Bianca Jackson

Background In his book, EastEnders: The First 10 Years: A Celebration, EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake describes 1994 as a "historic" year for EastEnders, as in April, a third weekly episode was introduced. Due to the programme's increased frequency, a number of new characters were introduced to the regular cast in the latter part of 1993 and early 1994. mother, Carol (Lindsey Coulson), her four children, Bianca (Patsy Palmer), the oldest, Robbie (Dean Gaffney), Sonia (Natalie Cassidy), and Billie (Devon Anderson), the youngest, as well as Carol's partner, Alan Jackson (Howard Antony). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in the serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billie, the whole family took on Alan's surname. It later transpired that David Wicks (Michael French) was Bianca's father. Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of Albert Square. Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. however, it was actress Patsy Palmer who was eventually cast. Hester Lacey of The Independent has described Palmer's casting as an "accident", as she did not formally audition for the role. In 1996, Palmer commented to Lacey: "I've been a lucky girl. I always used to say I'd love to get in EastEnders, because I used to think 'God, I'll never get a part where I have to speak really posh', – I'm not very good at accents." Palmer was 21 when she first appeared on-screen as 16-year-old Bianca. Characterisation Bianca has been classified by Rupert Smith, author of EastEnders: 20 years in Albert Square, as a drama queen, a "strong passionate [woman]" and "Walford's trouble-maker-in-chief". She has also been described by Reuters as "feisty" and someone "who never minced her words". In 1996, Palmer described Bianca as someone who deserves "a good slap". She added, "I probably wouldn't like Bianca if I knew her in real-life. But I do love playing the character. She is so cheeky and gets to say outrageous things". Deemed "a woman you would not want to cross" by James Rampton of The Independent, Bianca is a tenacious foe, but a loyal friend. The way the character is portrayed, as a "person who wouldn't take nonsense from anyone", has led Rampton to comment that she embodies "girl power", a cultural phenomenon of the mid-late 1990s. He added, "Bianca could sulk for Britain – and we adored her for it." However, Rampton also noted that underneath Bianca's bravado, the character is capable of showing "the most affecting vulnerability". ==Development==

In her first six years in the soap, Bianca's storylines included affairs, feuds, bereavements, abortion, and a problematic marriage to Ricky Butcher. The dynamics of their relationship were clear from the start, with Bianca portrayed as the dominant, bossy and authoritative partner, while Ricky was shown as the hen-pecked, dim-witted "loser" or "soft touch", comically under the thumb of his female counterpart. Rampton has suggested that Bianca's catchphrase – "Rickaaaaaaay!" – transitioned, becoming "shorthand for any sort of heinous henpecking." One of the first notable storylines featuring the couple occurred in 1995, when Ricky cheated on Bianca by sleeping with her "put-upon sidekick", Natalie Evans (Lucy Speed). On-screen Natalie and Ricky found themselves sidelined and bullied by Bianca, forcing them together and leading to their eventual affair, which continued for several weeks on-screen, with Ricky seeing both Natalie and Bianca. The storyline reached its climax on 21 February 1995; 17.0 million viewers tuned in to witness Bianca discovering that her boyfriend was sleeping with her best friend. The characters separated but reconciled later in the year when Ricky supported Bianca through a personal crisis: the revelation that she had unknowingly tried to seduce her estranged father David Wicks (Michael French). Various crises between the characters were featured over the following years, causing them to break up and reconcile numerous times. In the book Seeing Things: Television in the Age of Uncertainty, author John Ellis uses the couple's combustible relationship as an example of emotional intensity and pathos: "A couple like Ricky and Bianca [...] can have constantly sniped at each other for several episodes, for no apparent dramatic purpose except that it is the nature of their relationship. Then they will suddenly be confronted by a life-changing decision [...] There is suddenly a shift in emotional intensity for the audience. Every word now counts, and all the previous audience attitudes of irritation or even condescension to this 'not very bright couple' [...] become a feeling of utter absorption in their dilemma." The BBC has reported that Bianca and Ricky's on-off romance "captivated millions of fans", and in April 1997 attracted "one of the biggest soap audiences ever", with 22 million viewers tuning in to see them marry. In 2000, Owen stated that the storyline he most enjoyed in EastEnders was the build up and marriage to Bianca, because "the public's enthusiasm for the event was a great motivation". Spina bifida In 1997, the character was featured in a storyline about hydrocephalus ("water on the brain") and spina bifida, a developmental birth defect resulting in an incompletely formed spinal cord of the baby. After becoming pregnant with Ricky's