EastEnders newcomer Max Murray has only been on Albert Square for a short time, but his character Joel Marshall has been causing nothing but trouble.
Since his arrival in Walford, viewers have discovered that Joel’s behaviour in Australia was what caused the family’s money troubles, leading them to move back to the UK.
It transpired that Joel had taken a picture up one of his class mates’ skirts, before sharing the photo online.
Joel’s dad Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) paid the family off, but they demanded that Joel stay away from Sydney.
Unfortunately, the move to Albert Square hasn’t changed Joel’s vile behaviour, and he was recently caught filming himself sleeping with Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James).
Horrified that Joel had slept with his daughter, Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) lashed out at him, and that was without any knowledge of the secret recording.
The character often expresses proof that he’s been influenced by ‘incel culture’.
An incel is a member of an online community of young men. They consider themselves unable to attract woman sexually and have views that are often hostile towards women, and men who are sexually active.
Joel has also been seen watching videos from a misogynistic influencer online. The last time Ross discovered Joel was continuing to view them, he threw his laptop in the sink and poured water over it.
As he branded him a ‘revolting, arrogant, disgusting little pervert’, Joel pleaded for forgiveness.
Who is Max Murray?
In real life, Max isn’t the only member of his family to appear in the BBC soap, with the youngster following in the footsteps of his famous mum.
Max is the son of actress and singer Gina Murray, who has had an extensive career on stage and screen.
Gina appeared in an episode of EastEnders in 2014, where she played a woman called Helen.
Helen was a specialist who arrived to help Carol Jackson find a wig after losing her hair during her battle with cancer.
As well as EastEnders, Gina has also appeared on The Bill and Doctors, and more recently starred as Lesley Stobbart in The Hunt for Raoul Moat.
She has also voiced characters in numerous video games, including RoboCop: Rogue City and Baldur’s Gate 3.
On stage, Gina has starred in musicals such as Hairspray, Mamma Mia andChicago, among others.
In 2010, she formed a girl group alongside her fellow West End star sister Mazz Murray. Musical theatre legends Anna-Jane Casey and Emma Kershaw complete the line-up.
The band, called Woman, recorded a single alongside Queen guitarist Brian May.
Earlier this month, Mazz expressed her interest in joining BBC One’s EastEnders in a quest to try something away from live audiences.
She said in a chat with Hello! Magazine: ‘I would love to do TV drama. I want to do EastEnders. I want to be challenged and try things that are different and new.’
This article was first published on May 14, 2025.
