Richard "Ricky" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap
opera EastEnders, played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in
1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature
in EastEnders. Owen originally left the role in 2000 to pursue a music
career. However, he reprised the role in 2002 before being axed by
producer Louise Berridge in 2004. In 2008, producer Diederick Santer
reintroduced the character for a third time, along with his wife
Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). Ricky is portrayed as unintelligent,
simplistic, easily led and bossed around by dominant personalities. On
26 February 2011, it was announced that Owen would take a temporary
break from the show. The character exited on 19 July 2011, returning
five months later on 13 December 2011. Ricky left EastEnders on 17
January 2012. Ricky returned to EastEnders on 20 June 2012 for the
wedding of his sister, Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), before
departing for the final time on 29 June 2012. In April 2016 he had
voiced his interest in returning to EastEnders during an appearance on
Celebrity Juice.A teenage Ricky arrives in Albert Square when his
father Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) becomes landlord of The Queen
Victoria public house in May 1988. Non-academic, Ricky proves to be a
troublesome teenager and is frequently berated by his father. He
begins dating Shireen Karim (Nisha Kapur), an Asian Muslim, much to
Shireen's father Ashraf's (Tony Wredden) disgust. Ashraf forces
Shireen into an arranged marriage, prompting Ricky to retaliate by
terrorizing Ashraf for a while with a gang of racists.Later on, Ricky
shows talent mending cars, so the Mitchell brothers, Phil (Steve
McFadden) and Grant (Ross Kemp), take him on at their auto repair shop
as an apprentice mechanic in 1990. Ricky begins dating the Mitchell
brothers' younger sister Sam (Danniella Westbrook) and when she
decides she wants to get married at 16, she and Ricky elope to Gretna
Green in 1991. Their marriage is short-lived, as Sam grows bored and
starts to look for entertainment elsewhere; she leaves Ricky in 1993.
opera EastEnders, played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in
1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature
in EastEnders. Owen originally left the role in 2000 to pursue a music
career. However, he reprised the role in 2002 before being axed by
producer Louise Berridge in 2004. In 2008, producer Diederick Santer
reintroduced the character for a third time, along with his wife
Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). Ricky is portrayed as unintelligent,
simplistic, easily led and bossed around by dominant personalities. On
26 February 2011, it was announced that Owen would take a temporary
break from the show. The character exited on 19 July 2011, returning
five months later on 13 December 2011. Ricky left EastEnders on 17
January 2012. Ricky returned to EastEnders on 20 June 2012 for the
wedding of his sister, Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), before
departing for the final time on 29 June 2012. In April 2016 he had
voiced his interest in returning to EastEnders during an appearance on
Celebrity Juice.A teenage Ricky arrives in Albert Square when his
father Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) becomes landlord of The Queen
Victoria public house in May 1988. Non-academic, Ricky proves to be a
troublesome teenager and is frequently berated by his father. He
begins dating Shireen Karim (Nisha Kapur), an Asian Muslim, much to
Shireen's father Ashraf's (Tony Wredden) disgust. Ashraf forces
Shireen into an arranged marriage, prompting Ricky to retaliate by
terrorizing Ashraf for a while with a gang of racists.Later on, Ricky
shows talent mending cars, so the Mitchell brothers, Phil (Steve
McFadden) and Grant (Ross Kemp), take him on at their auto repair shop
as an apprentice mechanic in 1990. Ricky begins dating the Mitchell
brothers' younger sister Sam (Danniella Westbrook) and when she
decides she wants to get married at 16, she and Ricky elope to Gretna
Green in 1991. Their marriage is short-lived, as Sam grows bored and
starts to look for entertainment elsewhere; she leaves Ricky in 1993.
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