Josie McFarlane

Name: Josie McFarlane
First Appeared: 25th August 1998
Last Appeared: 1st February 2000
Played by: Joan Hooley

Josie McFarlane landed in Albert Square in August 1998, intending to visit her son, Mick. Josie, with her high aspirations, had been led to believe Mick was a successful musician. Imagine her shock when she found out Mick’s music career had hit a sour note, leaving him selling CDs at a market stall and running a night bistro at the Bridge Street Café. Not exactly the rock star life he’d painted! But Josie wasn’t without her own secrets. Her husband had recently died, and before his death, he’d been defrauded in a Jamaican property scam, leaving Josie bankrupt. She had also taken in a young girl named Kim, whom she claimed was a distant relative, but in reality, Kim was the illegitimate daughter of her philandering husband. Despite Mick’s initial shock at these revelations, he eventually welcomed Josie and his new sister into his home.

Josie and Kim later moved into 3C Albert Square, where Josie struck up a friendship with her downstairs neighbours, Dot Cotton and Lilly Mattock. But true to form, Josie and Dot constantly bickered, adding some spice to their otherwise friendly relationship. Josie found work first as a barmaid at The Queen Victoria and then as a receptionist for Dr Fred Fonseca at Walford Surgery. However, her strict perfectionist ways and high expectations scared off half the patients. After much coaching from Dr Fonseca, she finally settled into the job, but things took a turn when she discovered her employer was gay. Being a strict Christian, Josie found this conflicting with her beliefs and even accused him of coercing Kim into becoming a lesbian.

Josie’s path of self-righteousness didn’t stop there. When she discovered Mick had become involved with ex-prostitute Nina Harris, she couldn’t condone their friendship, which infuriated Mick. It took some harsh words from the bigoted Jim Branning to make Josie realize she was just as extreme in her judgments. Unfortunately, by then, it was too late. Josie had forgotten to renew her visa and was threatened with deportation. Forced to return to Jamaica, she left Kim in Mick’s care, promising to return once her visa was sorted.