Greg Jessop

Name: Greg Jessop
First Appeared: 1st October 2010
Last Appeared: 21st October 2011
Played by: Stefan Booth

Greg first popped up on the radar at Bradley Branning’s funeral, where Tanya’s daughters, Abi and Lauren, casually mentioned their mum’s new boyfriend. Fast forward to June 2010, and Tanya dropped the bombshell that she and Greg were engaged. Talk about moving fast!

Greg’s arrival in Albert Square was memorable, to say the least. He met Alfie Moon, who invited him to an illegal drinking den in The Queen Vic’s basement. Alfie and Max, ever the jokers, suspected Greg was gay and teased him about Max having a crush on him. This led to some awkward tension when they were locked in together. Later, Greg revealed to Max that Alfie had given him the contract to refurbish the pub, not realising they had already met. Classic mix-up!

Greg’s time in Walford wasn’t without its challenges. He quickly realised Jay Brown had pinched some of his power drills. Despite this, he made fast friends with Jane and Ian Beale. However, on the pub’s opening night, Greg reported that the electrics had failed, much to Kat Moon’s fury. She accused him of not trying hard enough, but Greg soldiered on. He and Tanya became friends with Max and Vanessa Gold, even spending Christmas dinner with the Brannings.

Wedding bells rang for Greg and Tanya, but not without a few hitches. Greg worked on Zainab Masood’s new restaurant and moved into Roxy Mitchell’s house to be closer to Tanya’s kids. He even bought Roxy’s salon for Tanya as a wedding present. Greg invited Tanya’s estranged mother, Cora, to the wedding, causing a bit of a stir. At his stag party, he overheard Max saying Tanya didn’t deserve him, leading to a confrontation and some torn-up invites. Jane Beale drunkenly kissed him, but Greg, ever the gentleman, pushed her away.

Married life wasn’t smooth sailing for Greg. Tanya’s affair with Max came to light, and when she thought she might be pregnant, she told both men. Greg’s hopes for a child were dashed when he found contraceptive pills, and Lauren covered for Tanya. The arrival of Cora and Rainie added to the tension. Greg’s dream of fatherhood clashed with Tanya’s reality, and when he discovered the affair, he left in disgust. He sold their house to Janine Malloy, forcing Tanya and her family to move out. Greg returned months later, called by Lauren, but couldn’t handle Tanya’s cancer diagnosis and left again, leaving a distraught Lauren behind.