- Islander Jonny Labey’s first EastEnders scenes revealed
- Character Paul Coker set to have a gay relationship with Ben Mitchell
- Watch a video of the Jerseyman’s first appearances in the BBC soap below
- He will appear on screen from early June
THE first scenes of Islander Jonny Labey in EastEnders have appeared online.
It was revealed last month that the 22-year-old Jerseyman will be joining the cast of BBC 1’s flagship soap opera, playing former club rep Paul Coker.
The show’s producers previously teased that Paul’s ‘natural confidence is born of knowing and being comfortable with exactly who he is’ – and it has now been revealed that the character will be gay and will become a love interest for current Walford resident Ben Mitchell.
The actor, a former Grouville School and Victoria College student, is the son of Mark and Colette Labey and has two sisters, Rachael and Katie.
He will appear on screen from early June.
His character Paul will be the grandson of Les and Pam Coker, Albert Square’s resident undertaker and flower stall holder.
A new video, This Summer On EastEnders, has now been released online, showing trailers for a number of the show’s big summer storylines, including clips of three of Paul’s first scenes.
The first sees him being welcomed by Les on Albert Square, while the next scene shows him topless with his grandfather in the kitchen.
However, it is the third scene, it which he is seen passionately kissing Ben Mitchell, which has really got fans of the show talking online.
It has been teased Paul ‘knows exactly who he is’, unlike Ben Mitchell who, having previously been gay, is currently pretending to be straight following a stint in prison, and is currently in a relationship with female character Abi Branning.
Viewers will have to wait and see whether Paul be prepared to keep his romance with secretive Ben, played by Harry Reid, under wraps.
When it was announced he would be joining the cast of the popular soap last month, Jonny said: ‘I am overjoyed to have been given the role of Paul Coker and am thrilled to be joining the show at such a prevalent time as it marks its 30th anniversary.
‘I know I’ve got a lot of work to do to live up to the talent I shall be working with, but I have never felt more welcome and cannot wait to get started.’
At the time, EastEnders executive producer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, described the characer as ‘fun, honest, and always the centre of attention’.
‘Jonny’s a sensitive, clever and intuitive actor and has fitted in to his new Walford family with ease,’ said Mr Treadwell-Collins. ‘We’re all looking forward to seeing the trouble that Paul will cause for his grandparents as he uncovers some secrets from the past and sets one heart in particular racing.’
- A regular on the Islands performance scene, he began dancing with local teacher Valerie Guy at the age of five and starred in his first show, a JADC production of Bugsy Malone, when he was eight.
- Further local performances saw him play Toby in Sweeney Todd and Puck in a production of A Midsummer Nights Dream at Samarès Manor.
- He also performed locally in professional productions of The Buddy Holly Show and Cats, and in school shows Les Misérables and Sweet Charity.
- He left the Island in 2011, aged 18, to take a three-year BA course at the Doreen Bird College of Performance in Sidcup, for which he received a bursary from the Jersey Arts Trust.
- Since graduating last year, he has already performed in a London production of In The Heights, playing a talented and aspiring graffiti artist.
- He also starred in Soft Lad, a film about a young man who embarks on a journey of self-discovery when he falls in love with another man, and performed in the recent West End production of White Christmas.
- EastEnders will be his most high-profile role to date.
- The first episode of EastEnders broadcast on BBC One on 19 February 1985.
- With 30.15 million viewers, the Christmas Day 1986 episode of EastEnders remains the highest rated episode of any soap in UK television history.
- The real life inspiration for Albert Square was Fassett Square in Hackney.
- The show’s iconic theme tune, composed by Simon May, beat the National Anthem in a 2008 poll to be named the most recognisable piece of music in the UK.
- Ian Beale is the soaps longest serving EastEnders character appearing in the first ever episode and playing a key role in the recent 30th anniversary episodes.
- If you sat down and watched every episode of EastEnders back to back it would take you around 104 days.
- It currently broadcasts on BBC One on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings.
- The show celebrated its 30th anniversary in February with a live week, with every episode containing live scenes and one episode broadcast totally live.
- The 30th anniversary live week, which saw the shock return of Kathy Beale and the long-await reveal of Lucy Beales killer, had an overall reach of 20 million viewers 35 per cent of the UK population.
