Frankie Wicks

Frankie Wicks is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders played by American country music star Jason Sellers who appeared onscreen from 1 February 1994 until 23 December 1995. Frankie was created by writer Tony Jordan and introduced as the never before mentioned son of Pat Butcher and Frank Butcher (although up until the character's onscreen arrival he was under the belief that his father was his mother's second husband Brian Wicks). Much of the show's 1994/95 period focused on the broken and volatile relationship between Frankie and his mother.

Described as "damaged" and "unpredictable", Jordan described Frankie as "more of a borderline villain than a bad boy" but went onto sympathize with the character stating that "it is not [Frankie's] intention to harm anyone, and he does care a lot AbOUT those he loves the most."

Other storylines involving Frankie mainly involved his relationships, which included a romance with Michelle Fowler and a CASUAL fling with Sam Mitchell. Between February and May 1995 Frankie was involved in a domestic abuse storyline with Natalie Price. The storyline is constantly referenced by television critics as being the first time the storyline was tackled by the show with so much in depth.

The character of Frankie received mixed reviews from critics, with many critics slating the character and calling him "unbelievable" and "unrealistic". In particular, the critics panned his domestic abuse storyline, which attracted a total of 23 million complaints from viewers, calling it "a prolonged publicity stint which reflects real life in a highly unrealistic manner." The decision to cast Jason Sellers, an American, as the son of two London-born characters also drew criticism and questions surrounding realism. However many critics also gave the character positive reviews, with one critic calling the character "an interesting, compelling character with a lot of potential in the show. One who will definitely go down in EastEnders history." Actor Jason Sellers also received wide praise for his acting skills during his portrayal of Frankie, although he is now a largely unknown star outside of the USA.