baby, a pre-natal scan revealed that her unborn foetus had the conditions. In the storyline, Bianca agonised about whether or not to have an abortion, but eventually decided to terminate her pregnancy at 20 weeks. In scenes shown after the abortion, Bianca and Ricky were given the chance to see and hold their dead daughter, named Natasha, after the birth (Ricky was unable to do this, though Bianca later said her baby had been "perfect"), and a period of heavy grief followed as the characters came to terms with what they had done. The Peterborough-based Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH) helped and provided information to the programme makers during the storyline. Bianca's decision to abort reportedly angered a proportion of viewers, including parents with disabled children, who rang the BBC to complain that they showed the abortion of a disabled baby. However, many were "moved" by the storyline, Palmer was nominated in the 'Best Actress' category at the Royal Television Society Awards – the first soap actress to ever be nominated. The ASBAH issued a public plea to EastEnders, urging them to allow Bianca's second baby to be born with spina bifida, in order to show parents that having a baby with spina bifida is "not the end of the world". This did not occur, however, and Bianca was shown to give birth to a premature but healthy baby, Liam, in an episode that aired on Christmas Day 1998. Departure (1999) The character was featured in various other storylines, including a close friendship with her childhood friend, Tiffany Mitchell (Martine McCutcheon); a feud with Tiffany's volatile husband, Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp); a tug-of-love for Ricky's affections with his first wife and Grant's younger sister, Sam (Danniella Westbrook); a one-night stand with Lenny Wallace (Des Coleman), causing a sexually transmitted disease scare; and coping with Tiffany's death. In November 1998, the BBC announced that Patsy Palmer had decided to leave EastEnders to spend more time with her family. Bianca's exit storyline revolved on an extramarital affair with her mother's new boyfriend Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass). Lindsey Coulson, who played Bianca's mother Carol, returned to the serial especially to facilitate Palmer's exit. Carol had last been seen on-screen in 1997. When the affair was uncovered, Bianca was disowned by Carol, and her marriage to Ricky ended after Carol forced her to confess the affair to him too. Bianca's exit week was spread out over five episodes, beginning with an hour-long special on Sunday 5 September 1999 (at the time the typical weekly broadcast was 3 episodes a week). Mal Young, BBC's Controller of Continuing Drama Series, described the revelatory hour-long Bianca special as a Play For Today, and Kathryn Flett of The Guardian described the week's episodes as a "bravura, edge-of-the-sofa, five-night performance". Nicola Methven of the Daily Mirror has described the discovery of Bianca's affair as "one of the truly great emotion-charged scenes in soap history". Bianca left Walford on a train for Manchester with her son Liam, in an episode that aired in September 1999. In 2001, Bianca's exit storyline was voted as one of "Top 20 greatest soap moments of all time". Chosen by thousands of TV viewers, the televised countdown was presented by Dale Winton and aired on ITV in 2001. Spin-off (2002) In 2001, the BBC announced that Patsy Palmer and Sid Owen would reprise their roles as Bianca and Ricky, for a special spin-off, entitled EastEnders: Ricky & Bianca. Filmed in Manchester in January 2002, the two part, hour-long special reunited the characters for the first time in over two years. The spin-off or "soap bubble" was part of plans by Mal Young, the BBC controller of drama serials, to expand the EastEnders brand. He created a "bubbles unit" to make, at most, six one-off specials a year. EastEnders: Ricky & Bianca aired in May 2002, and proved a ratings winner, with more than 10 million viewers tuning in. In the spin-off, Bianca had fallen upon hard times, and accidentally got a visiting Ricky embroiled in a drugs heist. Despite talk of reconciling, Bianca opted to leave Ricky behind once again, leaving Liam in his care. The spin-off brought in various characters unrelated to the main serial, including Vince, Bianca's drug dealing boss played by Craig Charles, and Ricky's fiancée Cassie, played by Sally Ann Triplett. Both Ricky and Liam returned to the main serial as regular characters later that year, without Bianca. In an interview, Palmer discussed the spin-off and the reasons why she did not want to return to EastEnders: "I have absolutely no desire to return to EastEnders. Not at all. In fact, I think that brief spin-off of a storyline for Ricky and Bianca was a double-edged sword. On one hand, I don't think we should ever have done it, it was a mistake on my behalf. But on the other, it convinced me that Bianca was someone that I did not want to see again. She was past history as far as I was concerned, I certainly learned that. Don't get me wrong, I had the time of my life when I was in EastEnders in the middle and late nineties and I worked with some terrific people both in front of and behind the camera. But that was then and this is now – the cast has nearly all changed and going back would be worse than foolish." In August 2005, Palmer reiterated that she had no desire to return to EastEnders and branded the show "rubbish". Reintroduction (2008) Despite Palmer's earlier reservations, it was announced on 29 October 2007 that she would be reprising the role of Bianca. EastEnders executive producer Diederick Santer said he was "delighted" that Bianca was returning, commenting: "Millions grew up with her and, like the audience, I can't wait to see her back in the show. