User:AnemoneProjectors/Terry Spraggan

Terry Spraggan is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by comedian Terry Alderton. The character makes his first on-screen appearance in the 4741st episode, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2013.

Storylines
Terry arrives at 31 Albert Square with Bianca Butcher (Patsy Palmer), who has returned from a fashion course in Manchester, and meets Bianca's parents Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson) and David Wicks (Michael French). Bianca announces that Terry is her new boyfriend and will be moving in, because his landlord threw him out. Bianca's family are shocked, especially as they know nothing about Terry, and also he has brought his two children, TJ (George Sargeant) and Rosie (Jerzey Swingler), and there is not enough room as Bianca's children, Liam (James Forde), Tiffany (Maisie Smith), Morgan (Devon Higgs), plus adopted daughter Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), all live there.

Casting and introduction
The character and Alderton's casting were announced on 23 August 2013, when it was announced he would be Bianca's new boyfriend, after meeting her off-screen in Manchester. Terry is a cab driver, described as a "typical Cockney" and a "bloke's bloke", who is "never short of an entertaining story to tell about who he’s had in his cab the night before". Alderton started filming in September; he is quoted as saying that he "can't wait to get started" and loves that he does not have to change his name. Alderton started filming on 5 September 2013.

Terry first appears in the episode originally broadcast in the UK on 5 November 2013, which is EastEnders' 4741st episode.

Characterisation and backstory
According to the BBC's official website for EastEnders, Terry is characterised as a typical London taxi driver, who hates cyclists, knows the London streets well and loves to chat to his taxi passengers, though it is said that in his backstory, he has delivered three babies and had seven passengers die in his taxi. He is said to be highly superstitious, choosing not to drive on Friday the 13th and not walking under ladders. He is characterised as an intelligent man, though people assume he is stupid and he plays on this. The website says that his children call him "egg head", because he is bald and loves to watch the quiz show Eggheads, and he enjoys writing a detective novel, said to have been in progress for six years, with himself as the novel's hero. He is said to be unlucky when it comes to love, though, according to his backstory on the official website, had a marriage to a woman called Nikki, a well-spoken stewardess. The website says their marriage ended after several argyments, after they realised they were wrong for each other. They divorced, and it was agreed that Terry, said to be "the stable one in the relationship", should take full custody of their children, Terry "TJ" Jr and Rosie. The website also says that the character comes from north London, and lists his dislikes as being scared, technology and change, his secret loves as his novel and the nodding dog in his cab, his worst habit as telling people when they are wrong, and his musical taste as country and western, including Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell. Finally, it says the character was a "tearaway" child, but grew out of this when be became a taxi driver, spending four years learning The Knowledge.