Lorraine Wicks is a fictional character from the British BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jacqueline Leonard between 2 April 1996 and 14 November 1997.

Lorraine first arrives in Albert Square in April 1996 when she comes in search of her son, Joe (Paul Nicholls), who had run away from their home in Bolton with the hope of reuniting with his estranged father, David Wicks (Michael French).

Her daughter Karen had been killed in a car accident and Joe blames himself for her death because he had swapped seats with her moments before the fatal crash.

Upon hearing of Karen's death, David becomes wracked with guilt about abandoning his children, but it still doesn't evoke any parental feelings in him towards his son, and he is relieved when Lorraine manages to persuade Joe to return to Bolton.

Joe, however, is not easily put off, and he returns to Walford in May, determined to rebuild a relationship with his father; in order to keep him happy Lorraine moves there with him.

Lorraine gets a job as a barmaid in The Queen Victoria public house, and it isn't long before she catches the eye of both Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and his friend Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley).

Grant is different, and the two start a relationship, which results in him throwing his wife Tiffany (Martine McCutcheon) out when she is six months pregnant with his child.

Joe's behaviour towards his mother becomes extremely hostile and he also starts to develop severe paranoia; even thinking that Grant is the devil and is attempting to poison him.

Joe eventually becomes so fearful of the outside world that he refuses to leave his flat and this culminates in him holding Lorraine hostage one night, dowsing himself in petrol and threatening to kill himself or anyone that comes near him.

[1] Author Kate Lock has described Lorraine as "relentlessly sensible, fair and nice" but with a "rogue gene" that prompted her to select the wrong kind of men.

"[4] In the serial Lorraine returns to her home town of Bolton with her son Joe and her former partner Peter, making her on-screen exit in November 1997.