Keegan Baker
Keegan Baker is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Zack Morris. He first appeared in episode 5421, broadcast on 9 January 2017, transpiring to be a school friend of established character Shakil Kazemi. Morris began filming in November 2016 and Keegan was introduced to become prominent in storylines focusing with other teenage characters, namely Shakil, Bex Fowler, and Louise Mitchell. Initially characterised as an arrogant and spiteful bully, Keegan's character became more sensitive and sympathetic throughout his time on the soap, particularly following the introduction of his family – the Taylors – in June 2017. During the family's announcement and promotion, it was kept secret that Keegan was their relative.
Keegan and Shakil became the focuses of a storyline about gang violence in 2018, which saw both characters be stabbed, resulting in Shakil's death. The storyline was considered as one of the most important in the show's history by executive producer John Yorke. In the aftermath of the stabbing, Keegan began a relationship with Tiffany Butcher, with the couple marrying in November 2019. Morris opined that despite their character's young ages, their attraction was genuine as they were bonded by both having to mature quickly. In February 2022, it was announced that Morris had left the soap to pursue other projects. The actor sang praises of his co-stars before Keegan and Tiffany departed in episode 6453, broadcast on 17 March 2022, being given a rare happy ending to their story. Keegan's character development and storylines often attracted critical praise during his run, with Morris securing several awards and nominations for his portrayal.
Development
Casting and introduction
Keegan made his first appearance on 9 January 2017. Zack Morris's casting was announced by his theatre school D&B Academy of Performing Arts beforehand, which he still attended when he received the part, with the school promising that he would be "one to watch". He was introduced on a six-month contract as a friend of Shakil Kazemi. A show insider told the press Keegan would become more promenant in the show's storylines with the other teenage characters, namely Shakil, Bex Fowler, and Louise Mitchell, and that he would continue "to cement his reputation as a troublemaker". Keeper revealed that herself and Morris had the same agent and knew each other for years prior to his casting. Morris reported that he was "having a ball" playing a villain like Keegan, and sang excitement about his new role, but described it as "daunting" to join EastEnders as: "EastEnders is a show that's been going on for so many years and it's such a big part of British television. But when you get there, everybody is so nice to work with – all of the directors and all of the cast. So it's a nice, easy place to settle in".Morris disclosed that he began filming in November 2016, and that the audition process was "quite a while" before that. He explained his audition process for Keegan: "When I had my original audition, I didn't hear anything back for quite a while, so I actually assumed that I didn't get it. But after a few more weeks, I heard that I had another audition and it all worked out from there". After he was cast, Morris had Jamie Borthwick, who played Jay Brown, as a mentor on set, whom he praised for being "very wise for such a young guy" and for giving "great advice". Morris found it "nerve-wracking" to join the show, labelling the role of Keegan as "the biggest job" he had ever gained and found it enjoyable to play a villain, commenting "it's so much more fun", despite clarifying that he was "not like Keegan in real life". When asked if viewers would be able to warm up to Keegan, Morris responded: "That's something you'll have to keep watching to find out. As much as you guys don't know what's coming up, we don't know what's happening in the future either". The actor himself commented that he would "like" for Keegan to be deeper than it first appeared, but reiterated that he didn't know what would happen. After Keegan began receiving mixed reactions, Morris took it as a "positive" as "the viewers are buying that I'm evil, so I'm fine with that".
Characterisation
Upon his arrival, Keegan is in his mid teens. Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy billed Keegan as a "villain" and a "new bad boy" for the soap. When asked to describe Keegan, Morris called his character "cocky", "aggressive", and that he "thinks he's the leader of the pack". He added that Keegan "thinks he's a bit bigger than what he is", and concluded: "All in all, he's a bit of a dick, really". The actor hoped Keegan would eventually grow on people, but said there wouldn't be many "redeeming features" for his character. He added that a key trait of Keegan's is to "shock" people. Morris described Keegan as "boisterous", and noted that he knew people like Keegan during his own time at school, adding that people-watching often helped him represent people's characteristics. Morris detailed that during his own school years, he wasn't "extremely naughty" or "extremely good", finding himself identifying with his character's "cheekiness" and not his "bullying". The actor explained that Keegan has "a bad sense of humour", "finds the wrong things funny", and "has no sense of judgement". He compared Keegan to "a bull in a china shop" who "smashes through" his obstacles. Morris further described his character as "cheeky and obnoxious", detailing that Keegan "likes to be the leader of the pack". Morris explained that Keegan "has a very short fuse", and "doesn't back down".Keegan has been described as a "nasty piece of work", a "teen tearaway", "disruptive", "volatile", and "tortured". Dainty noted that Keegan "has no respect for his elders, and generally just thinks he's a bit indestructible". Several critics have described Keegan as a "troublemaker" or "troublesome". Morris opined that Keegan wasn't the type to "redeem himself". Inside Soap Allison Jones described Keegan as a "spiteful schoolboy" and a "terrible bully with a shocking lack of respect". Morris often explained his belief that Keegan's personality was born through "something in his past". The actor opined that he would get along with Keegan, finding some of his jokes funny, and adding that Keegan would back someone up "if needed it". Throughout his time on the soap, it was often noted that Keegan's rough nature had softened. Duncan Lindsay of the Metro explained: "Keegan began his life in Walford as an odious character but he has been developed a lot since then and despite maintaining his edge, his deep love for his family and the root of his acting out have been explored more". Laura Morgan of Digital Spy described Keegan as a "reformed bad boy", adding that he had "proven that he's rather a sensitive, caring soul under all that bravado".
