Her storylines include relationships with several men including David Wicks (Michael French), eventual husband Alan Jackson (Howard Antony), Connor Stanley (Arinzé Kene), Eddie Moon (David Essex) and Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra), the death of her youngest son Billie, and her breast cancer diagnosis in January 2014.

[2] Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of Albert Square.

"[2] Author Kate Lock has suggested that "Carol always looked careworn and sounded snappish, but then, as pointed out repeatedly, she's had to make a lot of sacrifices in her life, raising four kids single-handedly, missing out on any chance of a career".

Owen told Victoria Ross from Inside Soap that Ricky convinces Carol to call a truce and invite Pat and David over for Christmas dinner.

"[15] A source told entertainment website Digital Spy: "Everything's being kept hush-hush about the Jacksons' return at the moment, but there are certainly a load of questions to be answered.

Executive producer Diederick Santer explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "The wedding is the perfect opportunity for us to bring back the much-loved Jackson characters – Carol, Sonia, Robbie and Billie.

[22] Carol is then paired with Glenda Mitchell (Glynis Barber) as they strike an "unlikely friendship" and move in together, after she feels unable to live at the home her son died in.

"[23] Barber also admitted she is a fan of the pairing, expressed her desire for Glenda to lead Carol astray and stated: "The characters are very different but actually have a lot in common.

"[31] Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said: "EastEnders has a long tradition of dealing with social issues and breast cancer is one that the majority of people have been affected by in some way.

"[31] Producers worked with charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, whose Head of Health and Social Care, Jacqui Graves, congratulated the show "for helping to raise awareness of the condition.

[33] Carol Jackson first came to Albert Square in 1993, working alongside Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) as the replacement of her best-friend Dot Cotton (June Brown) in the launderette.

Carol is soon forced to tell her childhood sweetheart, David Wicks (Michael French), that he is Bianca's father when it looks like they are about to start a relationship.

He is eventually returned safely, but Carol and the rest of her family (bar Bianca) are placed in a witness protection programme and move away from Walford for their safety.

In her time away, Carol separates from Alan due to his mental breakdown and starts a relationship with Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass).

Carol throws Dan out, tells Bianca's husband Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) about the affair and disowns her daughter.

She aborts Dan's child and leaves Albert Square in October 1999 to care for her critically ill mother, Reenie (Joy Graham), who eventually dies.

Struck by sadness, Carol plans to commit suicide by overdose, but is interrupted by Connor Stanley (Arinzé Kene), one of Billie's friends and a gang member; they comfort each other and end up having sex.

Old feelings resurface between Carol and David when he returns to Walford in 2012 after years away, to visit his dying mother Pat (Pam St Clement).

Sonia has inherited the gene, causing tension between her and Bianca and Carol, who is undergoing intensive chemotherapy, is forced to step in, but she collapses.

This infuriates Carol, but after talking to Pam Coker (Lin Blakley), she decides to have a double mastectomy, much to Sonia's delight, and calls off her marijuana deal with Tina.

While Carol is preparing for her operation, Bianca gets in trouble with social services when Liam accidentally gives Tiffany hash brownies to take to school for the last day of term.

Carol asks the grandson of her stepmother Dot Branning (June Brown), Charlie Cotton (Declan Bennett), to talk to Liam about what to say with the police, and after he leaves she answers his discarded phone and discovers his supposedly dead father, Dot's estranged son Nick Cotton (John Altman), on the other end of the line.

However, Carol is initially determined that he still needs to tell the truth, until she sees how happy Dot is by his side, and agrees to keep quiet.

It soon becomes apparent that she is unable to process her grief properly, due to some resentment to Jim, when she lashes out at Max, and Whitney, Liam and Sonia's daughter Rebecca catch her doing so.

Recent events culminate in Carol realising that she will always be relied upon by her family; she decides to take her father's motorbike and ride away from Walford, not knowing where she will end up, embracing her newfound freedom.

Before she leaves, she buys a dog for Robbie and his son Sami Jackson (Shiven Shankar), named Wellard II (Panther).

In March 1995, a reporter from Inside Soap said "The Square's toughest mum, and David's ex-girlfriend Carol Jackson, has got a few secrets of her own, considering she's had four children by four different men."

"[43] Anne Leask from the Sunday Mirror branded Carol a "dark and brooding put-upon single mum" who was desperate to get married.

[44] In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Carol 48th on their ranked list of the Best EastEnders characters of all time, calling her a "tough-as-boots mum who'd punch your lights out if you crossed her".

[45] In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Carol 48th on their ranked list of the best EastEnders characters of all time, calling her a "tough-as-boots mum" and saying that she would "punch your lights out if you crossed her".