EastEnders villain Eddie Knight has made an unexpected return to Walford, but actor Christopher Fairbank is virtually unrecognisable in an early appearance on Coronation Street.
Eddie Knight's Dark Past
The sinister OAP, played by Fairbank, was last seen on the BBC soap in 2024 after the horrifying truth emerged that he had killed his adoptive son George's biological father, Henry Asare, during the 1980s. In a heartbreaking discovery, Eddie and his wife Gloria (Elizabeth Counsell) had brought George (Colin Salmon) into their home through a disturbing scheme called child farming. Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) assisted George in uncovering his genuine African roots after he had spent his entire life thinking he was Jamaican, sparking uncertainty about his identity.
While his adoptive parents disclosed some aspects of his past, it quickly became clear they were hiding considerably more from George. Eddie had killed Henry in a vicious attack to prevent him from reconnecting George with his birth relatives. As a young boy, George witnessed the terrible incident but assumed it was a random violent crime. George later learned that Eddie was preparing him to testify after being charged with the racially motivated killing. Following the trial, Eddie was found guilty of beating George's real father to death and was handed a life sentence.
After the court proceedings, Gloria died from a fatal heart attack with George by her side. However, that was not George's last meeting with Eddie. On Monday (May 4), Eddie rang George from his hospital bed, but Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) answered instead. She was left gobsmacked and dashed to the hospital to challenge Eddie, who disclosed he is terminally ill with cancer. Although Nicola kept her encounter with Eddie from George, he quickly sussed out the truth after stumbling upon a hospital parking ticket, forcing her to come clean. George visited the hospital and was shocked by Eddie's weakened state, while back on the Square, the rest of the Knight clan were astounded by Eddie's reappearance. Eddie now intends to spend his remaining time with George to avoid being sent back to prison, where he faces dying alone.
Christopher Fairbank's Early Career
Beyond the BBC soap, actor Christopher Fairbank has featured in numerous other well-known programmes, including Coronation Street. In an episode broadcast in October 1981, Brian Tilsley (Christopher Quinten) is shown working at the motor garage with another mechanic, Ginger, portrayed by Fairbank. Brian was embroiled in a serious plotline where he faced charges of unlawful wounding after a robbery, but the garage's owner declined to support him. In the sequence, Fairbank appears youthful and speaks with a pronounced Northern dialect, a stark contrast to his East End character.
Fairbank, 72, hailing from Hertfordshire, featured in Weatherfield from August to October 1981, before he notably portrayed Albert Moxey on Auf Wiedersehen, Pet from 1983 through to 2004. He also appeared in numerous other television programmes, including Silas Wegg, Vera, Sapphire and Steel, and Crocodile Shoes.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer.