Morris disclosed that Keegan was introduced as an abrasive teenager to leave room for character development. Morris attributed Keegan's personality change to the introduction of his family and audiences learning more about him, explaining: "It's about understanding why he does the things that he does and says the things that he says. It's because of what his environment has been, and people might be able to relate to that". The actor has explained that a trait of Keegan's include struggling to control his emotions, explaining that: "He's not very good at showing emotion and keeps things under wraps. For Keegan it just bubbles up until he's about to erupt". When asked what advice he would give his character, Morris responded that he would tell Keegan to "think before acts", adding that his character "needs to realise that every action has a consequence". Morris has also said Keegan is "not the type of person to ask for any help".
Role in the Taylor family
In April 2017, when Morris was asked if he would like to see the introduction of Keegan's family, he responded that "It would be nice, but you've just got to play it by ear". He added that there was potential that the introduction of his family could "show a different side" to Keegan, but admitted that himself and his co-stars didn't know where things would go. He later reiterated the scentiment, disclosing he wanted to explore more of Keegan's backstory, as "horrible people" tend to have a reason for their actions. He teased that Keegan had "good stuff" coming and that the upcoming storyline may make viewers "feel sorry" for the character. In May, the show announced that it would explore why Keegan is "the way he is". On whether Keegan could be redeemed after months of drama for the character, Morris opined that his character wouldn't be the type to redeem himself, but wanted to see "other aspects" of Keegan's character and admitted he would enjoy seeing Keegan get "on the straight and narrow". Prior to his family's introduction, Morris promised: "I feel like the stuff in the summer is the main thing to look out for".In May 2017, the show announced that a new "big" and "loud" family, the Taylors, would be introduced later in the year. The family was to be headed by the "fierce" Karen Taylor, who would join alongside her children Keanu Taylor, Bernadette Taylor, Riley Taylor, and Chatham Taylor. Despite being set to "kick up chaos", the family had "warmth at the heart". It was known that Chantelle was an offscreen other child. It was further promised that "at least one of the members of the clan is carrying a secret". Arrived in Walford "with a bang". In the "dying minutes" of the Taylor family's debut episode, Keegan was revealed to be part of the family, as he was Karen's son. It was not mentioned prior to the family's arrival that Keegan was a member. Speaking about filming with his new co-stars, Morris admitted it was "so weird at first" to have his own home on the show, as most of his scenes had been in school or in Albert Square, but considered his character getting a home to be "reassuring and a comfort in a way" as it felt like it solidified his place in the show. He commented that the family's offscreen dynamic was very positive.
Discussing Keegan's relationship with his brother Keanu, Morris explained that the characters had "a bit of a rivalry" due to their opposing personalities and close age range, explaining: "The age gap is quite close – Keegan is 15 and Keanu is 18 – Keegan's a boisterous character, while Keanu wants to be the man of the house and bring the money in, so there's a bit of rivalry there". Morris explained that both Keegan and Keanu enjoyed getting into mischief together, as it "connects" them, noting that it would be explored in an upcoming scene. He continued explaining the rivalry as "Keanu is always trying to be the better one in the family and Keegan resents that, so there's always a bit of bickering or arguing or as if there's about to be a fight. It's that kind of tension". Stanley later opined that her character would "not having anyone say anything bad" in regards to her children, and that her instinct was to "protect" Keegan and her other children.
"Another side" to Keegan was teased during Bernadette's miscarriage storyline, as Keegan would find the ordeal of grieving the baby "particularly difficult", though would try to act uncaring. In February 2018, it was announced that Keegan's father, Mitch Baker would make his debut in March in a guest role, promising to be "more trouble for the Taylor family" Morris explained that he was "really excited" for Mitch to be introduced, referring to him as "the missing piece" in the family. He noted that he often wondered what Keegan's father was like, having it "always in the back of mind". Hearing that Keanu's father stabbed Karen helped Keegan see Mitch as "less bad by comparison", with Morris explaining: "It gives him a bit more of an understanding of why it would have been difficult for Mitch to stay around, with that having gone on". If the secret got out, Morris suggested it "would probably tear the family apart". Following Mitch's departure, Keegan was said to have had his "heart broken". The actor teased that the upcoming year would have a lot in store for the family, adding: "We've established who we are, what we're about and now we're embedding more into different people's storylines and getting to know different characters".
In November 2018, Mitch made his return to the show "on a mission to make amends" Morris explained Keegan's reaction as follows: "As you can imagine, Keegan's not very happy about it. It's a mixture between confusion and just frustration, really. Last time Mitch was there they started to rebuild their relationship and it was the kind of relationship Keegan always wanted. Then, as soon as it started going well and he started to trust Mitch again, he suddenly left. Mitch did what he always does, but Keegan had put his guard down – he didn't think his dad would do it to him again, but he did". Mitch returned with his daughter Bailey Baker, he was teased to "bear the brunt" of Keegan's "simmering rage" after "repeatedly" letting Keegan down. Giving Mitch "the cold shoulder", Keegan was teased to get a "big reality check" upon finding out that Bailey's mother Dinah Wilson was terminally ill. He was set to become "increasingly concerned" for Bailey's welfare after seeing Dinah become rapidly more frail and realising she needed to go to a carehome. Morris was enthusiastic about more of Keegan's family members being introduced, opining "It's really good that the family has grown the way it has, it gives us new avenues to take the characters down, which is fun". He added that he enjoyed filming scenes with Fernandes, as they showed Keegan's "softer side" and Fernandes was professional for her age.