EastEnders character to come out as a gay

{jcomments on}A resident of Albert Square will question their sexuality in a forthcoming plot in EastEnders according to a tabloid report.

Warning: May contain spoilers.

The Mirror claims the new plot will revolve around Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe), son of Walford hard-man Phil (Steve McFadden). The teen will question his sexuality and will be desperate to keep his secret from Phil – fearful of his response. According to The Mirror as the plot unfolds Ben will end up kissing another boy – Duncan. Ben and Duncan will become friends but when the two kisses it’s witnessed by shop-keeper Patrick Truman (Rudolph Walker). Ben tries to threaten Patrick into not revealing what he saw.

“Since the day Ben returned to Walford, he’s been a bit of a disappointment for Phil. With his love of dancing and musicals, Ben was not cast from the same tough guy mould as his father. It’s ironic that Phil’s efforts to turn his son into a mini version of himself backfire spectacularly when he encourages Ben to go boxing with Duncan. But no one could anticipate the chain of events this will spark around Walford as Ben tries to keep his sexuality secret from his father. Poor Ben is terrified of Phil’s reaction but the truth will out, sooner or later.” – An “insider” quoted in The Mirror

As the plot unfolds, according to the paper, Phil ends up in a vendetta against Patrick when the shop-keeper calls the police after Ben threatens him. While Patrick agrees to keep Ben’s secret Phil’s vendetta against him will drag in other Walford residents. Actor Joshua Pascoe took over the role of Ben Mitchell last year from previous actor Charlie Jones. In a recent interview producer Bryan Kirkwood agreed the character had struggled to be liked but viewers but indicated a new plot would change that. EastEnders already has two gay characters amongst its cast – couple Christian (John Partridge) and Syed (Marc Elliot).

ITV soap Coronation Street was recently criticised by Brian Sewell for featuring too many gay characters while he attacked EastEnders, also, for showing gay relationships before the watershed. While some tabloids picked up on Sewell’s comments the majority of Corrie fans have been critical of “long, tedious” and “unrealistic” storylines rather than the number of gay characters in the soap.