Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) is serving a life sentence for murder after taking the blame for a fatal stabbing he did not commit. He was jailed for the death of Okie (Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu), but the patriarch of the latest Mitchell clan took responsibility to protect his son Harry (Elijah Holloway).
The events leading to the killing
Harry, a recovering addict, was held hostage in his own flat by Okie, who had been put in charge of a local drugs operation run by Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara). Ravi and Okie were cuckooing Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho), manipulating the vulnerable young man into running drugs, much to Harry's horror. Harry attempted to secure his mate's freedom but was chained up in his bedroom and given drugs by Okie.
Terrified for his best friend, Kojo sought assistance from George Knight (Colin Salmon). With help from Teddy, they rescued Harry in the nick of time, disrupting Okie's plot to bundle the mechanic into a van. The police arrived soon after, and Ravi was arrested in subsequent scenes.
The fatal showdown
Ravi agreed to inform in exchange for his freedom, while a terrified and spiralling Okie sought his help. Ravi, however, simply instructed his former associate to get out of dodge. Okie did not listen and later held Kojo, who was keen to return to his flat, captive with a knife.
Alerted to what was unfolding, Harry made a beeline for the flat, where a final showdown ensued between him and Okie. As they both reached for the knife, Okie accidentally landed on the blade, much to Harry's horror, who cradled his captor as he died in his arms.
Teddy takes the blame
Having got wind of Harry's plight, Teddy headed over to the flat and was shocked by what he saw. Knowing his son had been through enough, Teddy went out of his way to ensure Harry was not blamed for Okie's death and instead took responsibility for the crime as he was taken away by police officers. In December last year, Teddy was sentenced to life behind bars.
Teddy is portrayed by Roland Manookian, best known for his roles in The Football Factory and Rise Of The Footsoldier. He began playing Teddy in June 2024 when a new wave of the Mitchell clan were introduced. In the year that followed, Teddy rekindled his romance with ex-wife Nicola (Laura Doddington), embarked on a relationship with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), and discovered that son Barney (Lewis Bridgeman) wasn't his biological child, with Nic having cheated on him previously with Zack Hudson (James Farrar).
After 18 months as a regular, Teddy was written out of Walford, with a spokesperson for the BBC One soap stating at the time: 'We can confirm Roland will be leaving EastEnders this year, and we wish him all the best for the future'. Reports in The Sun claimed that the character 'had run his course'. EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or streams from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
