Tiffany Dawn "Tiff" Mitchell (née
Raymond) is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
from the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEndersEastEnders is a long-running, popular and award-winning television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985...
, played by
Martine McCutcheonMartine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
. The character was created by the writer,
Tony JordanTony Jordan is a British television writer. He is listed as the number 1 television screen writer in the UK by Broadcast magazine and among British Broadcastings Top 20 in The Stage ....
.
Tiffany arrived in January 1995 as the school friend of Bianca Jackson and
Natalie PriceNatalie Evans , is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Speed.Natalie tended to let her heart rule her head, which got her into a lot of trouble in Albert Square. Indecisive Natalie could never really make up her mind about what she wanted from men or her...
. Tiffany and Bianca remained extremely close throughout their time together on the Square. They supported each other through some turbulent times, and Bianca was always there to fight Tiffany's corner, whether she needed her to or not.
Her father
TerryTerrence Gordon "Terry" Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gavin Richards. Terry was initially introduced briefly in 1996 as the drunken father of Tiffany and Simon Raymond...
was an
abusiveChild abuse is the physical and/or psychological/emotional mistreatment of children. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts or commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential...
alcoholic who had pushed her down the stairs as a teenager and caused her to
miscarryMiscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
the child she was carrying.
Tiffany Dawn "Tiff" Mitchell (née
Raymond) is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
from the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEndersEastEnders is a long-running, popular and award-winning television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985...
, played by
Martine McCutcheonMartine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
. The character was created by the writer,
Tony JordanTony Jordan is a British television writer. He is listed as the number 1 television screen writer in the UK by Broadcast magazine and among British Broadcastings Top 20 in The Stage ....
.
Storylines
Tiffany arrived in January 1995 as the school friend of Bianca Jackson and
Natalie PriceNatalie Evans , is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Speed.Natalie tended to let her heart rule her head, which got her into a lot of trouble in Albert Square. Indecisive Natalie could never really make up her mind about what she wanted from men or her...
. Tiffany and Bianca remained extremely close throughout their time together on the Square. They supported each other through some turbulent times, and Bianca was always there to fight Tiffany's corner, whether she needed her to or not.
Her father
TerryTerrence Gordon "Terry" Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gavin Richards. Terry was initially introduced briefly in 1996 as the drunken father of Tiffany and Simon Raymond...
was an
abusiveChild abuse is the physical and/or psychological/emotional mistreatment of children. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts or commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential...
alcoholic who had pushed her down the stairs as a teenager and caused her to
miscarryMiscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
the child she was carrying. Whilst her mother,
LouiseLouise Raymond is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Carol Harrison.Louise was the estranged mother of Tiffany and Simon Raymond. She was adored by her children, but her selfish actions always ended up hurting them...
, had abandoned her and her brother
SimonSimon Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Andrew Lynford.-Simon's story:Simon arrived in Walford in 1996 when he came in search of his sister Tiffany, after his abusive relationship with his partner, Howard, collapsed...
when she was just a child. Despite the hostility she felt towards her parents, she did manage to reconcile with both, when they moved to the square in later years.
Tiffany and Grant
Tiffany soon got a job working as a barmaid in the Queen Vic and although she got on extremely well with the landlady
Peggy MitchellMargaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the series on 30 April 1991. Peggy was at this time seen on a recurring basis over several weeks...
, she clashed with Peggy's son
GrantGrant Anthony Mitchell is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Ross Kemp. He first appeared in 1990 until 1999, then in 2005 and 2006....
and the two would often argue. However, despite their seeming dislike for each other, in 1996 they began to bond after sharing drinks together, and the pair eventually ended up in bed together. However, in the cold light of day they both agreed that they wouldn't be right for each other, so they ended their brief affair and Tiffany went on to fall for
Tony HillsFor the American football player see Tony Hills Tony Hills is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mark Homer....
. They moved in together and the relationship seemed to be going well until Tiffany discovered she was pregnant. Although she knew there was a remote possibility that the child was Grant's, she decided to claim that the baby was Tony's. When Grant found out she was pregnant he began to question whether the baby could be his, but Tiffany managed to convince him otherwise. It wasn't until she found Tony kissing her brother, Simon, that she realised Tony was bisexual and had been having an affair with her brother behind her back. Devastated, Tiffany immediately went back to Grant and told him that he was the father of her baby after all. Upon hearing this, Grant whisked Tiffany away to Paris in November 1996 for a quick wedding, although it was clear that his main priority was the baby and not Tiffany. Tony refused to believe Grant was the father and many subsequent fights ensued, with Tiffany staunchly denying that Tony had any claim on her unborn baby.
