| Mel Owen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Tamzin Outhwaite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1998–2002, 2018–2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1683 19 October 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 6021 14 November 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Matthew Robinson (1998) John Yorke (2018) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book appearances | Steve Owen: Still Waters (2001) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances | EastEnders: The Podcast (2018) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Melanie "Mel" Owen (also Healy and Beale) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tamzin Outhwaite. Mel was introduced by executive producer Matthew Robinson and made her first appearance on 19 October 1998. Outhwaite made her departure on 12 April 2002. Outhwaite's return to the series was announced in October 2017 and she returned on 9 January 2018. The actress chose to leave the soap again in July 2019 and her final episode aired on 14 November 2019 when Mel was killed-off. Outhwaite proved popular in the role, winning multiple awards and critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mel as the character became prominent in the show.
During her original tenure in the soap, Mel was featured in high-profile storylines, such as a wedding to local businessman Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) to mark the Millennium Eve celebrations on New Year's Eve 1999; a problematic and dangerous marriage to criminal Steve Owen (Martin Kemp); a one-night stand with Steve's nemesis Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden); and a close friendship with Phil's estranged girlfriend Lisa Shaw (Lucy Benjamin). Writers also placed Mel at the centre of a storyline marking the show's increase to four weekly episodes in 2001, when she is kidnapped by her ex-lover Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass) after Steve and Phil conspired to frame him for the latter's shooting (see Who Shot Phil?).
Throughout her time on the show, especially since her 2018 return, when Mel became more of a villain, she has become somewhat more "wicked" and has a harder edge, when compared to her early appearances. In her second stint on the show, Mel was included in storylines such as working for crime boss Ciara Maguire (Denise McCormack); colluding with Phil against Ciara's ex-husband Aidan (Patrick Bergin); a relationship with Phil's rival Jack Branning (Scott Maslen); an engagement and marriage with former policeman Ray Kelly (Sean Mahon); covering up Ray's murder after he was shot dead by her son Hunter (Charlie Winter) for attempting to kill her; and trying to stop Hunter from going to prison and later harboring him when he escapes, which culminates with Hunter being shot dead by the police after he held her hostage and nearly shot Phil and Lisa's daughter Louise (Tilly Keeper) after shooting her brother Ben (Max Bowden). Following Hunter's death, Mel developed a feud with Phil's wife Sharon (Letitia Dean) and blackmailed her after learning of her affair with Louise's boyfriend Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). This concludes with Mel being involved in a high-speed car chase with Sharon upon attempting to expose her affair with Keanu to Phil, only to end up subjugated to a vehicle collision that results in Sharon rescuing Mel, before Mel is then killed after walking into the path of an incoming lorry.