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter in her story." Santer commented: "First Patsy comes home, now Sid! Ricky and Bianca were a hugely popular and well-loved partnership on the show, spawning one of the best (and perhaps most irritating) of TV catchphrases – Rickaaaaay!" To promote the characters' return, the BBC began airing trailers across the BBC network in March 2008. One trailer utilised Bianca's "trademark holler" of Ricky's name, which is so loud that it smashes the windows of The Queen Victoria public house. The trailer features The Righteous Brothers's "Hung on You". Another trailer sees Bianca singing The Jackson 5 hit "I Want You Back" and performing a dance routine with her four children. Within three days of being posted on the video sharing website YouTube, the trailer had been viewed 52,000 times. The character returned on-screen on 1 April 2008, but made her first appearance back in the soap's setting of Albert Square the following week, drawing 10.4 million viewers and 42.6% of the total TV viewing audience. In the storyline, Bianca had fallen on hard times, and after being evicted from her flat her children were taken into custody, so Bianca returned to Walford to seek help from her grandmother Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement). In the documentary EastEnders: Ricky and Bianca, which aired to celebrate the character's return, the changes in Bianca's character were noted: "The carefree, wild child of yesterday, has been replaced by the wore-torn and downtrodden single mum of four. Bianca has done what she always wanted to avoid, repeating the mistakes that her mother Carol had made." EastEnders' series consultant Simon Ashdown has commented, "Bianca's still the same Bianca in a way, she still speaks before she thinks, comes out fists flying. She's got that family of misfit kids with different fathers [...] She's like Carol." The BBC described the character's comeback as a "big hit". However, James Walton from The Telegraph accused the Jackson family of being melodramatic and "boring", adding "Perhaps the storyline is meant to be an updated version of [1966 BBC drama] Cathy Come Home – yet if so, the writers have forgotten one important thing. We're supposed to be rooting for the mother rather than for Social Services." Tony King and pedophilia Bianca's most notable initial storyline upon her return was a pedophilia plot revolving around her new boyfriend Tony King (Chris Coghill), and her 15-year-old step daughter, Whitney. The idea for the storyline was conceptualized by writer Simon Ashdown and other scriptwriters, when they were brainstorming ideas for Bianca's return to EastEnders. They pitched the idea to John Yorke, controller of BBC drama production, who said that "It drew a sharp intake of breath. Most EastEnders stories that have been good and successful have been the ones that caused the sharp intake of breath, so they're always the kind of stories you look for." However, pedophilia as a storyline had been pitched before, but the idea had been vetoed because they could not find the right storyline and characters to proceed and, as the topic was so controversial, producers had been unwilling to take the risk. The storyline prompted an increase in calls to the children's help-line, ChildLine. When asked how she felt about the storyline, Palmer commented: "It would be brilliant if it helped somebody. If one person out there who's been abused saw that [the legal system] go out of their way to make it easier on the victim – Whitney's evidence is given by video link – it will be worth it." Reunion with Ricky Butcher In November 2009 it was announced that coinciding with the return of her on-screen family and the 25th anniversary of EastEnders, Bianca and Ricky would remarry in February 2010. Palmer told ''What's on TV'' magazine: "I prefer it when Ricky and Bianca are not together but it's great too when they are. I'm looking forward to the return of her family. Bianca hasn't spoken to her mum since the whole Dan thing so it'll be good stuff." Talking about the 25th anniversary week, Santer explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "That's [...] why we're doing the soap wedding of the year – and perhaps the soap wedding of the decade – with Ricky and Bianca. The romance played against the thriller story is a great balance, which I hope the audience will be both gripped by and satisfied with. The wedding is the perfect opportunity for us to bring back the much-loved Jackson characters – Carol, Sonia, Robbie and Billie." Temporary departures (2011–2012) On 1 August 2010, it was reported that Palmer was pregnant with her fourth child and that she would take maternity leave from EastEnders. To facilitate the departure, Bianca will feature in a major storyline, which executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said