| Stacey Slater | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Lacey Turner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2004–2010, 2014–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 2826 1 November 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Tony Jordan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Louise Berridge (2004) Dominic Treadwell-Collins (2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances | Children in Need (2005) Last Tango in Walford (2010) TV Soundtracks EastEnders: The Six (2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager and extension to the already established Slater family. She was created by scriptwriter Tony Jordan with Turner in mind. Producers explored the character's backstory with the introduction of her mother, Jean Slater (Gillian Wright), who has bipolar disorder. They then paired Stacey with Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements) and writers developed a series of problems for their marriage, including an abortion and Stacey's scandalous affair with Bradley's father, Max Branning (Jake Wood). In 2009, the character was placed in an issue-led storyline when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder; the show worked with various charities to develop the story. Writers also incorporated Stacey in the "Who Killed Archie?" plot and revealed her as his killer in a live episode, which was followed by a two-hander episode between Stacey and Max. Stacey became pregnant by Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) and gave birth to their daughter Lily. This led to a feud between Stacey, and Ryan's wife Janine Malloy (Charlie Brooks), and culminated in Stacey fleeing Walford on the episode broadcast on 25 December 2010, to avoid imprisonment after Janine stabbed herself and framed Stacey for attempted murder. Turner's return was announced on 19 December 2013, and Stacey reappears in the episode originally broadcast on 7 February 2014 before departing again on 24 March 2014. She made a permanent return on 1 September 2014.
Stacey was involved in another issue-led story exploring postpartum psychosis in 2016, following the birth of her son Arthur. Turner went on maternity leave in August 2019 and prior to her exit, Stacey became involved in a custody battle with Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) and a feud with her cousin Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace). After attacking Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Stacey flees the square and is off-screen for thirteen months, making a cameo appearance on 28 October 2019 in between before fully returning in September 2020. Turner took a second maternity leave in April 2021 and Stacey departs for six months, after being falsely imprisoned for GBH. She makes two cameo appearances on 16 and 20 September 2021, before then returning permanently on 25 October. Stacey’s storylines since her return have focused on supporting Jean through another bipolar episode and discovering that her daughter Lily (Lillia Turner) is pregnant at the age of 12 amidst financial difficulties, causing Stacey to sell lingerie photos of herself for money on SecretCam, an OnlyFans-style website. Stacey is later stalked by her subscriber who is revealed to be Lily’s tutor Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis). Theo attempts to rape Stacey but she is saved by her cousin Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier); Stacey and her wife Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) try to protect Freddie from going to prison by framing Theo for attempted GBH, but Theo is eventually sent down for his crimes. On Christmas Day 2023, Stacey helps to cover up the murder of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) during "The Six" storyline, and later has an affair with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). Turner is expected to take a third maternity leave in early 2025 in a storyline that will see Stacey framed for the murder of Ruby Allen.
The character has proven popular with fans and critics alike, and Turner has won over thirty awards for her portrayal, the most for any actor or soap in the UK. Her accolades include four National Television Awards, six British Soap Awards and eight Inside Soap Awards.