EastEnders’ character has son attacked to stop him coming out as gay
Ryder was attacked in EastEnders (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders has aired a brutal attack on Ryder Hawkins, made to look like a homophobic assault, with a twist revealing his own father Ned orchestrated it.
Tuesday’s (13 October) episode is already available to stream on BBC iPlayer, ahead of its 7:30pm BBC One broadcast.
In the episode, Ned uses what he knows about Mark Fowler Jr’s affair with Lauren Beale to force Mark into doing him a “favour”. Ned threatens to expose the affair unless Mark complies. Mark is then pushed into attacking Ryder to scare him back into the closet.
Ryder is assaulted outside gay bar The Prince Albert after spending time there with Josh Goodwin. Mark approached from behind wearing a balaclava before a fight breaks out, leaving Ryder badly beaten and injured and unconscious on the ground.
Ryder’s coming out
The storyline builds around Ryder’s fear of how his family will react if he is honest about who he is.
In the lead-up, Ryder comes out to his aunt Nicola after she spots a gay dating app notification on his phone. When Nicola asks about a “date”, Ryder insists she has “never met her”, before later confirming he is gay and that nobody else in the family knows.
Ned then witnesses Ryder kissing a man in the Square Gardens. Ned is also shown trying to push Ryder towards a heterosexual life, including arranging for an old football contact to show up in Walford.
Ned’s reaction
After the assault, Ned leans into the possibility that Ryder was targeted because he had been drinking in a gay bar. Ryder returns home in tears, and Ned suggests The Prince Albert was the reason he was attacked.
In another scene, Ned puts his arm around Ryder and tells him “he’s got him”.
Fans have branded Ned “despicable” after he orchestrated the attack. Another said his actions were “beyond evil”.
The BBC soap has previously dealt with homophobic violence, including Paul Coker’s murder in a homophobic attack in 2016.
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