Gray Atkins
Gray Atkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Toby-Alexander Smith. He was introduced by executive producer Kate Oates in episode 5893, broadcast on 29 March 2019, as the patriarch of the Atkins family, which included Gray, his wife Chantelle Atkins, and children Mia and Mackenzie Atkins. Before his introduction and during the beginning of his time on the show, Gray was depicted as a charming and confident businessman, as well as a loving husband and committed father, before Gray and Chantelle became the focus of a storyline about domestic abuse. The show worked with charities such as Refuge and Women's Aid to depict the storyline in an accurate and sensitive manner. In September 2020, EastEnders announced that the storyline would end with Gray killing Chantelle to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence, which included a sharp increase in spousal murders.
Following the conclusion of his story with Chantelle, Gray served as the show's main antagonist in 2020 and 2021. He murdered Tina Carter and Kush Kazemi before entering a second marriage to Chelsea Fox, with the two having a son together, Jordan Atkins. The relationship began to sour as Gray became physically abusive towards Chelsea shortly before the show announced that Smith had been axed from the show in February 2022 for storyline purposes. Smith admitted that he enjoyed the challenge that came with playing a character as deceitful as Gray. In episode 6649, broadcast 10 March 2022, Gray's departure was depicted as his arrest after his murders were finally uncovered, a downfall Smith considered "a long time coming".
The character of Gray was highly disliked by viewers due to his depraved actions, frequently being described by the media as "evil" and "vile". Smith was subjected to online harassment on social media from people who struggled to differentiate him from his character, which he noted saw a peak during Gray and Chantelle's domestic abuse storyline. Smith opined that the backlash was "worth it" if televising a domestically abusive relationship helped a victim escape one in real life. Despite the mixed reactions to his character, Smith received [|various awards and nominations] for his portrayal of Gray, including a British Academy Television Award nomination for "Must-See Moment".
Development
Introduction and characterision
Gray's arrival and Toby-Alexander Smith's casting was announced on Digital Spy on 11 March 2019. He was introduced as the patriarch of the Atkins family, an extension of the Taylor family, which included Gray, his wife Chantelle Atkins, and their children Mia and Mackenzie. Smith and Plummer had already begun filming scenes prior to the announcement. Smith said he was "delighted" to join EastEnders, as he had been a fan of the soap for a long time, adding that he was "looking forward to seeing what Albert Square in store for Gray". By extension, the Atkins family as a whole were announced to "cause a stir" in Walford upon their arrival. It was reported that Gray and Chantelle would arrive in Walford with a "secret agenda" and that Chantelle would appear first, followed by Gray and their children, with the family's arrival being teased to "ruffle feathers" among residents of Walford. Gray went on to make his first appearance on 29 March 2019.EastEnders executive producer Kate Oates detailed that Gray and Chantelle's history was that Gray had charmed Chantelle years before, causing her to leave the Taylors and start a family with Gray. The producer characterised Gray as a "hard-working solicitor whose success took Chantelle away from the " years prior due to his charm and good looks. Gray was further characterised by the media as a "high-flying businessman" who was "charming, confident and very proud of everything he's achieved", having previously worked hard in a city law firm to achieve his family's luxurious lifestyle. Radio Times described Gray as a "London boy done good" who is grateful for what he has in life. Plummer teased Gray's more nefarious side in May 2019, saying that Gray "had the potential" to become one of the soap's greatest villains, adding that Smith "could do it justice". Smith explained in June 2019 that Chantelle and Gray were "just trying to settle into the square" at that point, as it was a very different living arrangement from what they had previously. He added that Gray still hadn't integrated with the Taylors by that point, especially Chantelle's father, Mitch Baker.
Marriage to Chantelle Atkins
Domestic abuse
On 12 July 2019, the show confirmed that Chantelle and Gray would become the focus of a storyline about domestic abuse. The announcement was made after a scene where Gray aggressively punched Chantelle in their home was aired. The show worked with charities such as Refuge and Women's Aid, which specialise in helping victims of domestic abuse, to portray the storyline in an accurate and sensitive manner. Teresa Parker, head of communications for Women's Aid, insisted that it was "important" to portray domestic abuse on screen as realistically as possible, and that EastEnders had worked with the charity from the early development of the storyline, which included advising themes and details in the scripts, and ensuring the storyline was "thoroughly researched" by experts in domestic abuse. Sandra Horley, chief executive of Refuge, explained: "The more we all understand domestic abuse , the more women, like Chantelle, will be able to seek help", adding that the organisation commended EastEnders for highlighting this "insidious issue".File:Jessica Plummer 2019.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Chantelle Atkins was Gray's wife and the subject of his abuse. Smith described his scenes with Plummer as "intense", but believed worked well together.
