Liam Butcher - Storylines

Storylines

The son of Ricky and Bianca Butcher (Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer), Liam is born prematurely on Christmas Day 1998, on the floor of The Queen Victoria public house. In September 1999, Liam's parents separate and Bianca takes him to Manchester. Despite returning to Walford briefly in April 2000 to visit his father, Liam rarely sees Ricky. In May 2002, Ricky turns up in Manchester with his fiancée Cassie to discuss custody of Liam. After a series of events, Bianca gives Liam to Ricky. Shortly afterwards, Ricky and Liam return to Walford, but depart again in 2004. Off-screen, Liam is returned to Bianca in 2006, following Ricky's engagement to Melinda (Siobhan Hayes), who did not want children.

Liam returns to Walford with his mother and siblings in April 2008 after they are thrown out of their house by their landlord. After spending a week in care due to the police finding them homeless, Liam settles back in Walford, living with Bianca, Ricky and his great-grandmother Pat Evans (Pam St. Clement). Later in the year, Liam begins skipping school, feigning fake illness, and it is subsequently revealed that he is dyslexic, explaining his inferior grades and avoidance of school. Ricky takes an active role in Liam's schooling, helping to improve his grades. With secondary school approaching, Liam is denied a place at Walford High, and is instead accepted into King Edward V, which Bianca and Ricky think is too far away. Their appeal is unsuccessful so Bianca decides to homeschool Liam instead. However, when Bianca and her mother Carol (Lindsey Coulson) argue, Liam says he will go to King Edward V and will work hard. However, before he starts at his new school, he worries that none of his old friends will be there and sneaks out to the park, where Carol's date Lewis Daley (Deka Walmsley) gives him encouragement and tells him that life is never easy.

At Billie Jackson's (Devon Anderson) birthday party, Liam sees Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) drunkenly kiss Ricky. The morning after, Liam, Tiffany and Morgan are told Billie is unwell, but Liam correctly guesses that he has died. Later, he is angry at Kim and sends her away when she brings food to the house. He then talks to Ricky, and Bianca overhears him saying Kim kissed Ricky. When Morgan accidentally squirts tomato ketchup over Billie's hoody, Liam tries to wash off the stain but is caught by Carol; who slaps him on his face, causing his forehead to bleed. Although they make amends, Bianca discovers the cut, which causes an argument. Carol then bans the family from attending Billie's funeral. Carol embarks on an affair with a friend of Billie's, Connor Stanley (Arinze Kene), but Connor continues to see Whitney. Tiffany sees this and tells Liam, who encourages her to keep quiet as he worries it will split up the family. Liam eventually tells Ricky but Bianca has already found out and beaten Connor, leaving him unconscious. Liam is upset when Bianca gives herself into the police. He is then suspended from school for hitting another boy. Bianca is subsequently sent to prison, and Ricky later leaves for a six-month job in Dubai. Liam makes friends with Eddie Moon (David Essex), who Carol is interested in romantically. However, when Eddie allows Liam to skip school for three days so Eddie can teach him about antiques, Carol tells Eddie to stay away from her and Liam. Liam continues to be friends with Eddie and is looking after his stock when Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) takes him away and burns the stock. Eddie gives Liam a job after he moves his antiques business to Walford, and Lola confesses to Liam that she started the fire. Liam is happy when Carol and Eddie begin a relationship, but is saddened when they break up and Eddie leaves Walford.

When Lola and her friends Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe) and Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) want to steal alcohol from a party at Kim Fox's (Tameka Empson) bed and breakfast, they get Liam to dress up in a Halloween costume to do it for them. He steals a bowl of punch, which they drink in the local launderette. Kim later finds them and takes the punch back. Lola pays Liam to take a bag from Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) but is caught, forcing him to reveal that Lola told him to take the bag. In December 2011, the family begin to have financial difficulties, and Liam becomes hostile towards Ricky, blaming him for their situation. After the local bed and breakfast burns down, he is paid by Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman) to enter the building and find scrap metal. Liam is upset by the death of Pat and the departure of his father, Ricky. Although Bianca and Ricky tell Liam it is only temporary, Liam knows it is permanent. Liam then gets a part-time job cleaning to help out the family with money. Bianca is later caught stealing money and returns to prison, but this time located in Suffolk. Liam then moves to Suffolk with the rest of his family to be near his mother, but returns to Walford with his family in November 2012.