Dan Sullivan

Name: Dan Sullivan
First Appeared: 7th June 1999
Last Appeared: 16th August 2001
Played by: Craig Fairbrass

Dan Sullivan brought plenty of drama to Albert Square when he arrived as Carol Jackson’s latest boyfriend in 1999. They planned to marry after discovering she was pregnant, but things got complicated when Carol’s daughter, Bianca Butcher, recognized Dan as her former fling from a holiday years before. Naturally, this led to an affair between Dan and Bianca, which was inevitably discovered. The fallout was explosive: Carol had an abortion, left Walford, and Bianca followed suit, leaving Dan to fend for himself.

In 2000, Dan took advantage of Phil Mitchell’s vulnerable state by buying Grant Mitchell’s share of The Queen Vic for a mere £5. What a steal! This bargain sparked a friendship between Dan and Phil, but it didn’t last long. Once Phil reconciled with his mother Peggy, he felt Dan had taken advantage of him and wanted the pub back. A series of schemes and betrayals followed, with Dan informing the police about a dodgy scam Phil, Roy Evans, and Frank Butcher were running at the car lot. Phil was furious when he found out and plotted to win back his share of the pub through a card game, succeeding and smugly refunding Dan his £5. Vowing revenge, Dan started stalking Mel Healy, but her fiancé Steve Owen stepped in, forcing Dan to leave the Square at gunpoint.

Not one to stay away for long, Dan returned six months later in 2001, determined to get back at Phil. When Phil was shot on Steve and Mel’s wedding day, Dan was a prime suspect, although it was actually Phil’s ex-girlfriend, Lisa, who pulled the trigger. Phil decided to frame Dan, but the jury found him not guilty. Dan then sought his own revenge by kidnapping Mel, thinking Steve was the shooter. He demanded and received a £200,000 ransom before leaving Walford significantly wealthier.

Dan wasn’t done stirring the pot, though. In 2003, rumours circulated that Dan had returned to settle scores, but it turned out to be a police hoax to connect Phil to Lisa’s alleged murder. The last known location of Dan was Spain, where he continued his run-ins with the law.