Gray Atkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Toby-Alexander Smith. He was introduced by executive producer Kate Oates in episode 5893, broadcast on 29 March 2019, as the patriarch of the Atkins family, which included Gray, his wife Chantelle, and children Mia and Mackenzie. Before his introduction and during the beginning of his time on the show, Gray was depicted as a charming and confident businessman, as well as a loving husband and committed father, before Gray and Chantelle became the focus of a storyline about domestic abuse. The show worked with charities such as Refuge and Women's Aid to depict the storyline in an accurate and sensitive manner. In September 2020, EastEnders announced that the storyline would end with Gray killing Chantelle to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence, which included a sharp increase in spousal murders.
Gray Atkins
Chantelle is impaled to death by a kitchen knife in the dishwasher after Gray pushes her (2020).
Toby-Alexander Smith (pictured) plays Gray.
Jessica Plummer (pictured) portrayed Chantelle Atkins, Gray's wife and the subject of his abuse. Smith described his scenes with her as "intense", but that they worked well together.
EastEnders is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Within eight months of the show's original launch, it had reached the number one spot in BARB's television ratings, and has consistently remained among the top-rated series in Britain. Four EastEnders episodes are listed in the all-time top 10 most-watched programmes in the UK, including the number one spot, when over 30 million watched the 1986 Christmas Day episode. EastEnders has been important in the history of British television drama, tackling many subjects that are considered to be controversial or taboo in British culture, and portraying a social life previously unseen on UK mainstream television.
Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer (2010–2012)
The Queen Victoria Public House (as it looked from November 1992 to September 2010) is the main focus point of Albert Square (pictured).
The Butcher/Jackson living room in 2008.