Ben Mitchell was the victim of a devastating rape on Monday’s instalment of the BBC soap.
Ben’s sexual assault ordeal came as his relationship with Callum, played by Tony Clay, has hit the rocks.
The devastating storyline began after Walford troublemaker Ben, played by Max Bowden, exchanged barbs with Callum over his vigilante actions against homophobes, creating a rift between the couple.
When the pair exchanged more harsh words, both Callum and Ben were left wondering about the future of their relationship - and Ben left to drown his sorrows at The Vic.
While there, he spotted Lewis on a dating app and, against his better judgement, exchanged flirty messages with him before meeting up for drinks later at the Prince Albert.
After more flirting, Ben and Lewis headed upstairs once the bar shut and one thing lead to another.
But Ben was brought right back down to earth when he received a selfie from Callum and his daughter Lexi.
Realising he had made a mistake, Ben tried to leave but Lewis refused to let him go and raped him in horrifying scenes on the BBC soap.
EastEnders viewers were left sickened by the scenes, taking to Twitter to respond, with one commenting: “That’s genuinely made me feel sick to the core.”
Another wrote: “I cant believe what I've just seen,” as a fellow fan described the scenes as “awful”.
Another posted: “Nothing can ever really prepare you for an episode like that..”
One EastEnders fan said: “I had to turn it over.. I couldn’t” as another said: “That was awful to watch. Made me feel physically sick.”
A number of fans also noted chilling echoes in the scene from his mum Kathy Beale’s sexual assault in the same location.
One fan wrote: “Ben gets raped the same place where his mum Kathy got raped by James Willmott Brown,” alongside a crying face. “The parallels.”
“Ben got raped in the same place as Kathy when she got raped by Wilmot Brown,” another recalled.
A fellow fan wrote: “What in the hell is this sex dungeon in the upstairs of the Albert!!!???” as another tweeted: “... and in the same place as his Mums assault from Wilmot Brown!!”
EastEnders worked with relevant charities and experts to portray this hard-hitting storyline as sensitively and honestly as possible.
Subsequent episodes will show the effect that the attack has on Ben, his relationship with Callum and the rest of his family as he tries to come to terms with the ordeal.
BBC Head of Continuing Drama Kate Oates said of the storyline: “We hope to explore issues of consent, sexual identity, masculinity, and sexual assault, focusing on how this fateful night impacts Ben and those who love him over the coming months.”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One
*If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
