Eastenders fans left fuming as axed star’s offscreen exit ‘ruins’ character
Months after one EastEnders star was axed from the show, his character's absence is finally being explained - but fans were left furious by what they felt was a 'character assassination'
Months after the actor was axed from EastEnders, one character’s offscreen exit is finally happening. Back in September, Jamie Borthwick was suspended from the BBC after using an ableist slur whilst on Strictly Come Dancing. The broadcaster confirmed he would not be continuing his role as Jay Brown on the soap shortly after.
Viewers last saw Jay on screen that same month. His final scene was a quiet one in which he tied the laces of his stepdaughter Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown). Afterwards, the character’s absence was explained by revealing that he had gone to care for his sick grandfather Bert. However, during Monday’s episode (22 December), Jay was mentioned again and what was said was viewed by some fans as a “character assassination”.
Jamie had starred as Jay Brown on EastEnders for almost 20 years (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
In the episode, Lexi, who had put together a screening of Nigel Bates’ film (Paul Bradley), asked her other stepfather Callum Highway (Tony Clay) whether Jay would be coming. In response, Callum revealed that Jay had decided to stay with his new girlfriend, Elena, for Christmas instead, leaving Lexi devastated.
Fans were confused and angered by this, as Jay had spent several years fighting to be kept in Lexi’s life after the death of her mother, Lola Pearce-Brown (Danielle Harold). While they understood why Borthwick will not return, one fan felt the offscreen exit was “terrible”.
He was last seen tying Lexi’s shoe lace.(Image: BBC)
They said: “And the character assassination of Jay begins. Even if they felt the need to fire the actor that’s no reason to give the character a terrible and out of character offscreen exit.”
Another agreed: “They’ve really done Jay dirty, after all the promises he made to Lola about being Lexi’s dad he chooses to spend Christmas up north with some new girl and not bother to see Lexi, really out of character.”
A third added: “I find it hard to believe that after that entire Lola storyline and Jay having parental rights, that he would just ditch Lexi for a new girlfriend lol?”
Another fan guessed that EastEnders would continue to use the new girlfriend as a reason for the character’s absence and as such, Jay would become just another person to “let Lexi down”. “So, they’re writing Jay as letting Lexi down as well. And, I’ll assume #EastEnders are planning on getting Jay and this Elena engaged by the New Year, we’ll hear about the wedding & a baby on the way in the coming months, and that will be Jay’s exit story.” Another fan mused that this might be the start of Lexi’s “villain” arc.
Jay’s absence was explained as him being with a new girlfriend(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
He was with Lola Pearce when she died(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Lexi’s mother Lola died in 2023 after battling brain cancer. Following her death, an agreement was put in place for Lexi to be raised jointly by Jay and her father Ben Mitchell, who is currently in prison. In recent weeks, she has faced a series of heartbreaks, including a divorce between Ben and Callum. Though Ben was transferred from a prison in the US to one in the UK, his absence from Callum’s life left room for Johnny Carter to step in. After Callum and Johnny got closer, he decided to end his marriage to Ben.
This left Lexi heartbroken and lashing out. To get back at Johnny, she decided to email all his clients at his law firm about his affair with Callum and her actions resulted in him being fired. However, Johnny seemed to get back on his feet by setting up a new law firm with a mysterious old friend who has developed an interest in Callum as well.
