Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) is currently serving a life sentence in prison for murder in EastEnders, but he did not actually commit the crime. He took the blame to prevent his son Harry (Elijah Holloway) from being charged with the fatal stabbing of Okie (Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu).
The patriarch of the latest Mitchell clan strand made an unexpected return this week, shown in prison while calling ex-wife Nicola (Laura Doddington). He was concerned about her struggles on the anniversary of her abusive father's death, but she didn't answer. Instead, George Knight (Colin Salmon) picked up, and Teddy revealed there was a bigger reason why the day is so difficult for Nicola.
What led to Teddy's imprisonment?
The events began when recovering addict Harry was held hostage in his own flat by Okie, who had been put in charge of a local drugs operation run by Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara). Ravi and Okie were cuckooing Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho), manipulating the vulnerable young man into running drugs. Harry attempted to secure his mate's freedom but failed.
Fearing that Harry's resistance was becoming an issue, Okie chained him up in his bedroom, holding him captive while giving him drugs. Terrified for his best friend, Kojo sought assistance from George, and with help from Teddy, they rescued Harry in the nick of time, disrupting Okie's plot to bundle the mechanic into a van.
The police arrived soon after, and Ravi was arrested in subsequent scenes. Ravi agreed to inform in exchange for his freedom while a terrified and spiralling Okie sought his help. Ravi, however, simply instructed his former associate to get out of dodge.
Okie did not listen to such advice and later held Kojo, who was keen to return to his flat, captive with a knife. Alerted to what was unfolding, Harry made a beeline for the flat, where a final showdown ensued between him and Okie. As they both reached for the knife, Okie accidentally landed on the blade, much to the horror of Harry, who cradled his captor as he died in his arms.
How did Teddy end up taking the blame?
Having got wind of Harry's plight, Teddy headed over to the flat and was shocked by what he saw. Knowing his son had been through enough, Teddy went out of his way to ensure Harry was not blamed for Okie's death and instead took responsibility for the crime as he was taken away by police officers. In December last year, Teddy was sentenced to life behind bars.
Teddy is portrayed by Roland Manookian, who is best known for his roles in The Football Factory and Rise Of The Footsoldier. He began playing Teddy in June 2024 when a new wave of the Mitchell clan were introduced. In the year that followed, Teddy would rekindle his romance with ex-wife Nicola, embark on a relationship with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), and discover that son Barney (Lewis Bridgeman) wasn't his biological child, with Nic having cheated on him previously with Zack Hudson (James Farrar).
Why did Teddy leave EastEnders?
After 18 months as a regular, Teddy was written out of Walford, with a spokesperson for the BBC One soap stating at the time: 'We can confirm Roland will be leaving EastEnders this year, and we wish him all the best for the future'. Reports in The Sun claimed that the character 'had run his course'.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or streams from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
