Paul Priestly is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by Mark Thrippleton, from 20 April 1989 to 1 March 1990. Paul, a builder, came to London with a building firm he worked for, then decided to go it alone. He finds work around the Square — the money is not great but there are benefits — for instance, Julie Cooper (Louise Plowright) discusses his building estimates while sharing a bed with him. He is a ladies man and a heart-breaker, as sixteen-year-old Diane Butcher (Sophie Lawrence) discovers. When their relationship grows too serious, he flees and a devastated Diane runs away from home shortly afterwards.