was the only possible reason Bianca would have for leaving her family. In December 2010, it was announced that Natalie Cassidy would return as part of Bianca's departure storyline which started in January 2011. Bianca's departure was broadcast on 21 January 2011. Palmer gave birth earlier than expected, meaning that she started leave three weeks before she planned to. Key moments were therefore not filmed, and changes had to be made to the storyline to accommodate her absence. Bianca reappeared from December 2011, though Palmer stated in February 2011 that she was in no hurry to return, did not miss it and did not know when she would be back. On 19 July 2011, Palmer revealed that she had signed a new 'working mums' contract and would be returning before the end of the year. It was confirmed in April 2012 that Bianca, Carol and Bianca's children would depart Albert Square later that month for six months. Bianca left the show on 27 April 2012, when she was sent back to prison for attempting to steal from the market, before returning on 27 November of that year. Relationship with Terry Spraggan and departure (2014) It was announced on 23 August 2013, that Bianca's latest boyfriend, Terry Spraggan (Terry Alderton) would arrive on the square, a short time after meeting him off-screen in Manchester. It was confirmed in April 2014 that Palmer would be leaving EastEnders and her final scenes will air in the Autumn. A spokesman for Palmer said: "Patsy is really sad to be leaving the show as she loves playing Bianca and working with executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins but she knows it's the right decision at this time in her life." Subsequent returns On 22 May 2019, it was announced that Palmer would reprise her role as Bianca for a guest stint, five years after her departure. The decision to reintroduce the character was made by Jon Sen, the show's new executive producer, who revealed that this was "high on [his] wish list" when he joined the soap. On the character's return, Palmer commented, "I've always said it's odd when major characters don't return when something [major is happening]." and the character returns in episode 5982, originally broadcast on 2 September 2019. Palmer's return marks the first time she has been invited back to EastEnders. Her agent informed her that the story team had planned a story for Bianca, so she agreed to a return. The show's senior executive producer, Kate Oates, revealed that she planned for the character to return for the show's autumn launch, since she wanted to reintroduce "some classic names in the show". The costume department purchased a new wardrobe for Bianca, which Palmer liked and thought reflected more modern clothing. Oates wanted to reintroduce Bianca as part of a bigger story and wanted to create a story that "propels after she's gone". Sen confirmed the new plot, describing it as "a gripping new story". A show spokesperson confirmed that producers had invited Palmer to return again for Whitney's story involving Leo after she kills him in self defence. In February 2024, it was announced Palmer would be reprising the role once again and that Bianca would be returning for a "short stint"; after appearing in two episodes airing on 4 and 5 March, Bianca appeared for a further five weeks from 29 April until 12 June and again from 23 September, of the same year. During this stint, Bianca appeared more regularly and also made an appearance in the live episode for the shows 40th anniversary which involved the culmination of her storyline with Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) after he kidnapped her for four months. In June 2025, Palmer did not rule out another return for the character. ==Storylines==

1993–1999 Bianca Jackson first arrived at Albert Square in Walford, a fictional borough in East London, with her family in mid-November 1993; she is joined by her mother Carol (Lindsey Coulson), the latter's love interest Alan (Howard Antony), and Bianca's half-sister Sonia (Natalie Cassidy) alongside their half-brothers Robbie (Dean Gaffney) and Billie (Devon Anderson) respectively. As the family settle themselves on the square, Bianca starts running her own clothing stall on Bridge Street market; she originally became the market assistant of local resident Sanjay Kapoor (Deepak Verma) after initially working for her uncle Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) at his fish and chip shop. Later on she begins dating Ian's business competitor Richard Cole (Ian Reddington), until he gets board and swiftly dumps her; Bianca would then get revenge on Richard by harassing him with pranks and stealing his credit card. Off-screen, unbeknownst to Ricky himself, Bianca is pregnant. She starts a relationship with trucker Nathan Dean, who believes her unborn child is his. Bianca acts as stepmother to Nathan's daughter Whitney (Shona McGarty), but Nathan is killed in a traffic accident. Bianca becomes Whitney's guardian and gives birth to a daughter, Tiffany (Maisie Smith), named after her deceased best friend, but struggles financially. She becomes pregnant again during a brief fling with Ray Dixon (Charles Venn), but it doesn't last long. Bianca soon meets a man named Tony King (Chris Coghill), who supports her through her pregnancy and adopts Ray's son, Morgan Jackson-King (Devon Higgs), when he is born. Tony appears to be a good father figure to her children; however, he is a paedophile who sexually grooms Whitney when she is just 12-years-old and they begin a sexual relationship behind Bianca's back for over three years. After Morgan is born, Liam returns to live with Bianca when Ricky begins dating a woman named Melinda (Siobhan Hayes), who does not like children. Tony and Whitney's abusive relationship continues secretly until Tony is imprisoned for assaulting a boy who propositions Whitney. 