Billy Mitchell in EastEnders is, as he said to Rocky Cant, the runt of the Mitchell family.
But he’s also one of EastEnders’ most loved characters. He’s been a devoted adoptive dad to Jamie Mitchell and Jay Brown, and actual dad to Janet and William. He is a doting grandfather to Lola Pearce and a great-grandad to little Lexi Mitchell.
He’s been married twice – to Mo Slater and Honey Edwards, been on his uppers and come through dark times, and he even carried the Olympic torch when London hosted the games in 2012.
Who plays Billy Mitchell in EastEnders?
Billy Mitchell in EastEnders is played by accomplished actor Perry Fenwick.
He had roles in Casualty, Minder, The Brittas Empire and The Bill, as well as appearing in films such as Mona Lisa and The Tichborne Claimant, before joining EastEnders in 1998.
Perry was married to Coronation Street actress Angela Lonsdale but the pair split in 2010. The couple have three children.
Billy’s arrival in Walford
Billy Mitchell – a distant relative of the Walford Mitchells – arrived in EastEnders with his nephew Jamie Mitchell. Quite quickly it became obvious that Billy was beating up Jamie on a regular basis.
Phil stepped in, and Billy saw the error of his ways. He and Jamie moved in with Phil and Billy began working for the Mitchells. But he was never regarded as an equal and ended up doing a lot of Phil’s dirty work.
Billy was devastated when Jamie was knocked over by Martin Fowler and died later in hospital.
Read more: Martin Fowler in EastEnders: How did he kill Jamie Mitchell?
Luckily Billy made it to his bedside before he passed away, and the pair made their peace.
Billy and Mo Slater
Billy got to know Mo Slater, who was in an abusive marriage. The pair confided in one another and Billy told Mo about his childhood abuse growing up in care.
When Mo left her husband Trevor, she and Billy planned to get married. Trevor wasn’t happy and kidnapped Mo, but his plot went wrong and he died in a fire.
Mo and Billy tied the knot on Christmas Day – the same day Jamie Mitchell died. They were happy for a while until Mo was raped and got pregnant. Billy struggled to cope and eventually admitted he couldn’t love baby Freddie. The pair split and Mo left Walford.
Billy and Honey
After splitting from Mo, Billy fell in love with Honey Edwards. They quickly got serious about each other and Billy proposed. It took three attempts to get the pair down the aisle!
Their first wedding ended in disaster when Honey got food poisoning, their second went wrong when Billy was late to the ceremony thanks to a stag-night prank. Finally they said “I do” at their third wedding but as soon as they exchanged vows, Honey went into labour.
She had a baby girl called Janet who has Down’s syndrome. Honey struggled to bond with her daughter at first and Billy really stepped up. He cared for the little girl and supported his wife and eventually Honey began to bond with her daughter.
But things weren’t easy for the pair, and they lost their home and Billy fell back into his life of crime. Honey gave birth to another baby – son William – but when she found out that Billy had hidden as Jase Dyer died instead of helping, she was disgusted and left Walford.
When Honey returned to Walford in 2015, she and Billy were reunited for a while. But when he cheated on her with Tina Carter their relationship was over for good.
Billy’s family
Billy’s childhood sweetheart Julie Perkins – who he knew in the children’s home he grew up in – arrived in Walford and told him that she’d got pregnant as a young teenager. She’d had the baby adopted and she wanted to find him.
Billy and Julie – now reunited – tracked their son, Dan Pearce, down. But they were upset to discover he had died. However, Dan had a daughter, called Lola.
Lola came to the Square and Billy took her under his wing. And when Lola had daughter Lexi, on the day Billy carried the Olympic torch in 2012, he became a proud great-grandad.
Billy’s downward spiral
Billy was doing well for a while, working at the undertaker’s and providing for his family.
But things went wrong, he broke up with Honey, and then his romance with Karen Taylor went wrong, and he lost his job at the funeral director’s.
And when Billy found out that Honey was now in a relationship with Jay Brown, who Billy considered a son, he was furious. He can’t accept the pair, even though they have tried to convince him they’re serious about one another.
Billy’s got a stall in the market, but he’s not a good salesman and he’s got nowhere to live.
Will he make it through this low point, like he’s come through the others?
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.