Colin Russell

Name: Colin Russell
First Appeared: 5th August 1986
Last Appeared: 13th December 2022
Played by: Michael Cashman

Middle-class Colin moved onto the Square due to the cheap housing and kept himself to himself at first, a budding graphic designer who worked from home. Debbie Wilkins fancied her luck but she was out of hers – Colin was gay, in a time when being gay was not as socially-acceptable and it would become and it caused a stir amongst the male population of Walford. The more worldly-women, like Pat, Kathy and Angie loved his companionship – they didn’t care who he shared a bed with.

The press did, at one point dubbing the show ‘EastBenders’ when Colin kissed boyfriend Barry Clark on the forehead! But the storyline continued until the pair broke up. Colin later developed MS and left the Square, but would return briefly in 2016 to invite a weary Dot into attending his wedding now that it was legal. He also made a comeback at Dot’s funeral in 2022 – and was picked up by partner Barry, proving that sometimes, just sometimes, a happy ending is possible…