List of East Enders Characters (1999) - Jackie Owen

Jacqueline "Jackie" Owen (previously Bayliss), played by Race Davies, appears from 1999 to 2000. Davies quit the role in 2000 after only four months on the soap. She commented, "I've really enjoyed myself working on EastEnders but I feel that I've done as much as I can on the show and I'm looking forward to new challenges."

Jackie arrives in Walford in September 1999, looking for her brother, Steve (Martin Kemp), after hearing that he is to stand trial for murdering Saskia Duncan (Deborah Sheridan-Taylor). Jackie's husband, Doug (a hotelier and club owner), was sent to prison for manslaughter after accidentally killing a violent punter. Whilst there, he committed suicide, so Jackie is determined that her brother will not share the same fate.

Jackie believes her brother is innocent, but aware of the hostility towards him in the Square, she initially refrains from revealing her connection to him. She takes a job as a waitress at Giuseppe's Italian restaurant, owned by the di Marco family. In between shifts, Jackie starts questioning the residents of Walford about Steve, hoping to find something that will exonerate him. When Gianni di Marco (Marc Bannerman) discovers a prison visiting order in Jackie's belongings, he reveals her true identity, infuriating the locals. During Steve's trial, Jackie realises that Steve is lying about murdering Saskia. She is furious but still gives tearful and moving testimony that undoubtedly sways the jury in Steve's favour and probably buys his freedom. Steve is found not guilty, whilst Matthew Rose (Joe Absolom), whom Steve has framed, is found guilty of manslaughter and is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit.

Jackie and Steve are the targets of regular animosity on the Square, regarding Steve's actions. Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou) in particular, has it in for Jackie, and after goading her in the restaurant one day, Jackie finally loses it and fiercely orders him to leave. Martin proceeds to steal a customer's money from a nearby table and then does a runner. Jackie and Gianni follow him into a half-demolished building and as Martin looks back from outside, he hears Jackie shriek as a huge piece of piping falls towards her. Jackie is trapped but awake and Gianni lays half-conscious beside her. Whilst they wait to be rescued, they begin sharing life stories and begin to bond. The firemen have difficulty moving the debris as any wrong move could bring the whole roof down. Amidst all the chaos, Jackie and Gianni manage to kill time by flirting and just as the two lean in to kiss, the roof collapses. Steve rushes into the building to save them and neither is badly injured.

Over the following months, Jackie gets involved with the free Matthew Rose campaign, possibly to relieve her guilt for her part in his imprisonment. She and Gianni begin a relationship and it seems as if the womanising Italian is really falling for Jackie. However, Jackie isn't the easiest woman to please. She has a quick temper and a jealous streak and as time goes by, these tendencies became more and more apparent. Jackie begins taking everything Gianni says the wrong way, resulting in screaming matches for seemingly no reason. After Jackie manages to scald Gianni by tipping hot coffee over him in a fit of rage, she finally explains she suffers with severe Premenstrual Tension (PMS) for a week every month which makes her enraged and violent. Gianni is uncharacteristically sympathetic and he tries making allowances for Jackie's behaviour. Later, after injuring Gianni by punching him in the face and smashing up the restaurant, Jackie seeks medical help. She is given medication and hopes that this will solve her problem but it doesn't. After hitting Gianni with a saucepan one night, Jackie decides to end the relationship as she cannot stand the thought of harming him. Gianni is stunned, as he has fallen deeply in love with her. Gianni makes one last attempt to save their relationship, but when his mother, Rosa (Louise Jameson), discovers the abuse Jackie has put him through, she forbids Jackie from having anything more to do with him.

Jackie leaves Walford after learning of her brother's drug habit in June 2000. Steve returns from rehab alone. When their mother, Barbara (Sheila Hancock), falls ill a year later, she relays that Jackie has refused to help her and it is subsequently revealed that they hate each other. Jackie refuses to attend her funeral in 2001 and doesn't attend Steve's funeral in 2002 either. In April 2002, Steve's widow, Melanie (Tamzin Outhwaite), discovers she and Jackie are being investigated by the police for money laundering and drug trafficking. Steve was actually guilty of these crimes but had set them up as company directors of his illegitimate businesses, and following his death, they are held accountable.