Billy Mitchell (EastEnders)
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226052570
2008-07-16T16:48:49Z
Trampikey
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[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 226049719 by [[Special:Contributions/Rodhullandemu|Rodhullandemu]] ([[User talk:Rodhullandemu|talk]])
{{Infobox EastEnders character 2
|image=[[Image:B.Mitchell EE.jpg|201px]]
|character_name=Billy Mitchell
|actor_name=[[Perry Fenwick]]
|introducer=[[Matthew Robinson]]
|years=1998, 1999—
|first=[[9 November]] [[1998]]
|dob=[[10 May]] [[1959]]
|status=[[Married]]
|home=[[Walford Towers]]
|occupation=[[Market trader]] (fruit and veg)
|family=
|father= Steven Mitchell
|mother= Janet Mitchell
|grandfathers=Kenneth Mitchell
|grandmothers=Barbara Mitchell
|brothers= Charlie Mitchell
|wife= [[Little Mo Mitchell|Little Mo Morgan]] (2002–2006)<br />[[Honey Edwards]] (2006—)
|daughters= [[Janet Mitchell]]
|sons=[[William Mitchell (EastEnders)|William Mitchell]]
|uncles=Ted Mitchell
|nephews = [[Jamie Mitchell]]
|great grandfathers=Edward Mitchell
|great grandmothers=Betty Mitchell
|great uncles=Phil Mitchell
|1st cousin once=Eric Mitchell<br />[[Clive Mitchell]]<br />[[Archie Mitchell]]
|2nd cousin=[[Phil Mitchell]]<br />[[Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)|Grant Mitchell]]<br />[[Sam Mitchell (EastEnders)|Sam Mitchell]]<br />[[Ronnie Mitchell]]<br />[[Roxy Mitchell]]
|2nd cousin once=[[Ben Mitchell (EastEnders)|Ben Mitchell]]<br />[[Louise Mitchell]]<br />Mark Fowler Jr.<br />[[Courtney Mitchell]]<br />Amy Mitchell
}}
'''William "Billy" Mitchell''' is a [[fictional character]] in the popular [[BBC]] [[soap opera]] ''[[EastEnders]]'', played by [[Perry Fenwick]], who made his first appearance on [[9 November]] [[1998]]. Billy was seen when Phil went to visit his godson [[Jamie Mitchell|Jamie]]. However, he didn't arrive in the Square until [[2 August]] [[1999]], almost a year after his initial appearance.
==History==
Billy arrived in the square as [[Phil Mitchell|Phil]], [[Sam Mitchell (EastEnders)|Sam]] and [[Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)|Grant Mitchell's]] distant cousin, and [[Jamie Mitchell|Jamie Mitchell's]] abusive uncle.
His parents left him in a children's home, where he was physically abused by the staff. After his brother and sister-in-law died, Billy became guardian of their son Jamie, and vented his anger on him. When Phil realised what was happening, he took Jamie in and Billy has since learnt from his mistakes.
He became very good friends with [[Maureen (Little Mo) Mitchell|Little Mo Morgan]], a very timid, soft-hearted woman who was being regularly beaten and humiliated (and at a later stage, [[rape]]d) by her husband, [[Trevor Morgan (EastEnders)|Trevor]]. Following the end of Mo's marriage, Billy and Mo started a relationship, despite Trevor's attempts to break them up. Billy proposed to Mo by spelling out 'MARRY ME' on her plate with alphabet spaghetti, and the pair were [[engaged]]. They married on [[Christmas Day]] [[2002]], the same day that Billy's nephew, [[Jamie Mitchell|Jamie]], died of severe injuries after being knocked down by a car (Jamie had persuaded a reluctant Billy to go through with the wedding).
Eleven months after their wedding, Little Mo was raped for the second time. This time, the perpetrator was Graham Foster, a darts-playing friend of [[Charlie Slater|her father]]. Mo later discovered that she was pregnant, as a result of the [[assault]]. Billy pressed her for an [[abortion]], but Mo, who had always wanted children, refused. Little Mo left [[Walford]] to clear her head, and came home with baby [[Freddie Mitchell|Freddie]] in tow, to see Graham convicted of [[rape]]. Billy and Little Mo reunited, but Billy confessed that as much as he tried, he couldn't love Freddie as his own, and thought of Graham whenever he saw him.
Following his putting the family first, Billy started a fire in the nightclub [[Angie's Den]], and left it in tatters, following a massive explosion that rocked the club.
Billy and Little Mo separated, but remained friends until Billy discovered Mo's relationship with [[Alfie Moon]]. Billy then started a relationship with newcomer [[Honey Edwards]], who he made barmaid in [[The Queen Vic]] in November 2005. He found out Honey was pregnant in January 2006, and was full of joy that he was finally becoming a father. He soon proposed to her and she agreed to become his wife.
On [[April 25]], [[2006]], Billy and Little Mo received their divorce papers. Several weeks later, on [[June 2]], Billy and Honey were due to marry, but had to postpone the wedding when Honey was admitted to hospital with food poisoning; they promptly re-scheduled it for [[July 21]].
On the night of Billy's second stag party, Phil and his employee [[Garry Hobbs]] jokingly got him to sleep in a bed warehouse, taking his clothes away with them; they were to return the next morning. Billy believed it to be a hotel, so when he awoke early in the morning, he did not know where he was; he walked out of a back door, which slammed behind him. He was then attacked by a dog, which pulled down his boxer shorts when he was asking a women for help; Billy was arrested for flashing. Later, when he was released, he walked back to Walford wearing a pair of wellington boots and a compost sack which he stole from the allotment. [[Minty Peterson]] had just returned from his holiday, and helped Billy get ready. Billy's wedding outfit was still with Phil, who was trying to find Billy and had been arrested for punching someone in the police station; Billy then had to get dressed into the only suit Minty had in the flat, which made Billy look ridiculous. They were then accidentally locked them in the bathroom when Minty fell onto the shower, bringing part of the ceiling down and knocking the door handle out of the door; Garry and Phil returned to find Billy and Minty on the floor in the bathroom. Honey had given up waiting for Billy at the church, and had since returned to the Square; on seeing Billy, she questioned him but he explained all.
