The character of Andy along with his girlfriend Debbie Wilkins were an attempt by Holland and Smith to represent the influx of middle-classed people that were opting to move to the usually working-class areas of the East End of London.

Gentrification of the East End was on the increase in the 1980s, and in Holland's experience, the new, wealthier residents were never welcomed or truly accepted within the community, and this was what he hoped to convey on-screen with these two characters.

[1] Andy's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story.

[1] According to Smith and Holland, Andy and Debbie were created to represent a young couple with outwardly mobile pretensions, but it was decided that the formula did not work and both characters were eventually written out of the show.

During this time, rumours began to circulate in the British press that Ross Davidson was dropped because Julia Smith disapproved of the off-screen relationship he was having with Shirley Cheriton, the actress who played Debbie.

[2] He also claimed that Andy would have left the nursing profession to run The Dagmar wine bar, which was instead given to a different character, James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde).

Andy wants to settle down and start a family but Debbie is not so keen and she soon attracts the attention of policeman Roy Quick (Douglas Fielding).

Andy later begins an affair with the alcoholic landlady of The Queen Victoria public house, Angie Watts (Anita Dobson).

However, Angie's husband, Den (Leslie Grantham), catches them in bed together, and furiously chases a half-naked Andy into the street, which prompts a feud between the pair.