EastEnders' Janine: 'Stacey's on my hitlist'

EastEnders' Janine: 'Stacey's on my hitlist'
EastEnders' Janine: 'Stacey's on my hitlist' (Image credit: BBC)

EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks tells Soaplife there's no room in Janine's life for Ryan and Stacey's baby... One minute Ryan's carrying new bride Janine over the threshold, the next he's dropping the huge bombshell on her that he's the father of Stacey's baby. Charlie Brooks, who plays Janine, warns us she's not about to play happy families any time soon... So how is Janine feeling at the moment? "She's overwhelmed by jealousy. Stacey's on her hitlist, and baby Lily too!" When does Ryan finally tell Janine that baby Lily is his? "He doesn't, Max does. They're in the Square when Max corners Ryan and tells him he needs to face up to his responsibilities. Max is like 'Don't you know? Lily's his' to Janine." How does she react? We've heard she's not thrilled at the prospect of being a stepmum... "She's not. She goes nuts! She thinks Stacey will want Ryan and she can't handle that jealousy. Sheer desperation unfolds from then on really." Does she blame Ryan? "Yes and she's angry with him. At first, she tries to be understanding. For example, she says, 'Right, we need to get your name on the birth certificate' so he can have parental rights. She is trying to be onside but then the jealousy sets in." What will she do? "She will turn into the nastiest bitch you can ever imagine. She does some really awful things." Janine's nasty streak is legendary, but we've heard she turns violent... "There are several fights with Stacey. It's really fun, lots of slapping and hair-pulling. Then she rings social services to suggest that Lily isn't being looked after properly." Does Ryan want to be involved with his daughter? "At first he says not but after one fight between Janine and Stacey, he ends up with Lily and they form this magical bond. Then he wants to be the best father that he can be." How does Janine feel about that? "She realises what she is up against and things get much worse. She is not number one any more." Is the baby in danger from Janine? "At one point Janine goes over to Stacey's stall and pushes the pram at her thinking the baby is in it which is really vicious. In her ideal world, she'd like the baby gone."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.