Junior Roberts

Name: Junior Roberts
First Appeared: 28th July 1987
Last Appeared: 31st October 1989
Played by: Aaron Carrington

Junior Roberts was the quintessential young tearaway of Albert Square, a kid who idolized his wayward father, Darren. Arriving in Walford in July 1987 with his younger half-sister Aisha, Junior moved in with their aunt, Carmel Roberts, at 3B Albert Square. From the get-go, Junior was always in some kind of trouble—whether it was stealing, graffitiing, playing truant, or giving everyone a fright by almost getting into a car with a stranger. By 1988, Junior found a partner in crime, Melody, and the two of them concocted a scam to steal dogs and return them for rewards.

Darren’s influence on Junior was less than stellar. A petty criminal himself, Darren’s antics set a poor example for his impressionable son. When Darren abandoned Junior and Aisha in July 1988, Junior was heartbroken. Sent to live with his grandparents, Junior still regularly visited Carmel in Walford, where he continued his mischievous ways. He stole Colin Russell’s CD collection and sold it to Rod Norman, earning himself an arrest after Colin’s boyfriend, Guido, reported him. Despite getting off with just a warning, Junior kept pushing boundaries, persuading Ricky Butcher to buy him alcohol, much to Dot Cotton’s horror. By 1989, Junior’s behaviour had become too much for his grandparents to handle, forcing Carmel to take him and Aisha back in, much to her new husband Matthew Jackson’s displeasure.

The tension between Matthew and Junior only grew, exacerbated by Junior’s suspicion that Matthew was abusing Carmel. Despite informing various family members, Carmel refused to acknowledge the abuse, leading to a boiling point in July 1989. In a desperate attempt to protect Carmel, Junior stabbed Matthew with a kitchen knife. Though Matthew was rushed to the hospital, Junior struggled with guilt until Carmel reassured him it was self-defence and not his fault.

A month later, with the death of Carmel’s father, Carmel, Junior, and Aisha left Walford to care for Junior’s grieving grandmother.