THEGAYUK

Tag: EastEnders

All the latest breaking news on EastEnders. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features and commentary on EastEnders.

  • Eastenders has revealed its Gay Bar’s name, and its cheeky…

    Eastenders has revealed its Gay Bar’s name, and its cheeky…

    We want to go there…

    EastEnders is opening a gay bar and they’ve just revealed the name!

    A PRINCE AMONG MEN.
Kathy Beale set to open Walford’s first ever gay bar, The Prince Albert.

    Brace yourselves Walford, there’s a new bar in town. The much anticipated opening of Walford’s very first gay bar is upon us and Kathy Beale will soon be flinging the doors open to The Prince Albert.

    In recent weeks viewers have seen Kathy discover the necklace that Ben gave her is worth a considerable amount of money, leading her to attain the lease for the bar. Keen to overhaul the bar’s look and name, Kathy deliberates on what to call it and after some inspiration settles on The Prince Albert.

    It’s never plain sailing for a Walford boozer; with both The Queen Vic and the E20 providing backdrops for some of EastEnders’ most dramatic moments. From a simple pint over the head to numerous affair reveals and even murder, Walford watering holes are often very dangerous places.

    As Kathy settles in behind the bar, only time will tell what drama will unfold on the dancefloor…

    We’re just wondering whether the rest of the UK will get what a Prince Albert is!

  • Ben Mitchell is coming back to Albert Square

    Ben Mitchell is coming back to Albert Square

    But will be played by a completely different actor

    Ben Mitchell will be coming back to EastEnders in a dramatic story, but viewers will notice that the character is no longer played by Harry Reid. The new actor is in fact, Max Bowden. He will be, in fact, the sixth actor to play the role.

    According to the BBC, Max Bowden will be taking on the role of Ben Mitchell, a character that just like his father never seems to be far from trouble. During his previous time in the Square, Ben was at the heart of many storylines including killing Heather Trott, his turbulent relationship with his father, Phil, and faking his relationship with Abi Branning to hide his sexuality.

    On top of this, Ben had to cope with losing his one true love, Paul Coker, after they were both involved in an unprovoked homophobic attack.

    This isn’t the first time a gay character has left and then come back with a different actor in the role. Johnny Carter was originally played by Sam Strike but was replaced in 2016 when Ted Reily took over the role.

    Who is Max Bowden?

    Max Bowden is best known for playing Justin Fitzgerald in Waterloo Road and has also appeared in other television and theatre roles including the UK tour of Birdsong. Speaking about joining EastEnders, Max said: “I’m so excited to be joining the cast of EastEnders and taking on the role of Ben Mitchell. I’ve always been a fan of the show so to be joining one of the most iconic families in soap is beyond exciting. I can’t wait to get started and see what’s in store for Ben.”

    Kate Oates (Senior Executive Producer, EastEnders, Holby City and Casualty) added: “A character like Ben, with his rich history, ‘complicated’ family and complex psychology, is pure gold. With Max in the role, we will be exploring the aspects of Ben’s character that have been allowed to develop during his time away from the Square: unfettered by old loyalties, and out of the long shadow of his father, Phil.”

    Kate recently said that she was looking to introduce a gay bar to Albert Square, saying “We are looking at opening a gay bar on the square which will be a super-cool precinct where gay and straight characters can all just hang out, and loads of stories can cross and should just be something really exciting, really fun, really visual and feel really true to multicultural London.

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  • EastEnders’ are thinking about opening a gay bar in Albert Square

    EastEnders’ are thinking about opening a gay bar in Albert Square

    An LGBT+ venue could open up on Albert Square.

    The BBC are ramping up efforts to get a more diverse cast into EastEnders and it has been revealed that there’s a vision for a gay bar to open on the UK’s most famous Square.

    Kate Oates who serves as a senior executive producer on the BBC flagship soap has revealed that there are plans to make Eastenders more diverse and reflective of the London diverse population and revealed that she’s excited to add more LGBT+ characters to the show.

    Answering fans’ questions about the show, Oates said, “We are looking at opening a gay bar on the square which will be a super-cool precinct where gay and straight characters can all just hang out, and loads of stories can cross and should just be something really exciting, really fun, really visual and feel really true to multicultural London.

    How many gay people are there in the UK?

    There has long been a widely-held belief that around 10 percent of the UK’s population is gay, lesbian or bisexual or who identify as non-heterosexual. This is probably the most accurate of all the figures – as more and more people feel comfortable to come out about their sexuality.