Oates illuminated that from Chantelle and Gray's arrival, they contributed to the storyline's key theme of not knowing what goes on behind closed doors as they initially made their neighbours envious of them, and, in her words: "the very first time we crossed the threshold of , saw the truth of their relationship, and the violence Gray subjects Chantelle to". Oates also hoped that the storyline would encourage domestic abuse victims to escape their situation and seek help. Smith was pleased that the subject of domestic abuse was being tackled on EastEnders, teasing that the storyline would "depict how hidden from sight domestic abuse remains even today". He added that: "to the unaware eye Gray appears to be a loving husband and a committed father; but his charm is a front for the power and control he exerts over Chantelle – an experience all too common to thousands of women up and down the country today". The actor hoped that by tackling the subject, the show could raise awareness of "the importance of changing societal values so that both women and men's rights to live free from abuse, invasion, disempowerment and intimidation are respected".
During the storyline, it was revealed that Gray's abuse had begun years prior, and that the pair moved to Walford in the hopes of a fresh start and for Gray to potentially change his behaviour. After an attack saw Gray injure Chantelle's stomach, she discovered that she was pregnant. In October 2019, Smith confirmed that the show would tackle Gray's backstory. Smith commented there was an "insecure" side to the character, adding that he found it "very difficult" to identify with Gray, but he had to "find ways of finding humanity in Gray because he is very layered". Smith added that Gray isn't a "monster" without reason, as his toxic behaviour stemmed from negative experiences throughout his life. Following Chantelle's pregnancy discovery, the actor suggested that Gray saw it as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, believing it was "very much a motivation to try and reshape his values and beliefs knows that he needs to change now". Despite this, Smith admitted uncertainty regarding if Gray's pride would allow him to "lose that entitlement". Smith believed Gray's abusive behaviour was a reflection of his desire for "power and control", adding that "the minute something slips off-kilter, he panics", afraid of losing everything he has. Chantelle went on to miscarry the baby, choosing not to tell Gray out of fear of his reaction.
After Gray hid a fight he had in a nightclub from Chantelle, she told him that his abuse had to stop or else they wouldn't be having another child, deciding to attend couples therapy sessions. At one of the sessions, Gray revealed his past, which involved a childhood where he was subjected to abuse from both his parents, especially his father. Speaking to Inside Soap in October 2019, Smith called Gray a "challenging role" to play as it wasn't easy to identify with Gray, but that Gray was influenced by the toxicity between his parents when he was a child. Smith and Plummer knew that the domestic abuse storyline was coming from early in their run, but didn't know when it would start as Oates and Sen wanted the storyline to be a "slow-burner". The actor believed that Gray was a person with "many layers" that made him who he was, and that the prospect of Gray changing was not a "black-and-white case of, 'Okay, it's an easy fix'". Smith described filming his scenes with Plummer as "intense", especially with the added responsibility of depicting the subject matter delicately, but added that he and Plummer worked well together. He further cited humiliation as Gray's primary trigger for his violent outbursts.
Gray later grew violent again with Chantelle, to the extent that he accidentally broke her arm, and, after discovering that she didn't tell him about the miscarriage, raped her in hope that she would conceive another child. In January 2020, Smith revealed that the storyline would get darker and that Gray's abuse would not be found out by Chantelle's family any time soon. The actor explained that Gray's mental state had deteriorated to the point that he wouldn't see the issue in his behaviour fixed by therapy sessions and that the possibility of Gray's children finding out about the abuse was something the show was considering as "it's a very important thing to consider that children are very savvy with the arguments that their parents have". Smith addressed that it would take "something big" for Gray to change his way, and believed the character wanted to and was "intelligent enough" to do so, but would struggle due to his "self-entitlement stubbornness". Smith added that Gray had "been this way for such a long time" that it was unsure whether he could change, commenting "I think there's a part of him that does want to change, but whether or not he can, we'll see". The actor admitted that he was unsure if Gray would get a comeuppance, despite acknowledging that many viewers wanted him to meet one. Smith named Gray as the "hardest" role he's ever portrayed as Gray is "layered" and viewers see all of them, including "vulnerability, aggression, his lovely bloke persona and insecurity". He continued by saying he and Plummer were "very lucky" to have built a friendship before filming their scenes together as Chantelle and Gray, as it allowed the pair to establish personal boundaries with each other.