Johnny Allen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Billy Murray. He first appeared on 4 January 2005 and became the show's primary antagonist until the character was killed off on 20 October 2006.
Hailed as one of the show's biggest villains to date, the character was an East End crime boss who quickly emerged as the new gangland kingpin of Albert Square. He proceeded to impact his reign through several other characters by going to extreme lengths to maintain control over those around him — notably in the case of his intense feud with the 'Mitchell Brothers' Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and his younger brother Grant (Ross Kemp).
The character's story arc began with Johnny usurping fellow mob boss Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs) from his position as the square's reigning crime kingpin. This ultimately leads Andy to try to swindle £750,000 from Johnny in his requested "job". This fails after Johnny intercepts his plan — thanks to Andy's bodyguard Eddie (Daren Elliott Holmes) — and he ends up killing Andy by throwing him from a motorway bridge in the show's 20th anniversary episode. Soon afterwards, Johnny forces the local Ferreira family out of Walford before establishing an unlikely friendship with his old acquaintance Pat Harris (Pam St Clement).
He exiles his errand boy Danny Moon (Jake Maskall) from the square in retribution for Danny burning down his house. He falls out with Phil and Grant's mother, Peggy (Barbara Windsor), after she turns his daughter Ruby (Louisa Lytton) against him. He also destroys his own relationship with former mistress Tina Stewart (Charlotte Avery); hire Peggy's nephew Billy (Perry Fenwick) to become Danny's replacement until he later fires him for conspiring with his family; develop a conflict with Ruby's best-friend, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), over the way how their rebellious friendship strains his daughter's education; blackmail Danny's brother Jake (Joel Beckett) with the discovery that his girlfriend Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) murdered her estranged husband Den (Leslie Grantham) and framed Peggy's daughter Sam (Kim Medcalf) for the crime; constantly torment Ruby's boyfriend Juley Smith (Joseph Kpobie) upon learning that he is the reason she lost her virginity to him; and arrange for popular hardman Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman) to be fatally stabbed on New Year's Eve 2005 after being attacked by the latter in retaliation for threatening his adoptive sister-turned-recent wife Sharon (Letitia Dean).
Towards the end of March 2006, Johnny represented the titular "Get Johnny Week" scenario — in which Phil and Grant, who were both Sharon's ex-lovers, sought to avenge her loss and Dennis' murder by bringing Johnny to justice. The storyline culminates with Johnny surrendering himself to the police at Ruby's request, although not before it is revealed that Danny had killed Dennis on Johnny's orders — shortly before Danny is then killed by Jake at the story's climax.
In October 2006, nearly seven months after being sentenced to life imprisonment for his gangland activities, the character's story arc ended with Johnny being axed from the programme. His last appearance was screened during Ruby's eighteen birthday, wherein Johnny attempted to perpetuate the death of Stacey's brother Sean (Robert Kazinsky) after finding out that he has been forging a romantic business partnership with Ruby to extract control of both her financial welfare and family assets; however, this failed when Johnny ends up having a fatal heart attack in prison and he dies in hospital off-screen.
Storylines
Johnny Allen makes his first appearance on 4 January 2005, when he arrives in Albert Square — the community of Walford, a fictionalized area of East London — to confront his henchmen, Jake Moon (Joel Beckett) and brother Danny (Jake Maskall), for having a problem with his package job; namely to deliver a duffel bag of money to one of his 'mates' in Walford's residential community, Albert Square. When Johnny inspects the bag that Jake and Danny had, he uncovers hidden cocaine and — sensing the problem behind his plan — orders the brothers to remain in the square under further notice. He arranges for the two to stay with their cousin Alfie (Shane Richie), and later has them work for their enemy and the square's reigning crime boss: Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs).