Ryan Malloy: Difference between revisions

Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Soap opera character

Ryan Malloy^[1] is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Neil McDermott. From his arrival on 28 April 2009, the character remained a mystery in the show for a number of months, until he was revealed as the half-brother of established character, Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). Ryan departed on 26 August 2011, and made a surprise guest appearance on 2 September 2014. Following his former lover, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), being sectioned in the episode that aired on 22 January 2016, he then made a surprise cameo for a short stint to look after his daughter Lily Slater (Aine Garvey), before departing again on 11 February 2016.^[2] Seven months later, Ryan returned on 20 September 2016 after he was released from prison.^[3] Ryan returned again on 4 November for Whitney and Lee Carter‘s (Danny-Boy Hatchard) wedding.^[4] On 28 January 2023, it was announced that Ryan would return to EastEnders for a brief stint in February.
^[5] He returned on 13 February 2023^[6] and departed once again on 16 February 2023.

Storylines[edit]

Ryan first appears on screen on 28 April 2009 (credited as “Man”) when he is seen in the park by Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) and Shirley Carter (Linda Henry). He asks Whitney if she is all right, but she runs off calling him a “creep”. Weeks later, he helps Whitney and others escape from a fire started in the café by Nick Cotton (John Altman).^[7] Whitney then sees Ryan as a mysterious hero. Whitney’s mother, Debra Dean (Ruth Gemmell), turns up at Whitney’s house, saying that a man is after her. Whitney demands to know why, and Debra says she has something belonging to him. They fetch it, but when they return home, Ryan is waiting for them; he is the man who is chasing Debra. Ryan reveals to Whitney he is her half-brother and says he killed someone in self-defence, giving the weapon to Debra to hide. He demands it back from Whitney, but she refuses, and later disposes of it in a canal.

Planning to leave Walford, Ryan spots Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Janus) and asks Whitney about her. He decides to stay, and shares a flat with Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks). Ronnie subsequently offers Ryan a day’s trial at The Queen Victoria public house, during which they kiss and eventually go to Ryan’s flat and have sex—but she stresses that it is just a one-off. Ryan then indulges in petty crime, including stealing from Ian Beale‘s (Adam Woodyatt) café and fish and chip shop. When Chelsea Fox (Tiana Benjamin) wins £2,000 on a scratchcard, Ryan mugs her. Janine finds the money,^[8] and tells Chelsea that Ryan mugged her, so Chelsea’s father Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet) threatens him, and he returns the money. Despite this, Ryan and Janine soon start an on-off fling with each other. At the same time, Janine teams up with Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) to try to take over The Queen Vic. She reveals the plans to Ryan, and the pair plot to ultimately take the pub for themselves, double-crossing Archie in the process. Ryan sees Whitney crying in the Square; she is still in love with Tony King (Chris Coghill), her adoptive mother Bianca Jackson‘s (Patsy Palmer) onetime boyfriend who is currently in prison for sexually abusing Whitney. Ryan tries to convince Whitney that how Tony had treated her was completely wrong and she storms off; Ryan tells Bianca of Whitney’s revelation. Ryan shows his hatred of Tony during the beginning of his trial by glaring at him from across the room; Tony is shocked. When Whitney’s witness statement is shown in court, Ryan walks out in disgust when she says she was twelve-years-old when they first had sex. He storms back in calling Tony a monster and tells Whitney that Tony is sick and he will get out of prison when he is an old man.

On Christmas Day 2009, Ryan tells Janine that they are over; later he finds her drunk in the car lot. He tells her that Archie has been murdered, then panics when the police arrive to question everyone. When they question Janine, Ryan doesn’t believe that she didn’t kill Archie; he says she should win an award for her acting abilities. Ryan comforts Janine when she only gets a Newton’s cradle in Archie’s will but she says she is not finished. After trying to blackmail Ian, she tells the police that Ian murdered Archie. Ryan is angry with her and says it will draw more attention to herself. He says she makes him sick and storms out. When Janine is arrested after police find Archie’s mother’s engagement ring in her flat, Ryan protests that she has been set up.

Overdue with the rent, Ryan and Janine use Bianca’s son Morgan Jackson-King (Devon Higgs) to raise money, pretending to be collecting for charity, but when Whitney discovers what they’ve done, she takes the money from them. Janine tells Ryan they should come up with a plan to get Archie’s daughter Roxy Mitchell‘s (Rita Simons) inheritance from her, so Janine urges Ryan to get close to…