Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Executive Producer of Eastenders, revealed at National Student Pride this afternoon that he is set to create a trans character for the iconic British soap.
◉ Trans storyline will be the first in the soap’s 30 year history.
◉ EastEnder’s producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins hasn’t written the character yet but is planning to do it soon.
◉ Will be the first BBC made soap to have a transgender character.
He told a packed audience at the University of Westminster, who hosted the event:
“I am planning to [write a trans storyline]. Pen hasn’t hit paper yet but research is in the planning.”
Treadwell-Collins announced the plans during the events Representation in Film and TV discussion, which also featured Emmerdales Alicia Eyo, Waterloo Road’s Heather Peace and Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black.
Although he said that writing hadn’t started he admitted he thought:
“The power of Eastenders is that we can change the world a little.”
The producer, who’s just finished #EELive, said that he would be keen to cast a transgender actor into the role.
Collins does realise that there would be some challenges in such a storyline. Talking about Eddie Redmayne’s new role in the Danish Girl he said,
“We have to be very, very careful about what we say. With EastEnders you’re preaching to a lot of people who don’t want to hear it [about LGBT issues].”
Coronation Street ran a trangender storyline from 1998 with the character Hayley Anne Cropper, played by Julie Hesmondhaigh.
Student Pride is an annual event which this year celebrated its tenth anniversary. It was hosted at the University of Westminster, Marylebone, for the second year running.
