Kim McFarlane

Name: Kim McFarlane
First Appeared: 25th August 1998
Last Appeared: 22nd January 2002
Played by: Krystle Williams

Kim McFarlane first made her presence known in Albert Square in August, 1998. She arrived with her guardian, Josie McFarlane, under the guise of visiting Josie’s son, Mick McFarlane. But, as is often the case in EastEnders, things were not quite what they seemed. Mick was expecting his mother, but was taken aback when she showed up with Kim, a girl he had never met or heard of before. Josie initially claimed Kim was a distant relative, but the truth was soon revealed: Kim was actually Mick’s half-sister, the product of an affair Mick’s father had during a brief separation from Josie. After Kim’s mother died when she was eight, Josie adopted Kim rather than see her go into care. Mick, ever the easy going guy, quickly accepted Kim as his new little sister, despite finding her constant tagging along a bit annoying.

Kim attended Walford High School and soon became friends with local girls Sonia Jackson and Nicky di Marco, although she often felt left out of their more mature conversations. In one memorable storyline, Kim accompanied Nicky to a modelling audition to offer moral support, but it was Kim who ended up being successful instead of Nicky. Ambitious Josie was thrilled and pushed Kim to attend more auditions. Unfortunately, after being rejected at a casting for not being slim enough, Kim developed an eating disorder. With the combined efforts of Mick and Dr Fred Fonseca, Kim eventually got back on the road to recovery.

In 2000, drama struck when Josie was deported back to Jamaica for forgetting to renew her visa, leaving Kim to stay in Walford with her brother. Kim’s appearances became more infrequent after this, though she did occasionally visit Sonia and took up a part-time job washing cars for Roy Evans. Kim was also deeply upset when Sonia decided to give up her new-born daughter, Chloe, for adoption, as Kim herself had been an adoptee. When Mick was offered a job touring with a band in 2002, he initially turned it down because of his responsibility towards Kim. However, Kim was adamant that he should take the job, and so Mick left Walford, leaving Kim in the care of their aunt Winnie, who lived away from the Square.