BBC1 MONDAY
WILL HE AGREE TO DEFEND EDDIE IN RETURN FOR INFO ABOUT HIS BIRTH FAMILY?
INSIDE SCOOP
George is left with a horrifying decision to make this week, after Eddie agrees to pass him information about his birth mother – but only if his son agrees to give him a decent character witness in court!
With Eddie standing trial for the racially aggravated murder of George’s birth father, Henry, he stands to spend the rest of his life behind bars if he’s found guilty. He knows a statement from his son could swing the trial in his favour, yet George is understandably disgusted by Eddie’s violent behaviour and has refused to help.
So will Eddie’s sick blackmail persuade George to change his mind? EastEnders star Colin Salmon reveals how his character is feeling as the day of Eddie’s trial arrives…
Hi, Colin! George is searching for his birth mother – why is it so important for him to get answers about his past?
It’s crucial because now George knows that his birth father came back for him. He realises his parents wanted him back; this opens up a new avenue of discovery for George, and he’s grateful for the chance to have a family. What’s sad is that he’s always had them, but he was manipulated into believing he didn’t.
How does George feel when his DNA test comes back with no matches?
Disappointed, because he was hoping to find connections. Suddenly, he has West African roots, but he doesn’t know anything about his heritage. I quite like that he’s totally oblivious about this and has to look it up – but not getting any DNA result matches leaves him with a massive hole.
How does he feel towards Eddie at this point?
It’s hard because George loves Eddie – some people will think that’s bonkers, but this is still his dad. Eddie bullied George and his mum all their lives, and growing up, George thought this was acceptable. But now he knows as a man and a father that it’s not. However, he gets that Gloria loved George so much, and he realises that Eddie must have loved Gloria to do what he did for her so she could keep this baby.
Gloria pressures George to testify. Does she still have any influence over him?
She does, because she’s the only mum he’s ever known. Theirs was a household of ‘don’t upset him’; we don’t talk about domestic violence, but it’s implicit. George just wanted his mum to be safe, and he became the toughest of the tough to protect his mum. Gloria is a cockney sparrow – a fragile bird – and she’s just managing to keep out of the
