Christian Clarke
Christian Clarke is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by John Partridge. He first appeared in the show's 3,509th episode, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2008, and was introduced as the brother of established character Jane Beale. He was introduced as a new gay character for the show, following the popularity of Coronation Street Sean Tully. Christian and Partridge's casting were announced on 20 November 2007.
Christian's storylines have mostly revolved around his relationship with Syed Masood, but his other storylines have included a friendship with Roxy Mitchell and being involved in the coming out storylines of Ben Mitchell. On 17 September 2012, it was announced that Partridge would be leaving his role, following Elliott's decision to leave the show. They left together in the 4,532nd episode, originally broadcast on 15 November 2012.
Partridge returned to the show for two episodes on 19 and 20 May 2014 which saw Christian attend the funeral of Lucy Beale. In January 2015, it was confirmed that Partridge would be returning for the show's 30th anniversary celebrations in February 2015. Partridge appeared in four episodes between 17 and 20 February 2015, including a fully live episode, which saw Christian attend Jane's wedding to Ian Beale. On 8 April 2016, it was reported that Partridge would reprise the role again in "early summer" 2016. Christian returned on 26 May 2016 and departed again on 30 May.
Creation
In November 2007, it was announced that a new gay character was to join the cast of EastEnders, as the show's bosses had seen how popular Antony Cotton was in the role of Sean Tully in rival soap opera Coronation Street. However, Partridge's character is not as camp as Cotton's, and is described as "very suave and a real charmer" and a "savvy, bright character very fun." Partridge commented that it would be "stupid" to copy Cotton's character, adding that "it's about time EastEnders had a gay character in the show." He later told Attitude that Cotton's character in Coronation Street is the reason Christian is in EastEnders due to his popularity, and that Christian was created to be the opposite of Sean. Partridge said of his character, "I think he's going to upset the apple cart at the Beales'" and "Christian, like me, is an openly proud gay man and he is certainly going to ruffle a few feathers when he arrives."Talking about his casting in the role of Christian, Partridge has disclosed: "I'm slightly terrified when I come into work every day. It's an enormous machine. Plus, the actors I work with the most, Adam Woodyatt and Laurie Brett, are such consummate professionals that I don't want to weaken the Beale family or bring anyone down. I want to stand up there with them and be seen as a good team player."
Development
Partridge has commented that one aspect of his character he most enjoys is "that he weaves in and out of lots of characters' stories, so I have interaction with loads of different people. Take his friendship with Roxy, for example — I absolutely love it, and working with Rita Simons, who plays her, is such a pleasure. We're very natural in that set-up." In turn, Simons has commented that her own character, Roxy, would be "really lost without. He's her rock". Partridge has also denied that Christian is a stereotypical gay man, saying "Christian wears slightly brighter colours than I would normally wear but you know it is a BBC show and we have to show that I am gay you know? I don't think it's stereotypical at all because there are what I call seven shades of gay and that goes from real straight acting to camp and I like to think that Christian has all of those elements as I do as a gay man."In June 2009, Christian begins an affair with Muslim character Syed Masood, played by Marc Elliott. The storyline is said to be controversial, as homosexuality is strictly forbidden according to mainstream interpretations of Islam. However, the show's executive producer Diederick Santer explained that the storyline will not be a moral tale, but one of human interest, adding: " struggles with his sexuality when he finds himself drawn to Christian and he believes this goes against his faith. This is not a story about Syed and Christian's physical relationship — we don't see anything beyond one kiss." Santer also said that EastEnders always tries to "reflect modern life in multicultural Britain and social issue stories relevant to diverse audience." Partridge commented on the storyline, saying: "I'm thrilled this storyline is being done. People fall in love in impossible circumstances all the time. Why are Christian and Syed any different?"
Partridge told entertainment website Digital Spy that lessons were learnt after a kiss between Christian and his then-boyfriend Lee Thompson in 2008 prompted 145 complaints from viewers, saying: "Even after story, Diederick , Dominic Treadwell-Collins, series story producer] and the BBC were brave enough to push forward with this current storyline. Everybody learned lessons from that as to how to tell this story... so as not to offend people, not to be gratuitous and not to let something like a kiss be something that overshadows the story we're trying to tell. I'm immensely proud of that and immensely proud of this storyline. I'm honoured that they've allowed me to be a face for it."
