Tags: Soap Character.
Francis Aloysius Frank Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders played by Mike Reid. Frank makes his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987 but due to a positive viewer reception he is reintroduced in 1988 as a regular. Reid took a long hiatus from EastEnders in 1994. Frank returns as a recurring character from December 1995 to January 1998 and eventually becomes a regular once again from May 1998 to November 2000 when Reid quit.