EastEnders star Roland Manookian has teased there will be trouble ahead for Teddy Mitchell as he
arrives in Albert Square.
The character, the estranged son of Stevie Mitchell, will enter Walford next week (June 27) alongside
sons Harry (Elijah Holloway) and Barney (Lewis Bridgeman) as he seeks to reconnect with his family.
Ahead of his debut, Manookian spoke about his character, teasing: “Teddy is an enigmatic character. He’s a philosophical soul, and he’s very shrewd in business. He has a very acute understanding of the needs of his family and being emotionally there for them as well as being a protector of them.
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“Teddy is a good all-round character to play because he’s a very strong-willed man. There’s not many chinks in his armour, and he’s a man who has charm, but he is also quite humble and he’s got a very good way with people.
“I would say he’s also a bit of a strategist and he’s tried to instil these qualities and attributes in his children. It makes Teddy a very old-school, stoic man but he’s smart enough to be able to adapt.”
Upon his entry into Walford, Teddy will attempt to become closer with his estranged father, with Manookian hinting that there will be some unresolved tensions and feelings between the pair:
“It’s been quite a rocky relationship with his dad,” he said. “But as Teddy has got older, Stevie has naturally been very influential in his life as many fathers are, so they’ve had many renaissances of their relationships.
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“I think they come and go in each other’s lives when they need each other, but ultimately Teddy loves and respects his dad a great deal. Especially, now having children of his own, I think Teddy understands the sacrifices his dad has had to make.
“I think there is a little bit of ambiguity about what’s happened to his dad. Stevie’s whereabouts have been unknown up until now, and so he wants to find out what happened and what he’s been up to in the time that he’s been in Walford.
“Teddy knows this is probably the only lead that he’s going to get because his father isn’t going to tell him the truth. So, there’s a motive of trying to get to the bottom of what’s happened.”
Teddy won’t have everything his own way, however, with the rest of the Mitchell family encountering him at The Vic. “Billy and Phil are there to protect the youngest member of their clan,” said Manookian.
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“They find out there’s a mysterious man with their boy, so their motive is to find out exactly what is going on. Teddy is a little bit shocked by the impact, and the thought of what’s about to go down, but he does remain calm in the situation to get to the bottom of it.
“All I can say is there’s going to be some fireworks. It catches him a little bit off guard, but because Teddy is such a strong family man, he will want to make it work. It’s two bulls locking horns with those characters, and quite differently because I think they’re at different ends of the spectrum of alpha males.
“Phil has a more aggressive approach and a physical presence, whereas Teddy is as fierce and as dangerous as someone like Phil, but his strategies are just a little bit more diplomatic because he’s trying to get the best outcome for himself.
“I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that Teddy is going to cause loads of trouble which I’m very much looking forward to. Plenty of mischief!”
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The actor, who plays Craig Rolfe in the Rise of the Footsoldier series, also spoke about the prospect of working on the BBC soap, describing his first experience of walking on set as “surreal.”
“First and foremost, it’s a great honour to come into a show which is an institution in its own right, and to be part of a very well established, stalwart family of Walford is a real honour. It also comes with a bit of pressure too which is welcome,” he said.
“It was all a bit surreal. It’s weird because you have these moments where you go ‘oh this is so familiar to me’ because I’ve obviously seen it on screen over so many years, and then the work starts and it becomes another location. It’s funny how it transcended from being surreal to reality very quickly, and that was really lovely. I feel like I’m a regular at The Vic now.”
