The following article contains spoilers from an episode of EastEnders that hasn’t aired on BBC One yet, but can be viewed on BBC iPlayer.
Callum Highway’s (Tony Clay) father Jonno (Richard Graham) has died in EastEnders.
The character, last seen in 2019, returned to Walford earlier in the week. He was found by Callum, who had just witnessed his dad launch a homophobic attack on Eve Unwin-Panesar (Heather Peace).
Although his dad protested his innocence, Eve disputed this and Callum had his father arrested.
In the latest episode, Callum decided to sit down with his dad and hear what he had to say. When Jonno arrived at the flat, Callum offered to make him a drink, but he had come prepared with some beers.
As Jonno drank, he admitted that he had always wanted his son to be with a woman.
The comments about Callum’s sexuality proved that Jonno had not changed in the slightest. When he was last in Albert Square, he responded with vitriolic abuse when Callum told him that he’s gay.
Accusing Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) of turning his son into ‘one of them’, Jonno earned himself an incredibly cathartic punch from Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), putting him flat on his back.
Threatening to call the police and report Phil for the assault, Jonno was cowed when everybody in the pub denied seeing any altercation. Defeated, humiliated and ultimately, disowning his son, Jonno took his leave.
Jonno’s behaviour got worse the more alcohol he consumed. He mentioned that his benefits had been cancelled, and that a doctor had told him to change his lifestyle due to drinking, smoking and eating poorly having a bad impact on his health.
As soon as Callum worked out that his dad was asking for money, his anger grew. The father and son argued, but Jonno then collapsed to the ground, suffering severe chest pains.
Callum was out of the flat as Jonno experienced his final moments, but Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) wasn’t. Just before Jonno died, he brought Johnny close to him and said that he’s ashamed of his son.
The news of his dad’s death left Callum devastated. He couldn’t help reflect on their relationship, and then asked Johnny what Jonno’s final words were.
Johnny was furious as he thought about them, but couldn’t break Callum’s heart even more. He lied to his lover, saying that Jonno asked for his son’s forgiveness.
It was this moment that caused Callum to ponder over his future and as far as he was concerned, he wanted Johnny in it.
The declaration of their feelings will cause a few problems in upcoming episodes, as Callum attends Jonno’s funeral with Johnny, and then faces Ben.
Max will return alongside Ricky Champ as Ben and Stuart for the story later in the autumn.
Ben will be on day release from prison, while Stuart will only visit due to having a life away from Albert Square with Rainie (Tanya Franks).
You’d think that things would be all smooth sailing given it will only be a temporary return, but an awful lot can happen in a short amount of time where Walford is concerned.
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Ben went to prison because he was arrested for stealing someone’s credit card, and making a number of purchases while exploring treatment options for Lola – who had a brain tumour – in the States.
Ben and Callum vowed to make their relationship work while he was behind bars, but absence certainly hasn’t made the heart grow fonder.
Callum and Johnny shared a surprise smooch during the Pride event at The Prince Albert, which effectively ended Johnny’s romance with recently departed Felix Baker (Matthew James Morrison).
