Who is Eddie Knight in EastEnders and why is he in prison?
While Eddie Knight's (Christopher Fairbank) original tenure in EastEnders was brief, he made an indelible impact on Albert Square with his utter evilness. The adoptive and very estranged father of George Knight (Colin Salmon) left his son's new partner, Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington), horrified when she followed a trail of missed calls to his hospital bed, a stark contrast from the prison we last saw him in. While she made no bones about the fact that George would want nothing to do with him, standing firmly beside her boyfriend, she was rocked all over again when he revealed that he was dying.
Eddie's first stint in Walford brought a number of horrifying secrets to light, destroying everything George believed he knew about his childhood, while unearthing painful truths about his true lineage and what had happened to his biological parents. Ahead of the confirmed reunion between George and Eddie, let's revisit who he is, why he was incarcerated and how things were left between them.
Who is Eddie Knight?
Eddie arrived on New Year's Day, 2024, alongside wife Gloria (Elizabeth Counsell) as George's adoptive parents. George was soon heartbroken to learn that they had been previously paid to adopt him in a process known as 'child farming'. With the aid of ex-wife, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), George learned that he was, in fact, African, and not Jamaican as he'd previously believed and had been purchased from an African family. Though his mum and dad opened up about certain aspects of his past, it was incredibly clear that they were hiding much more.
Eddie later reappeared in Walford, eager to tell his son about an award he had won for championing diversity in boxing, with George invited to a party that would celebrate his dad's success. He was further elated later, when Eddie made an emotive speech about his pride in his son, expressing to then-wife, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) that he'd finally realised that his dad truly loved him.
Later though, George learned that Eddie was merely priming him to stand as a witness for him after he'd been charged with a racially motivated murder, in which he and his racist friends beat George's biological father to death, before stuffing his dismembered remains into a suitcase, with a dog walker later discovering them by a canal, an attack actually witnessed by a young George.
Why is Eddie Knight in prison?
Though both Eddie and Gloria pleaded with George to stand up for his dad, daughter Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) pleaded with her dad to see the truth, having been victim of a number of microaggressions at the hands of her 'grandfather'. George did take the stand in court, testifying that his dad is, in fact, a violent, racist monster and, despite the pleadings of Gloria, ensured that he was sent down for his crime.
Eddie's final act displayed his unwavering cruelty, when, from his prison cell, he banned George from attending Gloria's funeral, after she perished from a heart attack.
What's next for George and Eddie?
With it confirmed in spoilers and pictures, George will learn of his dad's condition when he discovers a parking ticket in Nicola's possessions, and she's forced to reveal all about Eddie's reappearance. He visits his estranged parent, but when Gina and George's brother, Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho), discover what's happened, they intervene with their own thoughts.
With their words ringing in his ears, George heads back to the hospital. What will he have to say to Eddie now?