2008–2014 In 2008, Bianca is evicted from her home and her children are taken into care. Bianca moves in with her grandmother Pat Evans (Pam St Clement) in Walford and, with Ricky's help, she gets her children back before getting a job as a waitress. She rebuffs Ricky's declaration of love, deciding to stand by imprisoned lover Tony. When he is released, Tony resumes his abuse of Whitney while Bianca wants to set a date for their wedding. He eventually agrees after winding down his affections of Whitney, to whom he is no longer attracted now that she is not a child. Whitney tells Bianca about their relationship, just as she thinks that she and Tony will run away together. There is a massive row and Tony leaves but he is arrested by the police on suspicion of rape of a minor. Bianca and Whitney's relationship is tested while they deal with what has happened but they eventually bond again and Bianca supports Whitney through Tony's trial. A DNA paternity test confirms that Ricky is Tiffany's father. Bianca slowly realises she is in love with him, but her attempt to rekindle their romance is ruined when Ricky announces his engagement to Peggy's daughter Sam Mitchell (Danniella Westbrook); the latter was also Ricky's ex-wife and Bianca's love rival back in the 1990s. Bianca's quarrel with Sam resurfaces when they fight over Ricky in the pub. Bianca soon learns that Sam is evading a prison sentence for being involves in the murder of the pub's former landlord, Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), back in February 2005. In turn Bianca reports her whereabouts to the police and Sam is arrested. A rift forms between Bianca and Ricky when the truth is revealed. However, Bianca's discovery that Sam is cheating on Ricky ends the engagement; Ricky reunites with Bianca in the aftermath. Ricky and Bianca soon remarry after he accepts her marriage proposal. During the ceremony, Carol arrives and brawls with Bianca until they slowly settle their differences. A few months later, Bianca is devastated when her youngest brother Billie dies from alcohol poisoning; she informs Carol, who is distraught over his death. Carol is later comforted by Billie's friend, Connor Stanley (Arinze Kene), and they begin an affair just as Connor starts dating Whitney at the same time. When Bianca discovers the betrayal, she vows to remove Connor from her family's life and attacks Connor; this leaves him hospitalised and she eventually turns herself in to the police, refusing bail. Bianca is sentenced to six months imprisonment, but is released just in time for Christmas. Bianca is soon is devastated when Pat dies from pancreatic cancer on New Year's Day 2012. When Bianca discovers Ricky had slept with Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton) in her absence, they separate and he leaves Walford. Bianca struggles as a single parent and gets into debt. She soon steals from a market trader in desperation, but is caught and ends up getting sent back to jail. In prison, she passes a hair and beauty course. Thereafter she is offered a trial at the salon owned by her aunt, Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner). However, as time goes on, Bianca struggles to cope and breaks down when she is alone. Soon enough, Bianca starts a close friendship with local resident Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) when they set up a market stall together. Liam plays truant from school and Bianca worries when the police tell her she may face prison again if Liam does not return. Bianca discovers that Liam is involved in a mugging and that he has some dubious new friends. When Liam does not come home, she goes to an estate to confront the gang and collect Liam but he decides to stay with the gang and when he does come home, Bianca locks him in his room to stop him seeing the gang. She seeks advice from Ava Hartman (Clare Perkins), an acquaintance whose son Dexter (Khali Best) used to be in a gang. Liam is soon lured back into the gang, which leads to him getting arrested and then released on police bail when the gang is caught. They blame Liam and he is stabbed but is not seriously injured. When Bianca lets Liam stay at home alone, Kane sneaks in and invites Liam back to the gang. Bianca finds them as Kane is threatening Liam and attacks Kane; he is arrested. Bianca allows Liam to stay with his father. It is then Bianca, along with Kat's relative Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) and their friend, Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), break into Ian's restaurant sometime later and Shirley ends up starting a fire by accident; Bianca worries that she could go back to prison for it and tells Whitney, who has been blamed for the incident. Jean eventually tells Ian what happened and Ian agrees not to involve the police on the condition that