Colin Russell (EastEnders)
Colin Russell | |||||||||||
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EastEnders character | |||||||||||
Portrayed by | Michael Cashman | ||||||||||
Duration | 1986–1989, 2016, 2022 | ||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 153 5 August 1986 | ||||||||||
Last appearance | Episode 6608 13 December 2022 | ||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
Introduced by | Julia Smith (1986) Sean O'Connor (2016) Chris Clenshaw (2022) | ||||||||||
Book appearances | A Single Man | ||||||||||
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Colin Russell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Cashman. The character appears between 5 August 1986 and 23 February 1989 and on 8 and 9 September 2016.[1][2] Colin is originally portrayed as a middle-class yuppie with a kind heart. The character is Walford's first on-screen gay resident and he featured in the UK's first homosexual kiss on a soap opera, which caused controversy in the British press. Cashman reprised the role of Colin for the funeral of Dot Cotton (June Brown) for two episodes broadcast on 12 and 13 December 2022.
Storylines
1986–1989
Colin, a
Barry causes Colin problems by interfering with his work, deliberately making him jealous, and engaging in criminal antics with villainous
Colin grows depressed, which worsens when he is mugged in an alley and beaten up, and he suffers a spell of poor health in 1988 after his eyesight starts giving him trouble, he gets unexplained dizzy spells and occasionally cannot move his legs. Colin fears he has AIDS, however tests confirm that he has
However, in January 1989, Colin's health deteriorates, and Legg finally reveals that he has MS. Colin is furious at Dr. Legg for lying and threatens to report him to the authorities. Colin spends weeks coming to terms with the news, but Guido stands by him and Colin eventually accepts his condition. Problems arise in Colin and Guido's relationship in 1989; Colin begins to believe that Guido is only staying with him out of pity. Colin decides to move to his brother's house in Bristol. He opts not to tell Guido that he is going, but a surprise visit from Barry stalls his departure and Guido comes home to see Colin packed and ready to leave. Colin tells Guido that he needs some space and asks him to look after his flat whilst he sorts himself out. He then leaves Walford whilst his friends wave him goodbye.
2016-2022
Twenty-seven years later, in September 2016, Dot discovers that Colin is marrying a man called
Character creation and development
Colin was EastEnders' first
Colin was one of the most controversial characters of his time — mainly because gay-orientated content was still relatively rare on
Colin was a middle-class, well-meaning, slightly uptight yuppie, and his inclusion was an attempt to portray the gentrification of the East End of London. The openly gay actor and gay activist Michael Cashman, who had roots in the East End, was chosen to play the role. Cashman initially resisted playing Colin, but was persuaded by his boyfriend, Paul Cottingham, and after receiving his parents' backing, he accepted the part.[7]
The makers of EastEnders decided that Colin's partner needed to be in stark contrast in order to prevent Colin from becoming too rarefied (up until this point middle-classed characters had been relatively unsuccessful and had failed to fully integrate into EastEnders predominantly working-class community).
A relationship between Colin and Barry was quickly developed and the residents of
Despite the initial negativity, the storyline had a powerful impact on public attitudes and the show's handling of Colin and Barry's relationship was deemed by many gay activists as something of a breakthrough.
Barry and Colin remained an on-screen couple until the end of 1987. Their characters were used to highlight many other gay issues, such as homophobia, gay bashing and gay legal inequality — i.e. the legal age of gay sexual consent (which at the time was 21 instead of 16 as it is today). Eventually, the differences between Colin and Barry became too great for them to overcome, they split and Barry left Walford for a job on a cruise ship.
Colin had a health scare during the autumn of 1988 and for a moment it looked like EastEnders might have been about to do an
Towards the end of 1988 Colin found new love, with a fellow yuppie —
Cashman decided to quit the show in the early part of 1989. While still on the cast of EastEnders, Cashman had founded the influential gay campaign group
On 25 August 2016, it was announced that Cashman had reprised the role for two episodes to air the following month.[13] Colin shared scenes with Dot Cotton (Brown), but full details of the storyline were initially held back.[13] Of his return to EastEnders, Cashman stated: "It was a real joy, indeed a privilege, to return to my old home of Albert Square. To be amongst so many friends again, and to be back in the place where 30 years ago I started an amazing journey. An amazing journey which incredibly helped to change the country, and certainly its attitude to lesbian, gay and bisexual people."[13]
Reception
In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Colin 85th on their ranked list of the best EastEnders characters of all time, commenting on how he was the soap's first gay character and how his storylines highlighted homophobia, as well as his kiss with Barry being the first gay kiss on a British soap opera.[14]
See also
- List of LGBT characters in television and radio
- List of soap operas with LGBT characters
References
- ^ "BBC One - EastEnders, 08/09/2016".
- ^ "BBC One - EastEnders, 09/09/2016".
- ^ a b "Tipping the Velvet". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 October 2002. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-563-37057-4.
- ^ "Gay TV Characters", RainbowNetwork.com. URL last accessed on 2006-12-30.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-563-52269-0.
- ^ "The Gay Team", The Guardian. URL last accessed on 2006-12-30.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-563-20601-9.
- ^ a b "EastEnders star turned MEP to hold gay marriage Archived 2006-10-14 at the Wayback Machine", Pinknews.co.uk. URL last accessed on 2006-12-30.
- ^ a b c "Without prejudice", The Guardian. URL last accessed on 2006-12-30.
- ^ "Gay weddings on The Archers! Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine", Outfront. URL last accessed on 2006-12-30.
- ISBN 978-0-685-52957-7.
- ^ a b c Kilkelly, Daniel (25 August 2016). "EastEnders brings back the show's first ever gay character as Lord Michael Cashman returns as Colin Russell". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ Sara Wallis; Ian Hyland (12 June 2020). "100 Best EastEnders characters ever". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 18 October 2023.