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EastEnders character
Alan Jackson
Portrayed by	Howard Antony
Duration	1993–1997
First appearance	16 November 1993
Last appearance	16 October 1997
Date of birth	22 November 1967
Status	Married
Home	Balham
Occupation	Plumber
Family	Carol, Billy, Blossom

Alan Jackson was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He was played by Howard Antony.

Kind-hearted Alan, gave the Jackson family some much needed stability. He loved and cared for Carol's children as if they were his own. Their relationship did not go so smoothly however. Carol's stubborn and nagging nature eventually drove him into the arms of another woman.

Alan Jackson was 20, single and a plumber when he met Carol Branning. He came to her council flat to unblock her sink and they started dating each other soon after. Carol had gone through a life time of struggle and heart-ache. In the past, the fathers of her three children, Bianca, Robbie and Sonia, had all deserted her, but Alan was different and he stuck around, giving the family real stability. Soon he had added to her collection of children, fathering Billy and in 1993 the whole family moved into 25 Albert Square, along with Alan's grandmother Blossom.

Even though Alan and Carol weren't married initially, the whole family took Alan's surname.

When Alan arrived, he was unemployed and although he did the odd few jobs for people around the Square, his inability to bring in a regular pay packet was a huge source of conflict for him and Carol. He managed to secure himself a temporary job working on Mark Fowler's fruit and veg stall in June 1994. However, Alan was living off government benefits, and any form of undeclared income he received was viewed as benefit fraud. Knowing this, market inspector Richard Cole informed the DSS about Alan's employment status and they subsequently cancelled his benefits.

Later in the year Alan got a job fixing motors for David Wicks. However he was fired shortly after following a series of thefts, which eventually turned out to be Robbie. Alan was furious to be branded as a thief and his angst towards David increased soon after when he witnessed Carol spending a lot of time with him. Alan accused Carol of having an affair, but unbeknown to him, David was actually the biological father of Carol's eldest, Bianca. Upon discovering this Alan became extremely jealous and annoyed with Carol for keeping this information from him and he also found Bianca's and David's father/daughter relationship hard to take.

In 1996 Carol and Alan attended the wedding of Carol's sister, April Branning. Carol's father Jim Branning and her brother, Derek were opposed to Carol's interracial relationship, and made constant attempts to provoke Alan into violence. Despite Carol's family's prejudices, Alan decided that he wanted to marry Carol there and then, and the two were married in place of her sister after she was jilted. After the ceremony, Alan was attacked by a drunken Derek, who had driven to Walford to caused trouble. David intervened and beat up Derek, and Alan and Carol were grateful.

However, life with Carol was not easy, and not long after they married cracks began to show in their relationship. Money was again of paramount concern for Carol and her continuous nagging about Alan's inability to provide drove him straight into the arms of another woman. Alan had caught the attention of singer Frankie Pierre, who set about doing everything she could to seduce him. Despite Alan's initial protests, it wasn't long before he'd succumbed to her charms and the two ended up in bed together. Alan regretted it and tried to call off the affair, but by then Frankie had become hell-bent on splitting his marriage up, so she threatened to inform Carol about the affair unless he left her. When this didn't work, Frankie planted lingerie in Alan's clothes and left her personal affects around his house. Inevitably Carol discovered them and realised what had been occurring. She was furious and after a blazing row, Alan left his marital home and moved in with Frankie. Their separation left Carol to reignite a romance with her old flame, David, which infuriated Alan despite the fact that he strayed first. Alan tried to make a go of things with Frankie, but as soon as she had managed to split his marriage up, she grew bored and started acting dismissive towards him. Frankie had a history of chasing unobtainable men, but always grew bored once she had succeeded in getting them.

Dumped by both Carol and Frankie, Alan became severely miserable and depressed and his attempts at a reconciliation with his wife were constantly rejected. Things altered after Carol's son Robbie was beaten up by Ted Hills, for the supposed rape of his daughter Sarah. Alan provided Carol with much needed support and defended her family, which eventually led to their reconciliation.

In 1997 Alan's son Billy was witness to an armed robbery at a local building society. Because he was the only witness, Billy was kidnapped in order to prevent him from testifying in court, leaving both Alan and Carol frantic with worry. Billy was later returned safely, but Alan and the rest of the Jackson family (bar Bianca and Robbie) were placed in a witness protection programme and moved away from Walford for their own safety.

This was Alan's last appearance, but since his departure it has been revealed that he had a nervous breakdown, which led to he and Carol splitting up again. Carol then got engaged to a new man, Dan Sullivan, but this ended after Dan had an affair with Bianca. Since this time Alan and Carol have supposedly reunited, and they now live in Balham with Billy and Blossom.

• Wife: Carol Jackson
• Son: Billy Jackson
• Grandmother: Blossom Jackson

• Alan Jackson at bbc.co.uk
• Interview with Howard Antony