New family the Taylors made an explosive arrival in ‘EastEnders’ on Thursday (15 June) night, when it was revealed they have a bombshell connection to a familiar face in Walford.
After they rocked up on Albert Square, viewers discovered matriarch Karen (Lorraine Stanley) is actually the mother of teen tearaway Keegan Baker.
This had been kept a secret from fans when it was announced the new family would be joining the BBC One soap last month.
Keegan is also half-brother to Karen’s first-born son, Keanu, played by Danny Walters, and Bernadette, who is played by Clair Norris.
There’s two younger siblings Riley and Chatham, who are played by real-life brothers Tom and Alfie Jacobs, while there is also an off-screen sister called Chantelle, who lives nearby with her boyfriend and two kids.
Speaking about what is it like to finally have an on-screen family, Zack Morris, who plays Keegan, said: “It was so weird at first, having your own set and your own flat, because I haven’t really filmed inside much. My scenes have mainly been outside or in the school. So to have my own home, it’s reassuring and a comfort in a way, like ‘I’m here for a while’.”
Keegan was introduced as the school friend of Shakil Kazemi’s back in January, and little was known about his home life.
However, Zak explained fans will now get to know his character better.
“There’s a lot that I’ve been filming and coming up that will show more to him,” he said. “The audience will get why he’s the way he is, and will get to see what’s going on behind closed doors. You may feel sorry for him or at least understand why he is the way he is.”
Teasing Keegan’s on-screen relationship with half-brother Keanu, Zak added: “The age gap is quite close - Keegan is 15 and Keanu is 18 –Keegan’s a boisterous character, while Keanu wants to be the man of the house and bring the money in, so there’s a bit of rivalry there.
“There’s a scene coming up soon where they get up to no good, and I feel like when they’re getting into mischief, they connect, and they have that in common. It’s because he’s stooping down to Keegan’s level.
“Apart from that, Keanu is always trying to be the better one in the family and Keegan resents that, so there’s always a bit of bickering or arguing or as if there’s about to be a fight. It’s that kind of tension.”
‘EastEnders’ continues on Friday at 8pm on BBC One.