    The most up-to-date statistics from healthcare company Euroclinix show that six percent of people identify as homosexual while seven percent of people identify as bisexual. This equates to 13 per cent of the population identifying as either gay, lesbian or bisexual. EuroClinix surveyed 2,000 people around the UK to find out more about the sex lives of Brits.

    The current population in the UK is estimated to be 66.02 million people, which means that there are over 8.58 million gay, lesbian or bisexual people in the UK if you take that 13 percent statistic.

    How gay is Eastenders?

    In 2015 we compiled the gayest moments of Eastenders. Read it here.

     

  • Is EastEnder’s Ben Really Gay?

    Harry Reid is the actor who plays EastEnder‘s Ben Mitchell, son of hard man alcoholic Phil Mitchell.

    Here’s 10 thing you probably didn’t know about Harry.

    1) Harry Reid, Is He Gay? Despite receiving praise from the gay community on how he portrays Ben Mitchell in EastEnders, Harry Reid is straight in real life. Although it doesn’t look like he has a partner at the moment. He has spoken out that gay actors should be able to play straight roles and vice versa. Speaking about the issue of playing gay characters he said,

    “I’ve had some great feedback from the gay community about how I play Ben.

    “I’m a straight guy playing a gay role. There is no reason why it can’t work the other way around.

     

    2) Old Blue Eyes: He has blue eyes and stands at 5 foot 10 inches.

    3) Fruity? On his spotlight page, (it’s like a huge CV book for actors in the UK) Harry’s voice for voiceover work is described as “fruity”.

    4) Educated: He studied at Arts University of Bournemouth and achieved a BA Honours in Acting in 2013.

    5) Early Success: A short time after leaving uni Harry landed the role of Ben Mitchell on one of the most popular soaps in Britain. It was his first major role.

    6) 90’s Boy: He was born in June, 1992

    7) Footy Mad: He’s an avid football fan and supports Arsenal.

    8) Ben’s Miserable To Play: He has said that playing Ben Mitchell has made him miserable causing him to suffer headaches. Harry revealed on Good Morning Britain:

    “Ben is a very deep character. He has so many layers. He drains me. I come out of work with a headache because I spend the whole day being grumpy and miserable.

    “There is a complex element to him, which makes him exciting to play.”

    9) Gay Champion: Harry hit out at homophobes after his gay kisses on the soap revealing that he was “upset” when numerous users on Twitter shared their outrage at the man on man action. He shared a picture of Ronnie Kray and said,

    “I only want to ask one question. Would you of called Ronnie Kray disgusting? #whatwouldronniesay [sic].

    “Note: I’m not biting, it just needed pointing out;)”

    10) Nude? Are we ever likely to see Harry naked? Unlikely but he hasn’t ruled out stripping off if the part he was playing required it for the role…

    ALSO READ: 10 things you probably didn’t know about Ant and Dec

    ALSO READ: 12 things you didn’t know about EastEnder’s Jonathan Partridge

     

  • First trans actor in EastEnders sad that the character didn’t get “happy ending”

    Riley Carter Millington is “disappointed” his ‘EastEnders’ character didn’t get a “happy ending” and a chance to lead a “normal life”.

    The 23-year-old actor played Kyle Slater in the BBC soap between 2015 and 2016 and was the first transgender man to play a regular transgender character on a British soap.

    However, Riley felt “frustrated” that his character didn’t get a chance to have a “normal life”.

    He told The Sun,

    “I was disappointed it was not shown that Kyle had a normal life. He had the big coming-out story and it was dramatic and emotional, but we didn’t get to see a happy ending, like a relationship of any sort other than the reunion with his half-sister, Stacey. It was frustrating. I felt I let myself and the fans down as I could have pushed for something. It’s a shame to have gay characters and then you have to say goodbye.”

    When Riley quit EastEnders, he revealed the reason for his departure was because producers believed his character Kyle’s story had reached a “natural end”.

    He said at the time,

    “When I landed a six-month contract at EastEnders it was a dream come true. For that to be extended to a year was something I never expected.

    “However, as the time comes for Kyle to depart Walford I am looking forward to taking on new roles and who knows, Kyle may find his way back to Walford one day.”

    When he was cast in the role, Riley admitted he had achieved his two biggest dreams.

    He shared,

    “I am extremely excited to be joining ‘EastEnders’. I can honestly say that I have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams – to be living my life as a man and to be an actor. I cannot wait to really get stuck in with filming and I look forward to seeing what is in store for my character.”

