In 1993, he has a romance with Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), which sours when she discovers that he is taking a cash bribe and allowing a mobile hot dog van to trade in direct competition to her café.

Later, he has sex with 17-year-old Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), and when he dumps her shortly after, she and her friend Natalie (Lucy Speed) vandalise his flat.

Richard makes various enemies, including Alan Jackson (Howard Antony), who he reports for benefit fraud, Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher), whom he causes to lose his job as market sweeper, and the lovers Mandy Salter and Aidan Brosnan (Nicola Stapleton and Sean Maguire).

[2] Most of them, such as Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton), Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) and Christine Hewitt (Lizzie Power), were introduced gradually, making an initial appearance and then joining the programme as full-time characters a couple of months afterwards.

[2] Richard was designed to be "a bit of a lad, a charming womanizer" and the original character's biography scripted him as a uniform-wearing Cockney from London.

[4] Author Kate Lock suggests that Tricky Dicky was aptly named, stating "he was sly, underhand and ruthless, both in his business dealings [...] and with women."

On-screen, Richard becomes embroiled in a feud with Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and decides to flee Walford.