EastEnders fans insist Jade Goody would be "proud" of Bobby Brazier as he made his debut on the BBC One soap tonight.
The 19-year-old actor made his first appearance on the show today, as "chaotic" Freddie Slater made his arrival on Albert Square and had some big news to tell Billy Mitchell. He was first seen making his way through the market, stealing from one of the stalls.
But later, he decided to make it up to Billy and offer him a beer. However, he dropped a big bombshell when he told Billy that he was his father - something that viewers know not to be true.
Fans have taken to Twitter to praise Bobby - who is the son of Jade Goody and Jeff Brazier - for his debut.
"Great couple of episodes of #EastEnders the show has really turned a corner under it's new showrunner Chris Clenshaw & Bobby Brazier for his debut episode tonight as Freddie Slater i was very impressed! Jade Goody would be proud," one fan wrote.
A second added: " #EastEnders Bobby is such the spit of his dad @JeffBrazier jade would be so proud proud of you."
Freddie has been described as a "cheeky charmer" and a "bit of a lad".
Boss Chris Clenshaw said: "Freddie is like a cheeky charmer, like we've seen before. He's a bit of a lad, but I call him a modern day lad. He's got this spiritual side and he's philosophical. Freddie lives in the moment.
"He doesn't see too far down the road, so he doesn't think about the consequences of his actions and therefore he gets himself into a lot of trouble quite often. Freddie comes because he thinks Billy Mitchell is his dad."
He added: "A lot of the audience will remember that story and know the truth. It's not long before Freddie discovers Billy isn't his dad."
And of the casting process, Chris shared: "We were doing our usual casting process and we're always looking for new talent. I saw Bobby's social media and we were already conceiving Freddie and building his character."
"There was some of what I saw in Bobby that I thought would be perfect for Freddie. His energy, his twinkle, his spiritual side. So then we brought Bobby in to audition along with some others and he just blew us away with his performance. He is Freddie Slater."
*EastEnders airs Mondays through Thursdays on BBC One at 7.30pm.