  • Lee Ryan set to join EastEnders

    Lee Ryan set to join EastEnders

    Former Boy Bander, Lee Ryan is set to join the cast of EastEnders and we’re naturally very excited about seeing Lee’s perky little face pop up in one of our favourite soap operas.

    Lee Ryan in EastEnders
    CREDIT: BBC

    Blue singer, Lee Ryan is set to join one of the UK’s biggest soaps, EastEnders. He joins his other co-Blue boys, Duncan James and Simon Webb who have both landed roles in Hollyoaks and River City respectively.

    So what do we know about Lee’s new character? Well, his name is, Woody Woodward – and apparently, he’s a bit of a trouble maker and his stint on the small screen is due to only be a “short-term role”.

    Executive producer Sean O’Connor has teased,

    “I’m delighted to welcome Lee Ryan to Walford as ‘Woody’ Woodward. Woody is a man who has worked hard and played hard in bars, clubs and pubs around the world and has finally decided to stop wandering and put down some roots.

    “He’s going to ruffle some feathers and obviously break some hearts, so there’s a great deal to look forward to as soon as he bursts onto the square. Lee is a perfect casting for Albert Square and we knew straight away we wanted him for the role.”

    Lee Ryan made headlines in January 2014 during his time in Celebrity Big Brother, after a series of revelations about his sex life and sexuality. In a conversation with fellow housemates, Lee admitted that he may have had experiences with “people’ which caused bandmate Duncan James to jump in with a Tweet, that read, “I thought I was the only bi/gay in the band”.

    In 2010 Lee stunned fans by stating that,

    ‘Me and Duncan had threesomes! We did some crazy s**t with each other. In the past we’ve done some s**t like that. It’s not weird… you just high five each other. I think they call it a spit roast.’

    EastEnders continues on Thursday (February 16) at 7.30pm on BBC One.

  • Which Lord is about to rejoin EastEnders?

    Which Lord is about to rejoin EastEnders?

    EastEnders will be welcoming back an icon later this year when the renowned Lord Michael Cashman briefly reprises his role as Colin Russell.

    CREDIT" BBC
    CREDIT” BBC

    Lord Cashman made his first appearance as Colin on EastEnders back in 1986 and quickly became one of the Square’s most popular residents. Long-time viewers will remember his character made a huge impact after being involved in one of the programme’s most discussed stories at the time which saw the first gay kiss on a British soap opera.

     

    BBC

    BBC
    Bosses are staying tight-lipped on details around the upcoming storyline but his visit to the Square is set to raise a big question for Dot.

    ALSO READ: EastEnder’s Gayest Moments

    On his appearance, Lord Michael Cashman says,

    “It was a real joy, indeed a privilege, to return to my old home of Albert Square. To be amongst so many friends again, and to be back in the place where 30 years ago I started an amazing journey. An amazing journey which incredibly helped to change the country, and certainly its attitude to lesbian gay and bisexual people.  Arguably without EastEnders I would never have gone into politics; I would not have been one of the founders of Stonewall and its founding chair, and I would never have ended up where I am now.

    As Shakespeare would have said by returning to where it all started ‘the wheel has turned full circle’. And the exquisite joy of having my scenes with the incredible ‘Dame’ June Brown was a bonus beyond anything else.”

     

    Lord Michael Cashman will make his appearance next month.

  • Ben Mitchell’s Gay Lover Quits EastEnders

    As Johnny Carter comes back to the soap Paul Coker is about to leave Walford Square.

    CREDIT: (C) BBC - Photographer: Nicky Johnston
    CREDIT: (C) BBC – Photographer: Nicky Johnston

    EastEnders it seems has a one in and one out policy for gay characters as Johnny Carter makes a return to the square and Paul Coker, Ben Mitchell’s gay love interest is set to leave.

    The star who plays Paul, Jonny Labey took to twitter to announce his departure saying,

    “WOW Thank you for your support but there’s still SO MUCH to happen for Paul so don’t lose hope, this is JUST THE START.”

     

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    (C) BBC – Photographer: Jack Barnes

     

    Last year Ben Mitchell and Paul Coker caused controversy with some viewers after the pair had a raunchy gay sex scene in a funeral parlour. The scene prompted numerous complaints to OFCOM.

    SPOILER ALERT

    Ben Mitchell And Paul Coker kiss
    CREDIT: (C) BBC Kieron McCarron

     

    Ben, who is the son of hard man Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) has been trying to keep his love affair under wraps from the rest of the square. However all is revealed next week when the pair share a full on smooch in the Queen Vic.