Tiffany and Ian's son Bobby (Rory Stroud) are no longer friends. When Carol sees that Bianca is still interested in fashion, she arranges for her to attend a course in Manchester. When Bianca returns, she surprises her family by introducing them to her new love interest Terry Spraggan (Terry Alderton); she later invites Terry along with his children, TJ (George Sargeant) and Rosie (Jerzey Swingler), to move in with her at the house. Bianca is devastated when she finds out that Carol has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Bianca, upon learning that she has not inherited Carol's faulty cancer gene, supports her mother throughout her cancer and is shocked when the latter gets engaged to David; as he had recently resurfaced in the square and moved in the home. However, Bianca is disheartened when David jilts Carol and leaves the Square again. By then, Terry's old spouse, Nikki Spraggan (Rachel Wilde) has arrived on the square. Bianca's jealousy over Nikki leads to her breaking up with Terry in public, but he soon continues to date Bianca in secret before telling her that he plans to move out of London. Terry and Bianca reunite, and at the last minute, Bianca gives Liam and Whitney her blessing to stay with Carol before taking Tiffany and Morgan to live in Milton Keynes. The following year, Robbie moves with his son, Sami Jackson (Shiven Shankar) to Milton Keynes near Bianca. A few years later Bianca is invited to Whitney's wedding to Shirley's grandson, Lee Carter (Danny Hatchard), but she cannot attend; both Tiffany and Morgan arrive instead. Whitney later visits Bianca after her engagement to new lover Woody Woodward (Lee Ryan) collapses beyond repair. Months later, Bianca is informed that her cousin, Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) has died, but cannot attend the funeral. When Tiffany returns to Walford, she reveals that Bianca has tried to kill herself – though this turns out to be false when Tiffany confesses to lying after feeling neglected by Bianca and Terry; In turn Bianca agrees to Tiffany living with Whitney. When Tiffany becomes involved in a drug ring the following year, Sonia informs Bianca, who is unable to return to help out. 2019 In 2019, Bianca returns to Walford for Whitney's wedding to Callum Highway (Tony Clay). She first wakes up in a police cell with Kat after a night out. Bianca mentions she has recently been released from prison once again. When Phil's son, Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) arrives at the venue and reveals to Bianca about his affair with Callum, she threatens him and then tries to discourage Whitney from marrying Callum. Whilst at the wedding reception, Bianca witnesses a man giving Tiffany a kiss on the cheek and threatens him to stay away. She attempts to make amends with Tiffany, who is upset with Bianca because of her absence and ignoring her daughter for Terry's children. Bianca later reveals to Tiffany that she was arrested and released with an electronic tag which prevented her from returning. When Bianca sees Whitney getting drunk at The Queen Vic, she suggests that she attends her honeymoon alone to take her mind off Callum. Bianca then arranges a spa day with Tiffany, and when she sees the man from the wedding again, she threatens him to stay away. It is soon revealed that the man is actually Tony's son, Leo King (Tom Wells), who blames Whitney for Tony's death. He soon informs Bianca that she inherited his grandmother's money and threatens to hurt her family unless she gives him the money. However, Bianca refuses and leaves the square with Tiffany for a holiday after spending time with Sonia and Robbie. Bianca later returns off-screen to console Whitney after she learns Leo, who she has been dating, is Tony's son and that she killed him in self-defence. Bianca and Carol both visit Tiffany in Germany in December 2022, leaving them unable to attend the funeral of her step-grandmother, Dot Branning (June Brown). 2024–2025 In January 2024, during a phone call with Whitney, Bianca tells her that she and Terry have split up. Whitney and her boyfriend, Zack Hudson (James Farrar) go to visit Bianca the following month where Whitney reveals her pregnancy to her. Bianca and Whitney discuss the miscarriages of their respective daughters, Natasha and Peach when having a catch-up together. Bianca also has been at loggerheads with her neighbour, Keeley Wainwright (Kirsty J. Curtis) upon looking after neglected children, Britney (Lola Campbell) and Taylor Wainwright (Mason Godfrey), to the point of feeding them on regular occasions. Whitney confronts Keeley over abandoning her children, leading to a confrontation between Bianca and Keeley when she taunts her about Terry. In that moment Whitney tries to pursue Britney when she flees and saves her by pushing her out of an incoming car, which results in Whitney getting run over; Whitney decides to remain in Milton Keynes with Bianca for a while. Bianca soon returns to Walford not long afterwards to support Whitney after she argues with Zack. Later on, Bianca gets acquainted with newly arrived, Junior Knight (Micah Balfour); they have sex but Bianca is unaware that he is married. She soon discovers that Zack has cheated on Whitney by sleeping with her best friend and Bianca's cousin, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa). After