EastEnders character tells on-screen dad Danny Dyer he is gay in emotional scene

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

A new EastEnders character will come out as gay tonight in an emotional scene in which he breaks down to his on-screen father.

Johnny Carter, played by Sam Strike, will come out to his father Mick, played by Danny Dyer in tonight’s episode of the soap.

Last night’s episode ended with the character’s sister Nancy blurting out that Johnny is gay, and last week an episode featured him being caught kissing character Danny Pennant.

 

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According to an the Daily Express, an unnamed EastEnders insider said the character will be relieved when he comes out, and that his father accepts him.

They said: “Johnny thinks Mick will be furious, but it’s the complete opposite.”

The insider told the Express that there is a tense moment before Dyer’s character says he accepts him for who he is, but that his wife, the character Linda, does not.

“But while Mick is fine with having a gay son, his wife isn’t.

“Fans will see Linda struggle to come to terms with the shock news.”

The episode featuring the character’s first gay kiss generated a torrent of homophobic abuse from a minority on Twitter.

The BBC told PinkNews that only 2 complaints were made about the kiss out of approximately 7.9 million viewers.