Meanwhile, living under the same roof as Grant was proving to be extremely difficult for Tiffany, as she was regularly forced to comply with his over-protective orders. Grant refused to allow Tiffany to socialise with her friends or drink alcohol, fearing that it would harm his unborn child. After Grant witnessed Tiffany going behind his back and having an alcoholic cocktail, he humiliated her by dragging her back home and berated her for her irresponsible behaviour. The argument became increasingly heated, and Tiffany threatened to leave him. Grant refused to allow her to go. He turned violent and almost attacked her, but was halted by the arrival of the lodging barmaid
Lorraine WicksLorraine Wicks is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jacqueline Leonard between 1996 and 1997.-Creation and development:...
. As Lorraine consoled a distraught Tiffany, she broke down and admitted that she wasn't sure if her baby was really Grant's. Lorraine tried to convince Tiffany to tell Grant the truth, but Tiffany decided against it and continued to keep up the pretence. Meanwhile, Lorraine began to make her real intentions towards Grant clear, and on
Christmas EveChristmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.-Western Churches:Many Roman Catholics and Anglicans traditionally celebrate a midnight Mass which begins sometime before midnight on Christmas Day; this ceremony, which is held in churches...
1996 the two ended up kissing. Lorraine's Schizophrenic son
JoeJoe Wicks is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Paul Nicholls. He appeared on screen between 25 March 1996 and 14 November 1997...
witnessed their clinch and promptly informed the entire Mitchell clan during Christmas lunch the following day. Tiffany was devastated and moved in with her brother. Realising that he might lose his baby, Grant called off his affair with Lorraine and managed to coax Tiffany home. However on New Year's Eve, Lorraine decided to inform Grant that there was a distinct possibility that Tiffany's baby was not actually his. He become violent and threw a pregnant Tiffany out of their home in The Vic. Their separation allowed Grant to embark on an adulterous affair with Lorraine, which only sought to destroy an extremely fragile Tiffany even more.
Tiffany gave birth to baby Courtney by caesarian section in March 1997, and for a moment Grant softened towards his wife. However it didn't last and he was soon denouncing that the child was his. Tiffany was eventually forced to get a paternity test, which revealed that Grant was indeed the father. Tiffany and Courtney were allowed to stay at the Vic so Grant could keep his daughter in reach. Still desperately in love with Grant, Tiffany took to begging to make him rethink their separation, but he only responded by threatening to sue her for sole custody of Courtney. However, following the departure of Lorraine, Grant decided that he wanted to make a go of things with Tiffany again and the pair reunited. Grant desperately wanted to keep his child near him, so he put up with Tiffany in order to facilitate this and whilst Tiffany fell madly in love with him, he never cared that much for her. Not long after their reconciliation in August 1997, Grant and Tiffany renewed their wedding vows and even seemed to bond on a romantic trip to
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. This, however, was only a brief respite and Grant's dislike for Tiffany was often painfully obvious. By Christmas 1997 he and Tiffany were continuously arguing once again, and their rows often ended in violence. In 1998, during a particularly heated argument, Grant hit his interfering mother, Peggy, who was trying to stop Grant's violent outburst on Tiffany. Following this Grant left for
CyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
for a while to sort himself out. Tiffany, meanwhile, moved out of the Mitchell residence and in with her mother Louise, who had recently returned to Walford in search of her children.
Betrayal
When Grant returned he attempted a reconciliation with Tiffany, however Tiffany, despite loving Grant, now wanted a divorce. During this time Tiffany grew close to police officer
Beppe di MarcoBeppe di Marco is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Greco.Beppe was his family's pride and joy, so it was a big shock to them when he was fired from the police force for attempting to frame local hardman Grant Mitchell...
, who had fallen for Tiffany and despised Grant for his treatment of her. Grant decided to counter their relationship by making a play for Tiffany's mother, Louise, and the two ended up in bed together. The affair abruptly ended when Tiffany decided that she wanted to be with Grant after all. However, months later a distraught Tiffany overheard them talking about their sordid affair over the
baby monitorA typical baby monitor, also known as a baby alarm, is a radio system used to remotely listen to sounds made by an infant. The transmitter, equipped with a microphone, is placed near to the child and the receiver equipped with a speaker, is carried by, or near to, the person caring for the infant...