After their second failed wedding, Billy and Honey decided they should elope, as the wedding always failed when other people get involved; they said they would wait until after the baby was born. However, Peggy organised a surprise wedding in early September. Phil told Billy on the morning of the wedding, and Billy persuaded Honey at the church to go ahead with the ceremony. Just after Honey said "I do" her waters broke and she was rushed to hospital. Billy and Honey were overjoyed when their daughter, [[Janet Mitchell|Janet]], was first born, but Honey held a negative response when they found out the baby had [[Down's syndrome]]. Billy changed her name to [[Petal Mitchell|Petal]], but Honey continued to resent their baby. Billy eventually helped Honey to begin accepting Petal. Unfortunately this did not last. Billy and Honey's visit to a meeting for parents of children with Down syndrome only made things worse for Honey. The situation took its toll on her and she destroyed Petal's nursery, admitting to Billy that she could not cope. On [[31 October]], [[2006]] she announced to Billy that she wanted Petal to be adopted. Honey forced Billy to choose between her or Petal, and he made the difficult decision to give up his beloved daughter. In the weeks coming up to the adoption process, Billy spent as much time with Petal and also hoped that Honey would change her mind. He made sure that Petal was going into safe hands and also made excuses so that he could be with his daughter longer. Billy wrote a letter to Petal, which he kept hidden. He was in tears when he was forced to hand over Petal to the foster parents, [[Kim Smith (EastEnders)|Kim]] and [[Tony Smith (EastEnders)|Tony Smith]].
On [[24 December]], Billy received news that Petal had to have a heart operation and had been admitted into hospital. He rushed to her side and prayed for his daughter. [[Bryan Nolan]] later joined him and they both watched while the priest in the hospital baptised her. Honey had found Billy's letter to Petal and torn it up, but later stuck it back together. This made her realise that she wanted to keep Petal. Honey came to the hospital and said that the baby's name was Janet, not Petal. She decided to stay with Billy at the hospital. They spent Christmas Day together watching over Janet, and were thrilled when they found out she was responding well and was making an improvement. Billy and Honey left the hospital after they were instructed to get some rest. They went to [[The Queen Vic]] and enjoyed the rest of the day with Peggy and the residents of the Square.
On [[13 November]], [[2007]], Billy became a father again when Honey gave birth to a son, [[William Mitchell (EastEnders)|William]], who she named after Billy.
==Homelessness==
In December 2007, Billy and Honey's new landlady, [[Manju Patel]], decided she wanted a couple with no children to live in the flat, she gave the Mitchells notice to leave. Billy was unable to find a new home, and as Mrs Patel hadn't rented the flat, Billy asked if they could stay another week. She gave him until 5 p.m. that day to give her a week's rent. Billy worked extra hard to make more money and started giving away free holly with the fruit and veg on Ian's stall. However the other market traders were unable to sell any holly, so Billy was forced to give the extra money he made to charity, meaning he was unable to pay another week's rent. Billy then visited the council to arrange housing. While he was waiting, Ian fired him from his job on the market because he hadn't turned up for work. Billy was told he would have to wait 28 days for an answer, even though he was due to leave the flat the next week. Desperate for money, Billy stole the charity collection box from outside the pub, as Peggy was collecting money for children with Down's syndrome. The next day, Peggy was helping Honey put some Christmas presents away, and found the broken collection box in Billy's wardrobe.
On 17 December, Peggy exposed Billy's theft at a birthday party for her sister [[Sal Martin]]. Three days later, Billy and Honey were physically evicted by Mrs Patel and her two nephews. Peggy offered them a night at The Vic.
On 10th January, Pat offered Billy, Honey and the children the spare room in her house. However, Honey insisted they stay at The Vic with the family, but eventually moved to Pat's thanks to Ronnie pretending that Roxy fancied Billy too much for them to able to live together without Roxy wanting to make a move on Billy. Roxy was later bemused when Billy spoke very seriously and said that it was great Roxy fancied him but nothing could ever come of it.
Between April and June 2008, Billy and his family weren't seen at all. Billy tried out for Vinnie's 5-a-side football team but wasn't seen onscreen.
Billy then reappaered in [[July]] [[2008]] because the council had started working on the flats they were living in. He and Honey agreed to look after the Vic while Peggy and Ronnie were away. Sean threatened Billy to tell him where [[Roxy Mitchell|Roxy]] was. He revealed that she was in Dorset. He didn't tell Sean where abouts however and Sean held [[William Mitchell|William]] hostage and said he would drop him out of the window. Billy negotiated with him and he let William go.
==In popular culture==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Billymitchell2dtv.JPG|thumb|right|75px|Billy Mitchell, spoofed in ''2DTV''.]] -->
The character of Billy Mitchell has been [[Parody|spoofed]] in the [[cartoon]] [[sketch show]] ''[[2DTV]]''.
==External links==
* {{EEcharlink|billy_m|Billy Mitchell}}
*[http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/soaps/eastenders/whos_who/billy_mitchell Billy Mitchell] at [[What's On TV]]
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[[Category:EastEnders characters]]
[[Category:Fictional bartenders]]