BBC EastEnders villain Theo was initially cast for only a few episodes before landing huge role

EastEnders star William Ellis has revealed that BBC bosses had initially cast him for a few episodes before realising what he could bring to the character.

William, 43, who played Stacey Slater’s creepy stalker was originally cast as Lily Slater’s personal tutor as she was unable to continue going to school being heavily pregnant. But bosses soon realised that they could propel his role into something far more gripping and that led to him becoming Stacey’s secret webcam client. And his infatuation started to spiral out of control. Speaking at the Inside Soap Awards he said: “I was initially cast on the premise that it would be for a handful of episodes .”

He added: “And then very quickly, almost before I’d even started, Chris made a decision about where he wanted it to go based on what he thought I would bring to Theo.” In his chat with the Daily Star, he continued: “That’s a testament to Chris on how well he’s steered the ship and how much EastEnders is being talked about now. He knows exactly what he wants and where it’s going. It’s been a real joy and a privilege to join the show at the right time.”

Theo’s infatuation with Stacey got so bad he moved into the house next door in a bid to get close to the vendor. And in scenes aired last month, viewers saw that he broke into Stacey’s house to try and rape her. Freddie Slater, played by Strictly Come Dancing’s Bobby Brazier, interrupted the attempted assault and attacked him with an iron, leaving him unconscious. But when he recovered, he gave a completely different account of events.

Thanking his fans and his co-stars for their support he said on an Instagram video: “Can I just come on here and say a massive thank you to everyone for your overwhelming messages of support for this week on EastEnders, the really, really tricky stuff that we shot. It’s so lovely to see you all so invested in it.”

He continued: “It wasn’t easy this week and it was my privilege to be able to work with the likes of Lacey Turner and Bobby Brazier, who are just outstanding, they’re smashing it out of the park at the moment. It’s a real honour to be part of the show, especially when it’s in the place it’s in at the moment. It’s absolutely fizzing and that’s thanks to the great writing and Chris (Clenshaw) at the top steering the ship. So thank you all and I’ll see you soon.”

But since the dramatic scene aired, viewers have been left wondering what happened to the character. Taking to social media, one person wrote: “It’s annoying me that the Stacey/Theo storyline has just been completely dropped for weeks.”

Another person added: “I’m confused what happened to Theo?? Every single episode was about him now nothing.” And a third agreed saying: “Just a minute. Have they forgotten about Theo in the hospital who was supposed to have come out of his coma…maybe he’s fallen back into one waiting for his storyline to reignite.” Meanwhile a fourth commented: “What’s happened to Theo? Freddie knocked him out, he went to hospital, and has never been seen again? Presumably he must be back at some point?”