as a result, which prompted a massive feud between him and Binne.

In 1995 Steve bought a share in the Bridge Street cafe and he opened a night bistro, which sparked a feud between him and Ian, who viewed him as competition, and did everything he could to get Steve closed down. Later in the year Steve was approached by a criminal firm, who talked him into holding an illegal gambling night in his cafe. Several Walford residents attended, including Mark Fowler, who got lucky and won a sizable sum. Mark promptly gave his winnings to his father, Arthur, to repay a prior loan. However, Arthur was later falsely accused of embezzlement, and he was assumed guilty, which was due, in part, to the 'suspicious' and unaccountable sum of money he had been given by his son. Steve was faced with a dilemma when he was asked by his good friend, Mark, to testify as a character witness for his father and corroborate Arthur's story about the origins of the money. Admitting that the illegal gambling took place not only threatened Steve's trading licence, but also implicated the criminal firm who had used stolen money to fund the gambling. When the firm found out that Steve was going to testify and implicate them, they did everything they could to dissuade him. After idle threats failed to work, they took a different approach and kidnapped Steve's girlfriend Lydia instead. Steve was frantic, but he eventually found a distraught Lydia, who informed Steve that the mobsters had attempted to drown her and threatened to kill her if Steve didn't back out of testifying. Fearful of his life, Steve packed his things and he and Lydia left Walford later that night. Their last appearance was in February 1996.

External links

*EEcharlink|steve_e