‘He's prepared to KILL again'

Toby-Alexander Smith on his dark journey as serial killer Gray Atkins and his exciting off-screen adventure as a new dad

- ALISON SLADE

EASTENDERS MON-THU / BBC1 / 7.30PM (SCOT, TUE, 8PM) / SOAP

The net is closing in on Gray Atkins. Now that the body of Tina Carter – murdered after she deduced that the solicitor had killed his wife Chantelle – has been found, a police investigation is under way. And as his violent past is exposed, Gray is desperate to evade justice.

It’s the climax of an intense stint on EastEnders for actor TobyAlexander Smith, during which his own life has flourished. Not long after joining the soap in 2019, he went to watch fellow EastEnder Emma Barton compete in Strictly Come Dancing, and sat in the audience next to Emmerdale star Amy Walsh. The pair got chatting, fell in love, and, last December, welcomed a daughter, Bonnie Mae.

We caught up with TobyAlexander, 31, to talk about Gray’s downfall and life as a new dad…

Congratulations on the birth of Bonnie Mae! Are you overjoyed but sleep-deprived?

Oh, my brain is so foggy! It’s the best thing in the world, but the broken sleep does catch up with you. We’re both just trying to stay as present as possible and enjoy it, because Bonnie is already changing so quickly.

This is a huge week for Gray. How much did you know about the character when you were cast?

My audition was what’s known as a cold read, where you’re not told much at all about the character. It was only once I’d been given the script and I met with EastEnders’ casting director and executive producer that they told me they were planning this big domestic-abuse storyline.

In terms of where it was going, I didn’t have a clue. I was certainly shocked when I found out what the climax of the storyline was going to be.