    The kiss, it seems, is too much for alcoholic Phil, who storms out of the pub in disgust.

    Speaking about the actor’s impending departure a spokesperson for the soap said,

     ‘We can confirm Jonny will be leaving the show later this year. We wish him all the best for the future.’

     

  • Can You Spot The Difference? Johnny Carter Is Back

    Can You Spot The Difference? Johnny Carter Is Back

    Johnny Carter is back – but can you tell the difference?

    John Carter Spot the Difference CREDIT: THEGAYUK / BBC
    CREDIT: THEGAYUK / BBC
    CREDIT: Monty McKinnen
    CREDIT: Monty McKinnen
    CREDIT: (C) BBC - Photographer: Kieron McCarron
    CREDIT: (C) BBC – Photographer: Kieron McCarron

     

    Johnny is coming back to EastEnders on the 12th April, but he looks very different from the last time we saw him! Johnny has a new actor behind him!

    The part of Johnny was originated by Sam Strike, who decided to leave the soap in December 2014.

    He left the soap to make his name in Hollywood.

    Speaking about his decision to leave Sam said,

    “I also didn’t really feel like at the time my character was necessarily needed in EastEnders.

    “When I was in talks about leaving, I spoke to the people that I’d been working with the most – including Dom, the executive producer, and the Carters. I said to them that if there was anything they really wanted me to do we’d do that, as I didn’t want to leave people high and dry.

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    However the character is back and is now played by Ted Reilly.

    Johnny Carter is not the first EastEnders’ character to be played by more than one person. In the past characters Lucy Beale, Martin Fowler and Sam Mitchell have all had actor changes in the past.

     

  • John Partridge To Make Albert Square Return

    John Partridge To Make Albert Square Return

    Openly gay actor John Partridge is to make a return to EastEnders as the hunky Christian.

    CREDIT: BBC
    CREDIT: BBC

    After his stint in Celebrity Big Brother, John Partridge it seems, is irresistible to TV execs who have reinstated Christian and his on-screen mother Lynda Baron in EastEnders.

    Bosses are staying tight-lipped on the details surrounding their return, but the shocking storyline promises to change the Beale family forever.

    Christian was last seen in the Square back in 2015 when he attended the wedding of Ian and Jane as part of the 30th anniversary live week.

    On his return, John Partridge said:

    “I am thrilled to be able to return to EastEnders whilst touring the UK with Chicago… Christian is never far from my mind – I turn my back for five minutes and look what happens!”

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    Christian’s character has in the past caused considerable controversy with some viewers of the long running London-based soap. In late 2008, 145 complaints were made after a kiss between Christian and new love interest Lee was broadcast before the 9PM watershed.

    Episodes featuring John Partridge are set to air in Summer 2016.

    Next week the gay character Johnny Carter will return to the square to reunite with his family.

     

    ALSO READ: 12 thing you didn’t know about John Partridge

    ALSO READ: John Partridge reveals the heartbreaking real reason he’s doing Celebrity Big Brother

     

  • FIRST LOOK | Johnny Carter Is Back In EastEnders

    FIRST LOOK | Johnny Carter Is Back In EastEnders

    Johnny Carter is back and here’s the first look.

    CREDIT:(C) BBC - Photographer: Jack Barnes
    CREDIT:(C) BBC – Photographer: Jack Barnes

     

    He’ll be singing karaoke in his first episode of EastEnders on the 12th April – but you may notice that he looks a little different from the last time he was in Albert Square.

    Last time we saw Johnny Carter he had jumped on his Vespa and was riding his way to Italy to join his boyfriend Gianluca to live in Rome – and he was played by Sam Strike – well Johnny is back and this time is being played by the gorgeous Ted Reilly.

    CREDIT:(C) BBC - Photographer: Jack Barnes
    CREDIT:(C) BBC – Photographer: Jack Barnes

     

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    CREDIT:(C) BBC - Photographer: Jack Barnes
    CREDIT:(C) BBC – Photographer: Jack Barnes

    Speaking about landing the role Ted said,

    “I’m truly delighted to be joining such an iconic show. The Carters are a fantastic family and I can’t wait to get started!”

    Johnny’s return will see him coming to terms with lots of drama – as he knows nothing about his mum’s rape, baby brother’s brain trauma, that aunt Shirley is actually his grandmother. So expect lots of bomb shells over the next month as Johnny rejoins the Carters.