EastEnders’ Theo actor teases villain’s future in fallout to dark Stacey twist

EastEnders villain Theo Hawthorne’s soap future has been teased by the actor who plays him, after a dark twist this week on the BBC show.

Viewers saw Theo almost killed in a violent attack, after he tried to rape Stacey Slater. Stacey’s stalker assaulted her in harrowing scenes, only for Freddie Slater to walk in and attack him. In the fallout, Theo was feared dead and Freddie was taken in for police questioning.

In the final episode of the week, Theo was revealed to have woken up in hospital and his version of events was very different to that of Stacey and Freddie. Freddie has taken some time away from Walford, unaware of what Theo might be about to reveal.

Now, it seems Stacey’s turmoil is far from over and we could be seeing more of Theo, in the fallout to the dark twist. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, actor William Ellis, who plays Theo, hinted he could be onscreen until at least the end of the year. He also shared his hopes of redemption for his character.

He told us: “All I can say is the Theo storyline is ongoing and there’s more to come, which is very exciting and I’m excited for the rest of the year.” Perhaps with Theo’s shocking attack against Stacey being kept under wraps until it aired, actor William may have simply been trying to avoid any speculation regarding a departure for Theo.

That said, he went on to repeat that there was more to come for Theo and the storyline would continue. With filming being around six weeks in advance, it would be safe to assume he could still be on screen in the coming months. An exit has not been revealed for Theo, so it’s not yet known if he is remaining on the show long-term or if his storyline will come to an end.

On a possible redemption for his character, he told us: “EastEnders is always good at redemptions, I think there is scope for it. There are no nice people in drama because there’s no drama without conflict… that would be amazing though, I’d love to see that but that’s not my job or my decision.”

Stacey’s ordeal came as she initially failed to secure a Stalking Protection Order in court after months of harassment. From trashing her house, sending her flowers and messages and him even leaking her pictures from her SecretCam profile, Theo also moved in next door to her. Terrified, Stacey sought help from the police and requested a SPO but she was let down, with Theo allowed to remain in the Square.

Stacey told Theo once more that she did not love him and never will, but he refused to believe her. He would not take no for an answer and became angry when she once again rejected him. Cruel Theo broke into Stacey’s home, knowing she was alone and launched an attack on her. It’s yet to be revealed what Theo’s next move will be.