confronting Zack over his betrayal, Bianca reluctantly agrees to keep this a secret; however, Britney also discovers the truth on the day Whitney gives birth to her and Zack's child, Dolly Dean-Hudson. On the following week, Britney exposes Zack's betrayal during his wedding to Whitney. In the aftermath Whitney turns to Bianca for support, but then finds out that Bianca knew about Zack's betrayal before she did; Whitney declares that she can't trust Bianca anymore and decides to leave the square. The following day, Whitney leaves the square with both Dolly and Britney; their departure leaves both Bianca and Zack devastated. Following Whitney's departure, Bianca later has a heart-to-heart with Kat and reveals that she has been suffering from depression. Bianca soon begins living with Sonia at her house but grows distrustful of Sonia's boyfriend, Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) after meeting him. Reiss later urges Sonia to evict Bianca, but this changes when Sonia discovers that she has suffered from a blighted ovum and Bianca stays to support her. Bianca then discovers that Reiss has been using the money of his wife Debbie (Jenny Meier), who is unresponsive from a stroke, to pay for his and Sonia's IVF treatment; Bianca demands that he confess to Sonia, but is left upset when Sonia forgives Reiss for his secret. Bianca has an argument with Sonia in public and leaves the square in tears. A few months later, after Debbie dies, Bianca returns in the middle of Debbie's wake at the pub and begins verbally attacking Reiss after learning Sonia is on remand for Debbie's murder. She relentlessly hounds Reiss, prompting him to flee. Bianca continues her quest for a confession and throws a brick at Reiss' car in frustration. Bianca later drunkenly kisses Sonia's former husband, Martin Fowler (James Bye) during a heart to heart with him, but instantly regrets it. Bianca is later reunited with David when he returns to help her out after Kat informs him about the situation. After tensions erupt between them, Bianca confides in David about her depression and they ultimately reconcile. David later wishes for Bianca to leave the square with him; she declines in order to exonerate Sonia but nevertheless parts ways with her father on good terms. After Reiss returns after a few weeks in Peterborough, Bianca finds out through CCTV footage from Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) that he was at the care home the night Debbie died. She confronts him and he misleads Bianca into following him to his rehearsal studio to collect the pillow he used to suffocate Debbie, and then hand himself in. Reiss later attacks Bianca, causing her to hit him over the head with a candlestick. It is then revealed that Reiss has taken Bianca hostage. Two months later in January 2025, Bianca is still being held hostage by Reiss and during the week of Sonia's trial she makes multiple attempts to escape but fails; after learning Sonia is going to plead guilty she convinces Reiss to let her record a false confession saying she murdered Debbie in order to let Sonia be released and for herself to go on the run, as well as telling Reiss she will not go to the police about him. However, after Bianca's confession is shown to the court, Reiss is told it will take a few months for the CPS to process the video. Sonia is released but Reiss decides to keep Bianca hostage. Soon after the CPS accept Bianca's confession and a warrant is sent out for her arrest. Reiss refuses to allow Bianca flee and tries to encourage her to commit suicide by providing her with painkillers. When Reiss visits Bianca to see if she is still alive, he forgets to lock the doors of the storage unit. Bianca manages to escape after grabbing bolt cutters that he accidentally leaves behind. Just as Reiss attempts to hold Sonia hostage when the truth is revealed, Bianca hits him over the head with a teapot. They run to their uncle Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) for help, but when they return back to the house, Reiss has escaped. During the wedding of Billy (Perry Fenwick) and Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) the next day, Reiss accidentally crashes into The Queen Vic and a fire erupts and causes the pub to explode. Sonia and Lauren are trapped in the rubble and with the help of Grant, who she recently got reacquainted with a few hours ago, Bianca manages to find them just as Sonia's waters break. Reiss follows Bianca to see Sonia and following a confrontation, Bianca pushes him and he falls into the debris. A bath falls through the floor and hits Reiss, killing him instantly; Bianca and Lauren help Sonia to deliver her daughter Julia Fowler. In the aftermath of the explosion, Bianca becomes agoraphobic due to the trauma of the kidnapping, resulting in tensions arising between her and a stressed Sonia; the two later reconcile with the help of Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho). Bianca is approached by a woman named Charlotte (Leonie Elliott) to appear on her true crime podcast to tell her ordeal with Reiss. Bianca agrees but later changes her mind, however, it is too late. Despite Bianca's attempts to keep this hidden from Sonia, the story goes viral on social media. They are disturbed by true crime fans, and Sonia discovers the truth. After a heated argument, Sonia kicks Bianca out, but they reconcile. Sonia's long-lost father Terry Cant (Glen Davies) arrives after listening to the podcast, immediately clashing with Bianca when she tries to prevent him from seeing Sonia due to his abusive past. Sonia agrees to follow Terry to Bali so she can leave Walford, but when Bianca refuses to allow her to go, Terry turns violent. Bianca reveals this to Sonia, who later witnesses Terry's true colours. Sonia and her daughter Bex (Jasmine Armfield) still decide to go to Bali without Terry and invite Bianca. Bianca leaps at the chance and leaves Walford once again with Sonia, Bex, and Julia. ==Reception==

