EastEnders Star Teases Comeuppance for Gray Atkins

EastEnders star Jaz Deol, who plays heartbroken Kheerat Panesar, hints that his character will be the cause of Gray Atkins' downfall.

Speaking about Kheerat's devastation over Chantelle's death, Jaz told Digital Spy: "It's awful even talking about it, because he was so ready to leave and start a new life with her and the kids,"

"Then at the last minute he gets that voicemail calling it off and the next morning he discovers she's dead – words can't describe that moment.

"That's what I wanted to play in those scenes – losing someone or something that changes you forever. I wanted to find that within myself to play those scenes."

BBC

Viewers know that Kheerat was the only person in Chantelle's life that knew to an extent the suffering she was experiencing within her marriage, and upcoming scenes will see him point the finger of blame directly at Gray. But does he have it in himself to expose him?

Jaz explained: "The tragedy is he just doesn't have the evidence to prove it. He's an incredibly logical man that is battling the irrationality and impulsiveness of his grief. He knows he can't act on his anger – Gray is a solicitor by trade so he knows how to exploit the legal system better than anyone else.

BBC

"In a way Gray is Kheerat's Moriarty and, much like Sherlock, the stage is set for Kheerat to expose the truth. What's beautiful about the show is that Jon and Kate sow these seeds and we have no idea where it's going to go."

"Knowing Mitch's history with Gray, Kheerat is playing on the heartstrings of a man that wasn't able to protect his baby girl because he couldn't protect Chantelle either. It's something that they can both connect with. That feeling of helplessness." he said

Jaz also reacted to the earlier chemistry between Kheerat and Chantelle, and how viewers were desperate for him to sweep her off her feet, saying: "For me the happy-ever-after is the fact that you have British turban wearing Sikh man in love with a mixed race woman and that's completely okay,"

"I'm so moved that everyone was rooting for their relationship and they accepted it straight away. I hope it paves the way for more representative stories like that."

EastEnders airs weeknights on BBC One