EastEnders to introduce the first deaf character to help Ben Mitchell cope with his hearing loss


EastEnders’ explosive 35th anniversary episodes ended in a crushing blow for Ben Mitchell after he suffered additional hearing loss following a head injury which left him unable to communicate.

And in the wake of boat crash disaster, the BBC soap are set to introduce its very first deaf character, who will help the bad boy (played by Max Bowden) deal with his loss of hearing.

Frankie, played by soap newcomer Rose Ayling-Ellis, will be introduced to Walford after being put in touch with Ben via his boyfriend Callum Highway (Tony Clay). 

Sad: EastEnders’ explosive 35th anniversary episodes ended in a crushing blow for Ben Mitchell after he suffered additional hearing loss following a head injury which left him unable to communicate

Last week’s boat crash scenes were some of the soap’s dramatic yet and saw young Dennis Rickman die, while his mum Sharon Watts gave birth to a baby boy.  

While Ben, who was already partially deaf from childhood due to meningitis, was seen looking disorientated after emerging from the water and struggling to hear after he had banged his head against the boat. 

But his hearing loss has since been confirmed, with a source telling The Sun: ‘Ben’s life is going to be turned upside down but, thanks to Frankie, he gets some unexpected help.

‘The storyline will highlight some of the challenges deaf people go through.’ 

Newcomer: Frankie, played by soap newcomer Rose Ayling-Ellis, will be introduced to Walford after being put in touch with Ben via his boyfriend Callum Highway (Tony Clay)

Newcomer: Frankie, played by soap newcomer Rose Ayling-Ellis, will be introduced to Walford after being put in touch with Ben via his boyfriend Callum Highway (Tony Clay)

Changes: In the wake of boat crash disaster, the BBC soap are set to introduce its very first deaf character, who help the bad boy (played by Max Bowden) deal with his loss of hearing

Changes: In the wake of boat crash disaster, the BBC soap are set to introduce its very first deaf character, who help the bad boy (played by Max Bowden) deal with his loss of hearing

And in a first for the soap, Frankie will communicate with Ben via sign language.

Executive producer Jon Sen stated: ‘It has been a long time ambition of EastEnders to reflect the experience of the deaf community and Ben’s new story was the perfect opportunity to do that. We are thrilled to be working with Rose who will play the part of Frankie.’

While newcomer Rose, who will play Frankie, said: ‘I am so excited to be joining the cast of EastEnders and I am equally proud to be one of the first Deaf actresses to be part of this iconic soap. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Frankie.’   

The new storyline was pitched by Charlie Swinbourne, a member of the writing team on the BBC soap.

Discussing the upcoming plot, he said: ‘Creating a storyline and a character for EastEnders has been a lifelong dream of mine, so it’s been an incredible experience to work with the EastEnders team over the last few months.

Drama: Last week's boat crash scenes were some of the soap's dramatic yet and saw young Dennis Rickman die, while his mum Sharon Watts gave birth to a baby boy

Drama: Last week’s boat crash scenes were some of the soap’s dramatic yet and saw young Dennis Rickman die, while his mum Sharon Watts gave birth to a baby boy

‘Being deaf myself, and a fan of the show from an early age, I’ve always looked out for Ben Mitchell’s character because he was the one who wore hearing aids! I wanted to explore how losing more of his hearing affects Ben, as well as how it makes him see the world – and his deaf identity – a bit differently as time goes on. 

‘I also wanted to see deaf characters and sign language become a part of Albert Square, because we see so little representation of deafness in mainstream media. I’m really excited to see this story reach the screen.’

The new storyline will explore what it means to be deaf in the UK today and will shine a spotlight of the experiences and challenges deaf people deal with. 

For the new plot, EastEnders worked closely with the the National Deaf Children’s Society to ensure the it is played out as accurately as possible.

Injury: While Ben, who was already partially deaf from childhood due to meningitis, was seen looking disorientated after emerging from the water and struggling to hear after he had banged his head against the boat

Injury: While Ben, who was already partially deaf from childhood due to meningitis, was seen looking disorientated after emerging from the water and struggling to hear after he had banged his head against the boat

Rosie Eggleston, who leads the National Deaf Children’s Society’s work with deaf young people said: ‘From my work with so many deaf young people up and down the country, I’ve heard time and time again how demoralising it is for them to never see themselves, their stories or their life experiences reflected in the TV programmes they love.

‘This major new storyline on EastEnders could turn that on its head, and it’s an important step towards making deaf people’s lives more visible and better understood.

‘It’s been brilliant to put the team at EastEnders in touch with deaf young people because they’ve been able to hear first-hand what it’s like to grow up deaf in the UK today. For the UK’s 50,000 deaf children and young people, representation like this is just so important.’

EastEnders continues Monday at 8pm on BBC One.  

Struggle: 'This major new storyline on EastEnders could turn that on its head, and it’s an important step towards making deaf people’s lives more visible and better understood'

Struggle: ‘This major new storyline on EastEnders could turn that on its head, and it’s an important step towards making deaf people’s lives more visible and better understood’