Awards and nominations Palmer's portrayal of Bianca earned her a nomination for "Best Actress" at the 1997 Royal Television Society Awards – being the first soap actress to ever be nominated – and in 2000 she was awarded "Best Actress" at The British Soap Awards, a prize voted for by viewers. She commented on her role in her acceptance speech: "It's completely changed my life. It just turned it around. I have had my ups and downs as you all know. I just want to warn all the young people. Be careful because it really does change your life." "Best Actress" at the 1999 British Soap Awards, "Best On-Screen Partnership" (with Sid Owen) in the 2001 British Soap Awards, Palmer was also longlisted for "Best Comic Performance" at the 2025 Inside Soap Awards. Critical response The character of Bianca Jackson has received critical acclaim from critics and fans alike. EastEnders executive producers Diederick Santer and Jon Sen have described Bianca as "one of the most popular characters EastEnders has ever had", and an "iconic creation", respectively. In 1995, Chris Barker carried out television research on post-transmission perspectives of British Asian teenage viewers of EastEnders, using the character Bianca as one of the focus points. He discovered that the participants were both active and implicit in the reproduction of ideology about family relationships and gender. The males regarded Bianca as a "saucy cow", with implications of unacceptable assertiveness in women. They disliked that Ricky was pushed around by Bianca and treated as a subordinate by her friends. The author comments that "such a relationship appears to these boys as the world turned upside down." Girls also viewed Bianca unfavourably in 1995, and the author noted that tensions in "girl-culture" – attraction to the traditional private world of interpersonal relationships and the desire to take up more assertive characteristics in public – manifested themselves in discussions about Bianca and her friend Natalie Price. Natalie was constructed as a "nice person" in contrast to Bianca, "she can relate to Ricky [...] cares for other people and doesn't just think about herself [like Bianca does]", qualities that were said to be constitutive of the traditional identity of women. In 2008, when it was announced that both Ricky and Bianca were being reintroduced, Santer described them as "a hugely popular and well-loved partnership on the show", and Reuters branded them two of "the most popular characters on the soap". Conversely, Mark Wright from The Stage said that the decision to bring these much-loved character back "is very welcome". Ruth Deller of entertainment website Lowculture praised Bianca stating: "Bianca and Ricky's return has been one of the best things about [EastEnders] in the past year [...] and even when Bianca and co don't have storylines as big as the Whitney/Tony one, they still give good telly." In March 2010, Bianca was voted the 'Most Popular TV Mum' in an online poll conducted by Yahoo!, gaining 26% of votes. Yahoo!'s TV editor Paul Johnston commented "As loud and garish as Bianca can be, she also has a huge heart when it comes to her children and would do anything to protect them. You certainly wouldn't want her turning up on your doorstep if your kids had been fighting with hers!" In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Bianca 29th on their ranked list of the best EastEnders characters of all time, calling her a "Flame-haired, fiery-tempered market stall holder" who was most famous for "having affairs", moving to Manchester and Milton Keynes and shouting Ricky's name. In 2021, Angie Quinn from MyLondon called Bianca one of the "icons who are no longer on the square". ==In popular culture and other media==

In 1999, BBC Books published a book about the character, entitled ''Bianca's Secret Diary''. The paperback details the affair between Bianca and her mother Carol's lover, Dan. A BBC source reportedly told the Sunday Mirror: "We've recently dethroned Coronation Street at the top of the viewing charts, and this book has the potential to make No.1 in the best-sellers list." It was released on 10 September 1999, just as the TV storyline reached its conclusion. The character was spoofed in the BBC comedy sketch show The Real McCoy. One of the show's recurring sketches featured a spoof version of EastEnders, with black comedians taking over roles of well known EastEnders characters, who frequent a pub called Rub-a-Dub. Actress and comedian Judith Jacob played the role of Bianca in the sketches. Jacob had previously appeared as a regular character in EastEnders between 1986 and 1989, as health visitor Carmel Jackson (unrelated to Bianca's family). ==References==