In December 2009, Santer was asked what his favourite storyline of the year had been. He replied "I'm really pleased with the Christian/Syed storyline. It's bold and we thought long and hard before we did it to make sure we got it right and I'm really proud with what we've done. Marc and John have absolutely stepped up to the plate and like all good EastEnders stories, we're not even half done with it yet. There's miles to go."
In 2010, Christian will get a beating once his and Syed's secret is revealed. A source explained: "It seems that Christian is going to take the brunt of Syed's problems. Syed and Amira's wedding achieved one of the highest ratings of the year, so we're expecting viewers to again be gripped when this storyline reaches its dramatic climax. "There will be lots of twists and turns along the way. And sadly for poor Christian, he'll be the one who ends up taking a battering. There will also be lots of complaints." Tahir Shah from the Muslim Public Affairs Committee criticised the storyline as soon as it was reported for portraying Muslims in a negative light."EastEnders is known for its gritty and realistic storylines but we cannot condone such violence from a Muslim character," he explained. However, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell described the plot as "groundbreaking", adding: "No storyline in any drama will ever reflect the totality of the many diverse gay lifestyles and experiences. Full credit to the BBC for having a gay Muslim character. The lives of gay Muslims are very rarely in the media."
Departure (2012)
On 7 September 2012, it was announced that Syed and Christian would be departing in November 2012 in an explosive storyline that bosses did not reveal at the time. Executive producer, Lorraine Newman said: "Marc and John have been a fantastic part of the show and their characters have been a huge success. Their storylines have broken boundaries that have not been seen in a soap before and the love for them by the viewers can be seen in their 'Chryed' fans. When Marc announced he had decided to move on, we had a tough decision to make. After numerous conversations, which included John, it was decided that there is only one outcome for Syed and Christian. We wish them both all the best for the future." Syed and Christian left together on 15 November 2012.Returns (2014–2016)
On 7 April 2014, it was announced that Christian would be returning in May 2014 for the funeral of Lucy Beale, who was to be killed as part of a new storyline. It was revealed on 11 May 2014 that Christian would return when Jane's ex-husband, Ian Beale visited him "in search of Jane". Christian returned for two episodes on 19 and 20 May 2014. On 17 January 2015, it was announced that Partridge would be returning again, this time for the show's thirtieth anniversary which would see Christian return for Ian and Jane's wedding. Of his return, Partridge said, "I am honoured to be returning to EastEnders at this most exciting time to celebrate 30 years of the show, and more importantly to find out who killed Lucy!" The show's executive producer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, joked that Jane could not get married without having her brother at the occasion and said that the EastEnders team were "thrilled to have him back" for the anniversary. Treadwell-Collins then promised that Partridge's "extensive theatre experience" would be utilised as he "is plunged into EastEnders live week." Spoiler images released on 10 February 2015 teased Partridge's return to the show, revealing that Christian would surprise Jane by initially telling her that he is unable to attend the wedding, before revealing himself to her. Partridge later teased another return to the show, saying, "I can always be lured back!"On 8 April 2016, it was announced that Partridge would be "briefly" returning for a third guest stint in "early summer" 2016, alongside Lynda Baron who plays his on-screen mother, Linda Clarke. Their return storyline was billed as "explosive" for the Beale family, "unmissable", and something that would see "change in the Beale family forever". Partridge was confirmed to be filming EastEnders as well as touring with the production of Chicago The Musical. Of his return, Partridge said, "I am thrilled to be able to return to EastEnders whilst touring the UK with Chicago. Christian is never far from my mind – I turn my back for five minutes and look what happens." Partridge returned to filming on 14 April 2016, filming scenes which he believed would air "around June". He described returning to filming as "wonderful" and compared to "putting on a nice, comfortable pair of shoes." He also praised the EastEnders team for being "very welcoming", adding that it "seemed so natural to be back" and felt like he had "never been away". Partridge confirmed that he would feature in a lot of scenes with Brett as Christian will return to "look after Jane Beale". He teased that his return may involve the 'Who Killed Lucy Beale?' storyline and would be part of a "big year" for the Beale family.