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Liam Butcher
Liam Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sonny Bottomley for two months in 1998 and 1999, twins Jack and Tom Godolphin from 1999, Gavin and Mitchell Vaughan in 2002, and Nathaniel Gleed from 2002 to 2004. Upon his reintroduction in 2008, the character was portrayed by James Forde. Liam is the son of Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) and his stories have mostly revolved around his family. The character took a six-month break in 2012 for story purposes. Following his return, producers used Liam in a story about gangs, working with the charity Comic Relief. Forde was written out permanently in 2015 and Liam departs in the episode first broadcast on 17 August 2015. Liam was reintroduced for a short stint in 2021, with the role recast to Alfie Deegan.
Liam is a character that was born in the serial; the first son of Bianca (Patsy Palmer) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) who was conceived following the forced abortion of their first daughter in 1997 after she was diagnosed with spina bifida. Bianca's pregnancy with Liam was used by the programme makers to spread a public message in 1998; the scriptwriters included scenes of a practitioner advising Bianca to take folic acid, which protects against spina bifida. The Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (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.
Following three separate stints in EastEnders played by different child/baby actors – most substantially from 2002 to 2004, when Liam returned to Albert Square as part of his father Ricky's reintroduction – Liam returned in a more prominent role in 2008, played by James Forde. His return was confirmed on 29 October 2007 following the announcement that Patsy Palmer and Sid Owen were reprising their roles as Bianca and Ricky; he reappeared on-screen in April 2008. Upon his return, it was said that Liam had "taken to being the man of the house", and was described as "not very academic, but [...] always willing to try new things – a trait which sees him quite often in trouble. His laddish demeanour, however, is softened by the affection he is not afraid to show his mum." As part of the reintroduction of Bianca, four children, including Liam, were scripted into the character's narrative, including Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), the sixteen-year-old daughter of Bianca's deceased partner; Tiffany Dean (Maisie Smith), Bianca's five-year-old daughter; and Morgan Jackson-King (Devon Higgs), Bianca's two-year-old son, "the most [spoilt] out of all of the kids".
To promote the family's introduction, the BBC began airing trailers across the BBC network in March 2008. One trailer saw Bianca singing The Jackson 5 hit "I Want You Back" and performing a dance routine along with her four children. The promo uses the tag line "Introducing The Jackson 5". Within three days of being posted on the video sharing website YouTube, the promo had been viewed 52,000 times.
Palmer and Lindsey Coulson, who portrays Liam's grandmother Carol Jackson, took a break from the series for six months in 2012. Producers wrote out Liam, Tiffany and Morgan in conjunction with their break. They departed in April 2012.
In January 2013, it was reported that Liam would be involved in a gang storyline, starting in March. Digital Spy said Liam "[goes] off the rails when he gets involved with a gang in an upcoming storyline." They said the storyline would run "for a while", and Forde had tweeted about being "very busy" at work with "great stuff coming up". It emerged that EastEnders producers had worked with charity Comic Relief to "highlight the growing problem of teen involvement in gangs." The plot was called "hard-hitting", and it was reported that Bianca would try to get Liam to choose between the gang and his family, though his choice remained to be seen. EastEnders undertook research into why teenagers become involved in gangs and the effects the it can have. Executive Producer Lorraine Newman said of the storyline, "We are delighted to be working with Comic Relief once again. This subject matter is something which is touching the lives of so many young people in London and other cities around the UK. We have taken the opportunity to see the impact from a mother's perspective, and Patsy Palmer gives a powerful performance of a mother doing all she can to protect her son. The telling of this story has also given us the chance to explore the reasons behind the attraction of gangs for teenagers." Judith McNeill, Grants Director for Comic Relief, added: "Comic Relief is really excited to be working with EastEnders again to highlight an important issue supported by Red Nose Day. [...] This year's storyline should play an [...] important role in promoting greater understanding of why young people are vulnerable to becoming involved in gangs." The storyline included a six-minute episode broadcast during Red Nose Day on 15 March 2013.
On 27 April 2015, it was announced that Forde would be written out but exact details of his exit were being kept under wraps. James Forde tweeted; "Absolutely honoured to have a world with some of the people I have worked with. It's amazing and the future is exciting." The character made his final appearance on 17 August 2015.
A return for the character was speculated in September 2021 after his name was released in an upcoming episode synopsis online. The character made an unannounced return in the episode first broadcast on 1 October 2021. Producers chose to recast the role and actor Alfie Deegan took over the role. He returns for a guest stint. Liam's return story sees him arrive to Walford under the guise of supporting Tiffany but with an ulterior motive. Forde, who changed careers after leaving EastEnders, was not disgruntled by the recast and expressed his happiness with his new career. Liam's guest stint ends in the episode first broadcast on 14 December 2021. His exit story ties in with Tiffany's exit from the series as they both move to Germany together.
