Billy Jackson

"For the American football player of the same name see Billy Jackson (American football)."

Infobox EastEnders character 2


caption=Bluey Robinson as Billy Jackson, 2004.


caption2=Devon Anderson as Billy.
character_name=Billy Jackson
actor_name=Devon Anderson (1993-1997) Bluey Robinson (2004)
years=1993–1997, 2004
first=21 December 1993
last=11 June 2004
dob=10 October 1988
status=Single
home=Balham
occupation=Student
family=Branning family
father=Alan Jackson
mother=Carol Jackson
halfsisters=Bianca Jackson
Sonia Fowler
halfbrothers=Robbie Jackson
grandfathers=Jim Branning
grandmothersReenie Branning
great grandmothers=Blossom Jackson
aunts=April Branning
Suzy Branning
uncles=Derek Branning
Max Branning
Jack Branning
nieces=Natasha Butcher
Rebecca Miller
Tiffany Dean
nephews=Liam Butcher
Morgan Jackson-King
cousins=Bradley Branning
Lauren Branning
Abi Branning
Penny Branning
Oscar Branning
Rebecca
Kevin
1st cousin once=Gordon Branning

Billy Jackson was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders". He was originally played by Devon Anderson, but was played by Bluey Robinson for a brief return in 2004.

History

Billy was the only son of Carol and Alan Jackson and he arrived in Walford in 1993 along with his half brother Robbie and his half sisters Bianca and Sonia.

Billy was a cheeky, curly-haired cherub, whose principal dramatic purpose was to generate angst for his family.

He was very close to his father and when Alan had an affair with the malicious Frankie Pierre and moved out of the family home, Billy took the separation badly. On Christmas Day 1996, he became so upset that Alan wasn't there for the festivities that he ran away from home, prompting most of the Square to abandon their Christmas dinners to search for him. He was eventually found by Nigel Bates and Clare Tyler, hiding out in a derelict building. They returned him to his worried parents and the Jacksons eventually had a happy Christmas together, including Alan.

In February 1997, Billy accompanied his grandmother Blossom on a trip to the local Alliance and York building society. Whilst there, the building society was held up at gunpoint and robbed by a gang of masked thieves. Billy and Blossom were unharmed, but another man was shot and killed and Billy, the only witness, got a glimpse of the thieves without their masks on. Billy was asked to provide testimony and help identify the thieves in a police line-up, which led to several arrests. Carol remained apprehensive about Billy's involvement throughout the ordeal.

In September 1997, the Jacksons heard news that the court case to try the suspected robbers was soon to take place. Soon after, Carol's paranoid fears were realised when two large men walked up to her, offered to walk her home and threatened that something would happen to her unless she stopped Billy from testifying. Carol was petrified and wanted to pull Billy out of testifying, but the police managed to reassure her that it was just an idle threat and installed a panic button in their house just in case. However, things took a turn for the worse when Carol received an envelope stuffed with pictures of Billy and her house and she realised that she and her family were under surveillance. Carol then decided to pull Billy from testifying, but the police cautioned her that they could get a court order and offered her protection in a safe-house, which she refused. Carol proceeded to watch Billy like a hawk instead, accompanying him everywhere he went. After picking him up from school the following day, a woman claiming to be a supply teacher approached Carol and asked if she could have a word about Billy's behaviour. Whilst she was distracted, some men jumped out of a van, bundled Billy inside and were then joined by the fake supply teacher. Carol watched horrified as they drove off with Billy.

After several days of intense worrying and a fruitless investigation by the police, Carol was finally contacted by the fake supply teacher, who said she was forced to go along with the abduction and now wanted to do a deal with the police. The police were then able to trace Billy and he was soon reunited with his family. After this the entire Jackson family, apart from Bianca, were placed in a witness protection program and rehoused away from the Square for their own safety. They departed on 16 October 1997.

Following the trial, Robbie and Sonia returned to Walford and Carol also returned in 1999 when she split up with Alan for a second time. Billy remained living with his father and grandmother in Balham and Carol has since returned to live with them.

A much older Billy returned to the Square briefly in June 2004 to attend Sonia's wedding to Martin Fowler, and flirted with Martin's niece, Vicki at the reception and got drunk.