Beppe di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by British actor Michael Greco.
His story arc commenced with Beppe becoming sworn enemies with the square's local hardman Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) - up to the point where he develops romantic feelings towards Grant's estranged wife Tiffany (Martine McCutcheon); clashes with his older brother Phil (Steve McFadden); and forms a relationship with their younger sister Sam (Danniella Westbrook).
Soon afterwards, Beppe proceeded to establish a business partnership with Phil and Grant's enemy Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) - which subsequently contributes to the character's other storylines that involves seeking to rebuild his fatherhood; a custody battle with old lover Sandra (Clare Wilkie) over the well-being of their son Joe (Jake Kyprianou); exhibiting a minor STD condition; and its contribution to his romance with a local resident, Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), that sparks the character becoming love rivals with her would-be husband Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves).
There, he is acquainted with two other attendees; Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor), the landlady of the square's public house called The Queen Victoria, and her business rival George Palmer (Paul Moriarty).
One month after his father's funeral, Beppe moves into the square with the rest of his family - which consists of his one brother Gianni (Marc Bannerman); two sisters Teresa (Leila Birch) and Nicky (Carly Hillman); and their mother Rosa (Louise Jameson).
While his family have moved into Walford to open an Italian restaurant, Beppe has already built himself a successful career in the police force, progressing through the ranks to the Vice squad.
Upon his arrival, Beppe instantly clashes with Peggy's two sons Phil (Steve McFadden) and Grant (Ross Kemp) - also known as the "Mitchell Brothers".
Their feud escalates when Beppe begins dating Phil and Grant's younger sister Sam (Danniella Westbrook), who later seeks his help when she learns from her cousin Billy (Perry Fenwick) that her brothers are planning to do a criminal job.
Beppe responds by summoning the police to intercept Phil and Grant, before he joins Sam in pursuing them towards the River Thames - where her brothers have ended up plunging their getaway car into the water.
He soon develops a close friendship with Phil's nemesis and Grant's antagonistic business partner Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), up to the point where the latter hires Beppe to work at his nightclub: the E20.
His newfound job continues to build when drugs are found in the club at one stage, and Beppe's police contacts come in handy after he manages to persuade them to turn a blind eye.
His child's mother, Sandra (Clare Wilkie), left them when Joe was 10 months old - driven away by Beppe's interfering family, who never forgave her for not being Italian.
By then, Beppe has become the sole owner of the E20 - after Steve allows him to buy his share of the club prior to being killed on his first wedding anniversary at the start of March 2002.
During this time, Beppe develops a minor STD condition when he ends up spending his routine having sex with anonymous women and dumping them upon getting bored.
This soon contributes to his romantic bond with Joe's babysitter Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), who later helps Beppe see the error of his ways.
He decides to leave the square and, after tying up some loose ends, sells the club to Phil's former lover and Grant's ex-wife Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
[3] According to author Rupert Smith, the di Marcos "landed with an almighty thud in January [1998], turning out in force for the funeral of patriarch Giuseppe", who was Rosa's husband and an old business associate of the character George Palmer.
[5] The di Marcos remained with the show as a unit until 2000, when the new executive producer, John Yorke, decided to cull the majority of the family.
"[8] However, an official BBC spokesperson at the time commented: "These changes […] are just part of [John Yorke's] plans to revamp the series and give it a new look.
[11] In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Beppe 96th on their ranked list of the best EastEnders characters of all time, writing that he "was nicknamed the Hoarse Whisperer on account of his softly rasping voice", but also wrote that the "ladies loved him".
In the book, the author, Rupert Smith, writes: "Nobody really knew what to do with the di Marco family, who had been languishing in the pizza restaurant without a decent storyline between them.
Rosa, who presumably owned the house she'd transformed into something resembling an Imperial Palace, is suddenly prepared to leg it with a couple of suitcases?
The writers and the viewers buy into a myth that people aren't particularly complex, that the full range of their feelings and actions can be revealed in a few hours on the TV.