‘Scumbag’ Stevie slammed for treatment of Janet and her Down’s syndrome in EastEnders
This article contains spoilers for Wednesday’s (May 1st) EastEnders, which has not yet aired on TV but is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) has hit out at his estranged dad Stevie (Alan Ford) after he rocked up in Albert Square again.
Stevie, who made his first on-screen appearance at Aunt Sal’s (Anna Karen) funeral in January, hasn’t seen his son in 25 years.
They came face to face earlier this week and a war erupted between the family in The Queen Vic.
He’d seen Honey (Emma Barton) propose to Billy on the London Marathon highlights broadcast, and arrived back in Walford to give his best wishes to the happy couple.+
After Phil (Steve McFadden) told him to clear off, and Lexi questioned who her great great grandfather was, Stevie sat himself down at the bar and drowned his sorrows.
Later in the evening, Billy found himself willing to hear his dad out, but when he brought up Jamie’s (Jack Ryder) whereabouts, he threw him out and warned him not to show his face again.
Honey, on the other hand, saw an opportunity for reconciliation and told him to persevere.
In today’s episode, he arrived back in Walford and headed straight for No. 18, with his grandson Will (Freddie Phillips) letting him in.
Billy was furious to see Stevie again, and grimaced at his poor attempts to get to know his grandchildren.
However, it was his interaction with Janet (Grace) that proved a step too far.+
Offering her a mint, he spoke to her in a childlike way and enunciated his words in a patronising manner.
Janet snapped back: ‘I’m not deaf, I have Down’s syndrome.’+
As the kids headed off to school, his presence proved too much to bare and after being branded a ‘scumbag’, he once again he found himself lurking around the streets searching for answers.
At the Laundrette, he spoke with Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) about his loneliness and his desire to rectify the years he’d lost with his family.
Is Stevie a changed man?
