Major EastEnders character dies in final showdown – with relative to blame
EastEnders spoilers follow for Thursday’s (June 4) episode, which can now be streamed on BBC iPlayer. The episode in question will air at 7:30pm.
Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank) has died in dramatic EastEnders scenes following an intense showdown with George Knight (Colin Salmon), who called him out over his racist behaviour.
Vile criminal Eddie, as viewers know, was George’s adoptive father. He made his debut in the BBC One soap a little over two years ago when he rocked up in Walford with wife Gloria – and it didn’t take long for his true nature to came to light.
Eddie was revealed to be a vile racist who killed a Black man decades earlier – and the murder in question was witnessed by George, who was just a child.
To make the situation even more devastating, George found out in 2024 later that the man Eddie had murdered – Henry Kofi Asare – was his birth father.
The former Queen Vic landlord testified against Eddie in court as he went on trial for racially motivated murder. Eddie was found guilty and sentenced to prison for his horrific crime, with George wanting nothing more to do with him.
But Eddie returned to his life earlier this year when he made contact with George, revealing that he was dying. The twisted villain claimed to have turned over a new leaf and wanted to make amends but it was soon clear that he was lying in a bid to get a roof over his head for the last few months of his life.
He subsequently offered Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) cash in exchange for staying at her place and, with Harry’s Barn and Knight Fusion in desperate need of funds, the matriarch ultimately agreed. George was none-the-wiser to Nicola’s ulterior motives in suggesting that he make peace with Eddie before he passed away but the truth was revealed this week.
George decided to confront Eddie over his abhorrent behaviour towards Gina (Francesca Henry), who struggled with the knowledge that racist Eddie was being looked after by her dad.
Gina confronted George and told him how it’s making her feel, revealing the disgusting words Eddie had said to Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) previously. In a bid to put his daughter first, George opted to call the prison and have Eddie moved back there to die – but Eddie stopped him in his tracks when he revealed the deal he’d struck with Nicola.
Eddie tried to belittle George, claiming he let women ‘walk all over him’, branding him ‘weak’. He then revealed that he isn’t sorry for all the hurt that he’s caused – and proceeded to spew more vile racist hate. George was utterly appalled.
Eddie started choking after taking his meds and reached for a glass of water. George, however, took the glass in his hand and drunk it himself as Eddie watched on in horror, dying in subsequent scenes.
Nicola arrived home to face questions from George, who said he didn’t want Eddie’s money. Later, an ambulance arrived to take Eddie’s body out of No.1.
Will George share the circumstances that led to Eddie’s death? And will he and Nicola be able to work through her lies?
