Tracy is a recurring fictional character in the popular British soap opera EastEnders. She is played by Jane Slaughter. She is the second longest-serving background character after Winston.
Tracy is a barmaid at The Queen Victoria pub, where she has worked since 1989. Her existence is largely to provide somebody to man the bar while one of the main characters resolves disputes, arguments or disagreements, or tends to the main plot of the episode. Despite featuring on the television programme frequently, and occasionally having a line to say, her surname and any further details are unknown. She has also featured in a few minor storylines.
When Dennis Rickman first arrived in Albert Square, he had a one-night stand with Tracy. This was revealed when he returned her knickers to her over the bar in the pub. However, she mentioned on 10 December 2004 that she was married. She was seriously assaulted and locked in the bathroom of The Queen Vic by Sam Mitchell, shortly before Mitchell unearthed the body of Den Watts. Tracy awoke and escaped, alerting police. Sam later apologised to her, after Tracy showed fear of her. Tracy also owns a flower stall on Bridge Street market. Her stall is regularly robbed by new characters who steal flowers for people they are meeting. She was friends with Debbie Bates, and is godmother to her daughter Clare. Tracy is often seen to be pleased at the prospect of additional overtime in The Queen Victoria when a Mitchell family wedding or other event is planned.
It has become a point of amusement amongst EastEnders fans, that so little is known about the character, and speculation is ongoing as to whether she will take a lead role in any future EastEnders storylines. Weekly magazine Inside Soap run a regular feature commenting on Tracy's brief appearances, dubbed 'Tracy Watch'. They refer to her as "our fave barmaid", making observations such as: "The drinks are on Trace this week - she had an actual line! Ker-ching! Screen time: A brief, but intensely powerful, two seconds."[1]
On August 7, 2008, she finally opened up, after Sean questioned why she is so quiet. She said that she wants to keep herself to herself because she thinks that the Mitchell's are "stark raving mad". Also, she went on to say that whoever lives in the Queen Vic is "cursed" and that they will never be able to live happily together. This episode was also the first time Tracy had been credited for a long time and one of the only episodes she has had a long conversation with a central character.
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