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Liam Butcher
Liam Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sonny Bottomley for two months in 1998 and 1999, twins Jack and Tom Godolphin from 1999, Gavin and Mitchell Vaughan in 2002, and Nathaniel Gleed from 2002 to 2004. Upon his reintroduction in 2008, the character was portrayed by James Forde. Liam is the son of Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) and his stories have mostly revolved around his family. The character took a six-month break in 2012 for story purposes. Following his return, producers used Liam in a story about gangs, working with the charity Comic Relief. Forde was written out permanently in 2015 and Liam departs in the episode first broadcast on 17 August 2015. Liam was reintroduced for a short stint in 2021, with the role recast to Alfie Deegan.
Liam is a character that was born in the serial; the first son of Bianca (Patsy Palmer) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) who was conceived following the forced abortion of their first daughter in 1997 after she was diagnosed with spina bifida. Bianca's pregnancy with Liam was used by the programme makers to spread a public message in 1998; the scriptwriters included scenes of a practitioner advising Bianca to take folic acid, which protects against spina bifida. The Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (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.
Following three separate stints in EastEnders played by different child/baby actors – most substantially from 2002 to 2004, when Liam returned to Albert Square as part of his father Ricky's reintroduction – Liam returned in a more prominent role in 2008, played by James Forde. His return was confirmed on 29 October 2007 following the announcement that Patsy Palmer and Sid Owen were reprising their roles as Bianca and Ricky; he reappeared on-screen in April 2008. Upon his return, it was said that Liam had "taken to being the man of the house", and was described as "not very academic, but [...] always willing to try new things – a trait which sees him quite often in trouble. His laddish demeanour, however, is softened by the affection he is not afraid to show his mum." As part of the reintroduction of Bianca, four children, including Liam, were scripted into the character's narrative, including Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), the sixteen-year-old daughter of Bianca's deceased partner; Tiffany Dean (Maisie Smith), Bianca's five-year-old daughter; and Morgan Jackson-King (Devon Higgs), Bianca's two-year-old son, "the most [spoilt] out of all of the kids".
To promote the family's introduction, the BBC began airing trailers across the BBC network in March 2008. One trailer saw Bianca singing The Jackson 5 hit "I Want You Back" and performing a dance routine along with her four children. The promo uses the tag line "Introducing The Jackson 5". Within three days of being posted on the video sharing website YouTube, the promo had been viewed 52,000 times.
Palmer and Lindsey Coulson, who portrays Liam's grandmother Carol Jackson, took a break from the series for six months in 2012. Producers wrote out Liam, Tiffany and Morgan in conjunction with their break. They departed in April 2012.
In January 2013, it was reported that Liam would be involved in a gang storyline, starting in March. Digital Spy said Liam "[goes] off the rails when he gets involved with a gang in an upcoming storyline." They said the storyline would run "for a while", and Forde had tweeted about being "very busy" at work with "great stuff coming up". It emerged that EastEnders producers had worked with charity Comic Relief to "highlight the growing problem of teen involvement in gangs." The plot was called "hard-hitting", and it was reported that Bianca would try to get Liam to choose between the gang and his family, though his choice remained to be seen. EastEnders undertook research into why teenagers become involved in gangs and the effects the it can have. Executive Producer Lorraine Newman said of the storyline, "We are delighted to be working with Comic Relief once again. This subject matter is something which is touching the lives of so many young people in London and other cities around the UK. We have taken the opportunity to see the impact from a mother's perspective, and Patsy Palmer gives a powerful performance of a mother doing all she can to protect her son. The telling of this story has also given us the chance to explore the reasons behind the attraction of gangs for teenagers." Judith McNeill, Grants Director for Comic Relief, added: "Comic Relief is really excited to be working with EastEnders again to highlight an important issue supported by Red Nose Day. [...] This year's storyline should play an [...] important role in promoting greater understanding of why young people are vulnerable to becoming involved in gangs." The storyline included a six-minute episode broadcast during Red Nose Day on 15 March 2013.
On 27 April 2015, it was announced that Forde would be written out but exact details of his exit were being kept under wraps. James Forde tweeted; "Absolutely honoured to have a world with some of the people I have worked with. It's amazing and the future is exciting." The character made his final appearance on 17 August 2015.
A return for the character was speculated in September 2021 after his name was released in an upcoming episode synopsis online. The character made an unannounced return in the episode first broadcast on 1 October 2021. Producers chose to recast the role and actor Alfie Deegan took over the role. He returns for a guest stint. Liam's return story sees him arrive to Walford under the guise of supporting Tiffany but with an ulterior motive. Forde, who changed careers after leaving EastEnders, was not disgruntled by the recast and expressed his happiness with his new career. Liam's guest stint ends in the episode first broadcast on 14 December 2021. His exit story ties in with Tiffany's exit from the series as they both move to Germany together.