EastEnders newcomer Ryder Hawkins (Felix Uff) is pushed further back into the closet as his fearsome father Ned Hawkins (Jamie Bamber) exerts control next week.
In the coming days, fans will see Ryder open up to his aunt Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) about his sexuality, as it’s revealed he is dating a guy. However, it becomes clear he’s terrified about coming out to his parents, especially his former military-trained dad.
Pressure to return to football
Next week, ex-footballer Ryder comes under increasing pressure from his dad after an old coach encourages him to return to the sport. When Nicola learns about the struggles one of Ryder’s former teammates faced after coming out, she begins to better understand her nephew’s fears about doing the same.
Later, Ryder and Nicola share another heart-to-heart, during which he talks about the lad he’s dating and his concerns about Ned’s influence on his life. Ryder feels encouraged to finally have an open conversation with his mum Gemma Hawkins (Patricia Potter), but little does he realise that Ned has overheard him asking to speak with her that evening.
Ned's shocking actions
As a result, Ned soon takes shocking action to control Ryder into conforming, leaving Ryder more scared than before about coming out. Ned’s latest nasty move comes at the same time he starts wielding power over Mark Fowler Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) after he accidentally uncovers his affair with Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).
He starts blackmailing Mark over the secret fling, and Lauren pushes Mark to do whatever it takes to stop Ned from spilling the beans, leaving him with no choice but to carry out some brutal orders. Earlier this month, Ned’s dark side emerged after it was revealed he had helped Nicola cover up her abusive father’s murder over 20 years ago. Having since bought into Nicola’s ailing local bar, he’s taken every opportunity to taunt his sister-in-law over her killer secret.
A complex character
Actor Jamie Bamber, who plays Ned, recently teased to Metro that his character would have a sinister side to him. He revealed: ‘He dresses well and is naturally charming and confident. He’s enjoyed a great deal of success in life… Often, when someone works that hard to keep up appearances, it’s because there’s more going on beneath the surface.
‘There’s a real depth to him, and as the weeks go on, we’ll start to peel back those layers and discover that Ned is a far more complex character than he first appears.’
EastEnders airs these scenes from Monday 12th October at 7.30pm on BBC One or stream first from 6am on iPlayer.
