Gianni di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC serial drama EastEnders, played by Marc Bannerman from 1998 to 2000.

This involves Gianni developing a close interaction with his older brother Beppe (Michael Greco); managing their late father's restaurant in light of his funeral; becoming enemies with Beppe's sworn nemesis Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp); briefly dating local businesswoman Annie Palmer (Nadia Sawalha); a broken relationship with fellow resident Jackie Owen (Race Davies) after she leaves the square with her criminal brother Steve (Martin Kemp); sparking clashes with Grant's brother Phil (Steve McFadden) and his best-friend Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass); and nearly being charged in police custody for attacking his sister's maths tutor, Rod Morris (Forbes Masson), under the guise that he assaulted them.

Gianni Di Marco first arrived in Albert Square - the local community in Walford, a fictionalized borough in East London - along with the rest of his family in January 1998.

By then, Gianni has found himself drawn in an ongoing feud between Beppe and his sworn enemy Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp.

At one point in The Queen Victoria public house, Gianni grows irritated when he finds Teresa romancing with Phil's best-friend Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass) - not long after he was revealed to have cheated on his girlfriend Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson) with her daughter Bianca (Patsy Palmer); the mother-and-duo consequently left the square on their own alongside Bianca's beloved husband Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen).

[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.

[4] The following month, the family moved to the area in which the soap is set, Walford, to run an Italian restaurant, which was named Giuseppe's.

[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.

[3] A source allegedly told The Mirror: "It's always unpleasant having to say goodbye to people who have given loyal service to the show for a number of years.

"[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.

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.

If any di Marco wanted a night out, a pint in the Vic, a clandestine liaison, then an excuse had to be found as to why they weren't working.

Transforming Giuseppe's into a daytime sandwich bar, and sending Teresa onto the market were bold rescue attempts, but they came too late.