Theo Kelly made his first appearance 26th January 2009. He is portrayed by Rolan Bell.
Backstory
The character's backstory was revealed by Rolan Bell: "Theo's grown up in a one-parent family in Brixton [...] he's the eldest of his brothers and sisters - he's actually one of six children [...] The father/son relationship is quite distant - almost non-existent - and I think that's why he has the attitude towards women that he has. Theo's seen the pain his mother's been through and he has quite a compassion for women in that situation."
Storylines
Theo the love interest for the Chelsea Fox, who, it is claimed, was won over by his "good looks and impeccable manners". He appears between 26 January and 15 June 2009.
According to a BBC news release, "Theo's good looks and manners make him a hit with the ladies on the Square. He seems like the perfect gent". Discussing his casting, Rolan Bell said, "As a lifelong fan of EastEnders it is amazing to be part of the show - everyone has been so welcoming on set. Working with actors such as Rudolph Walker has been a dream come true and I can't wait to see how my character develops on screen." He added, "I auditioned for EastEnders a few years ago when I 'd just left drama school and, quite luckily, I didn't get the part because it was only a small walk-on role. When the audition for Theo came up, I just went for it and gave it all I could."
In an interview with media website Digital Spy, Bell revealed information about his character's personality: "He's a well-to-do guy [...] He's been raised with good manners and he's definitely a mummy's boy. He's the kind of guy that wants to do right by women, but at the same time, he's a bit of a ladies' man. He's quite a gentleman and definitely old-fashioned." According to Bell, the writers of EastEnders pitched Theo as "a young, charming guy with impeccable manners"; however, he revealed that not much about his character's background was revealed in the beginning, so development has been "an organic process".
In February 2009, the character was featured as part of EastEnders' first episode acted by an all-black cast, which received focus in the British media.
Theo arrives in Walford in search of Patrick Trueman. He is searching for him on behalf of Tommy Clifford in regard to the 1950s race riots that Patrick was involved with. He introduces Tommy to Patrick, not realising that Tommy is the man who killed Patrick's fiancee during the riots. Theo begins dating Chelsea Fox, who is close to Patrick, but when Tommy's true identity is discovered, Theo falls out with Chelsea, although she eventually forgives him, believing that he was not a part of Tommy's deception.
Chelsea believes she is not intelligent enough for Theo, she strays with a footballer named Ellis Prince in June 2009. Theo is willing to forgive her, but Chelsea rejects him due to her insecurities. Chelsea later dumps Theo in favour of Ellis and later leaves Walford with Ellis. However she returns a few weeks later admitting to her family that she has been the victim of domestic abuse. She has had no further contact with Theo and he has not been seen around Albert Square since.
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