The Soap Years

Abusive Walford solicitor Gray is hell-bent on proving his terrified wife has cheated, says Tobyalexander Smith

The storylines time will never forget

Gray is convinced Chantelle is having an affair with her boss Kheerat in Eastenders this week, putting his poor wife in terrible danger. The lawyer has already subjected her to domestic abuse so Chantelle is terrified when he gives her a grilling.

It’s all in his head of course, but Gray is paranoid and desperate to stop his wife seeing anyone in case she lets slip about his violence.

‘Gray doesn’t like Chantelle interacting with anyone else and the idea she and Kheerat are spending so much time together is driving him crazy,’ says actor Toby-alexander Smith, who plays Gray. ‘Because of his paranoia, which is rapidly worsening, Gray believes something’s going on between them and thinks Chantelle’s lying to him.’

Gray becomes suspicious when the tracking device he’s secretly fitted to their car shows it’s been used without his knowledge. (Neither of them realise Ben took the car while it was in the garage.) He accuses Chantelle and won’t back down even when she proves she was at the dentist.

‘He’ll do anything to keep Chantelle in check, and is looking to catch her out, so when he sees the car’s been somewhere unexpected he jumps to conclusions,’ says Toby, 29. ‘Chantelle is scared of Gray but she has nothing to hide and defends herself, though Gray doesn’t accept what she says she’s been doing.’

Amid all this Gray upsets his wife further by telling her how Whitney tried to kiss him. ‘He does love Chantelle and feels a responsibility to tell her what’s happened,’ says Toby. ‘But then he immediately turns it on its head and starts making accusations against Chantelle.’

Toby, who’s been working with

anti-domestic violence charity Women’s Aid, won’t reveal what happens next but says, ‘Hopefully Chantelle might soon speak out about Gray’s increasingly extreme behaviour.’

The storyline has had an effect on viewers. ‘The reaction has been fullon,’ says Toby. ‘It’s been hard for some people to differentiate between the character and the actor, and people have such a loud voice on social media. But the viewers now seem to understand this is important to raise awareness. People have been calling

charities like Women’s Aid saying their relationship is the same as Gray and Chantelle’s, seeking advice on getting themselves out of dangerous situations, which is encouraging.’

Gray is the biggest acting role Toby has had, and he says, ‘I’m loving how focused everyone is on Eastenders, and their spirit and energy. It was a shock when it shut down because of coronavirus and we’ll be going back to a very different job, but I feel lucky to have a job to go back to at all.’ ■