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. Storylines Originally from Leeds, Paul came to London with a building firm he worked for. He arrives in Walford in April 1989 in search of a place to stay and soon begins lodging with the Butchers at The Queen Victoria public house. Paul has quite an impact on the ladies of Walford, particularly the school girl Diane Butcher (Sophie Lawrence), who is instantly attracted to him. Her father Frank (Mike Reid) becomes extremely worried about all the attention she gives Paul. His fears are mistakenly realised when Paul takes Diane to a Deacon Blue concert and they are both assaulted on their way home by a gang of violent thugs. As the gang team up on Paul, Diane is struck while attempting to fend them off. She runs home to the Vic to get help, however Frank immediately assumes that Paul is the one who has struck her. When Paul escapes the thugs and returns to the Vic, he is greeted by a furious Frank, who knocks him to the floor with a punch. Only after Paul has fled in fear does a hysterical Diane manage to explain what had really occurred. Frank is forced to apologise for his overreaction and as Paul is relatively laid back, he does not bear him any grudges. Paul and Diane begin dating, although spending time alone together is almost impossible with Frank watching their every move, not to mention Mo Butcher (Edna Doré) — who takes to standing guard outside their bedrooms at night to stop any secret liaisons. While Diane quickly falls in love with Paul, it is not nearly as serious for him. In June 1989 Paul's friend Trevor Short (Phil McDermott) comes to Walford in search of him. He and Trevor