.
Unbeknown to Louise or Grant, Tiffany started packing to leave
WalfordWalford is a fictional borough of East London in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name suggests a conflation of Walthamstow and Stratford, both real places in East London...
. She returned to the Queen Vic to confront Grant, telling him that she was taking Courtney and he would never see her again. Disgusted and hurt she ran from The Vic and in her haste she accidentally fell down the stairs and ended up being hospitalised with a blood clot to the
brainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as jellyfish and starfish have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all...
. Everyone assumed Grant had pushed her and he was arrested on Christmas day- Prompted by bent-copper Beppe, who persuaded Tiffany to go along with the charade that Grant had pushed her, and withheld evidence from the police that would clear Grant of any wrong doing.
On
New Year's EveNew Year's Eve or Old Year's Night is on , the final day of the Gregorian year, and the day before New Year's Day.New Year's Eve is a separate observance from the observance of New Year's Day...
, Tiffany was released from hospital. For a second time she made plans to leave Walford with Courtney. She went to The Vic to allow Peggy to say goodbye to her granddaughter, whilst she went to tie up some loose ends. She said goodbye to her brother, told her mother she never wanted to see her again and broke Beppe's heart by informing him that she wasn't in love with him and was leaving Walford without him. She then visited Bianca for an emotional farewell. Tiffany had changed her mind about framing Grant and so she wrote a signed confession clearing him of any wrong doing, and instructed Bianca to hand it to the police after she had departed. But unbeknown to Tiffany, Grant had already been released from prison on
bailTraditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
. He returned to the Vic, moments before Tiffany herself returned to claim Courtney. Upon discovering that she was planning to take his baby he took Courtney and left. Hysterical and frightened, Tiffany pursued them, which resulted in her running straight into an oncoming car that was driven by
Frank ButcherFrancis Aloysius "Frank" Butcher is a fictional character from the popular British soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Mike Reid. Frank made his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987 but, due to a positive viewer reception, he was reintroduced in 1988 as a regular. Reid took...
. A helpless crowd watched as she died on the scene.
Although Tiffany's death was an accident, Beppe felt that Grant was responsible, and when Bianca gave him the letter clearing Grant of attempted murder, he burnt it. The truth eventually came out and the charges against Grant were dropped. Beppe was fired from the police force for misconduct.
Some years after Tiffany's death, her memory and image were used by
Janine ButcherJanine Butcher is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Rebecca Michael from 1989 to 1993, Alexia Demetriou from 1993 to 1996, and from 1999 to 2004 and 2008 onwards by Charlie Brooks...
to manipulate Tiffany's father, Terry and Janine managed to con money and a place to stay out of the foolish man.
Tiffany's final episode was so popular with fans they voted to see it again in February 2000 in a special vote for the show's 15th anniversary.
Tiffany was last mentioned by daughter Courtney when her and Grant briefly returned to the serial in 2006 later with his wife Carla. Courtney was looking at some old family photos, including Tiffany. She was confused at the time of what happened to her mother when she was a toddler and was reassured by Grant that she died in an accident. However things got worse when Courtney's cousin Ben, son of Grant's brother
PhilPhillip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
told her that his late mother Kathy mocked Grant's role in Tiffany's death, which led to Grant to berate Ben and told him to tell Courtney that Tiffany's death was an accident. This prompted in Ben to apologise to her and told her that her mother's death was truly an accident.
Legacy
In March 2008
Bianca JacksonBianca Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character...
returned to Walford with four kids. One of them is her daughter
Tiffany DeanTiffany "Tiff" Dean is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Maisie Smith.-Character creation and development:...
, named after Bianca's best friend.
Reception
McCutcheon's performance as Tiffany saw her win 'Most Popular Actress' at the 1997
National Television AwardsThe National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, sponsored by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. Although not widely held to be as prestigious as the British Academy Television Awards, the premier UK television accolades, the National Television Awards are probably the...
, and 'Best Actress' at the 1998
TV QuickTV Quick is a British weekly TV listing magazine published by family-run German company H Bauer Publishing. It features the TV listings of the week from a Saturday to the following Friday and is sold every Tuesday...
and
TV Choice Awards.