Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager and extension to the already established Slater family. She was created by scriptwriter Tony Jordan with Turner in mind. Producers explored the character's backstory with the introduction of her mother, Jean Slater (Gillian Wright), who has bipolar disorder. They then paired Stacey with Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements) and writers developed a series of problems for their marriage, including an abortion and Stacey's affair with Bradley's father, Max Branning (Jake Wood). In 2009, the character was placed in an issue-led storyline when she is diagnosed with bipolar disorder; the show worked with various charities to develop the story. Writers also incorporated Stacey in the "Who Killed Archie?" plot and revealed her as his killer in a live episode, which was followed by a two-hander episode between Turner and Wood. The story also linked to Stacey becoming pregnant and concluded with Turner's departure from the soap in episode 4129–4130, originally broadcast on 25 December 2010. Three years later, Turner’s guest return was announced and Stacey returns in episode 4800, originally broadcast on 7 February 2014 before departing again on 24 March 2014. She made a permanent return on 1 September 2014. Stacey was involved in another issue-led story exploring postpartum psychosis in 2016, following the birth of her son. Turner went on maternity leave in 2019 and prior to her exit, Stacey became involved in a custody battle with Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) and a feud with her cousin Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace). After attacking Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Stacey departs and is off-screen for thirteen months. Turner took a second maternity leave in April 2021 as Stacey is falsely imprisoned. The character has proven popular with fans and critics alike, and Turner has won over thirty awards for her portrayal, the most for any actor or soap in the UK. Her accolades include four National Television Awards, six British Soap Awards and eight Inside Soap Awards.