User:Bluebolt94/Ray Dixon

Ray Dixon, is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Chucky Venn. Ray is an ex-partner of Bianca Butcher (Patsy Palmer) and the father of her son Morgan Jackson-King (Devon Higgs). He will make his first on screen appearance on 10 January 2012.

Casting
Venn heard that EastEnders were looking to cast Ray, so contacted his agent to be put forward for the part. His agent told him that the producers were already interested in him for the part. Venn had previously worked with actor Jamie Foreman, who plays Derek Branning in the series, and when he discovered that Foreman was a part of the show, it made him more determined to get the part of Ray. Venn was eventually cast in the series, and was contracted for six months. Venn started filming in November 2011. The character and casting were then announced on 15 November 2011. Venn was a fan of EastEnders since he was about 12 years old, so he felt it was "a real privilege to now be a part of television history." He said of his casting, "I have had the pleasure of working on many great productions with fantastic artistes such as Morgan Freeman and I have to say working on EastEnders feels like it is up there with the best of them. EastEnders is etched in British history and it is an honour and a pleasure to be part of it." Ray made his first appearance on 10 January 2011.

Introduction
Ray is reported to appear after Bianca's adopted daughter Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) tracks him down, feeling he should be a part of his son's life. Ray and Bianca had a relationship when she was living in Manchester, but it ended badly. Bianca never told Ray that she had become pregnant by him. When he finds out, he does not hesitate to come to Walford. A source from EastEnders confirmed: "Ray hasn't seen Bianca for years and they didn't part on good terms. He meets Whitney as he has matters with Bianca that are unresolved. But Ray gets the shock of his life when Whitney tells him all about Morgan—and she soon realises that Ray knew nothing about his son." Ray's introduction to EastEnders is said to fill "another piece of the puzzle" of Bianca's life, as previously nothing about Morgan's paternity was known. The relationship between Ray and Bianca was described as "fraught". Venn has described him as "a noble fella".

Personality
Talking to All About Soap about his new role, Venn said: "He's a former Army man. Serving in the forces taught him discipline and how to handle himself in certain situations. He's a noble individual who'd take his parental responsibilities very seriously - if he knew he had a child, that is!"

Development
Upon hearing that Ray has a son, Venn describes his reaction: "He's in complete disbelief about it. He wants to see his secret child straight away, and immediately asks Whitney where Morgan is. Ray is a man of principles and wants to honour his parental duties to the end, no matter what. Regardless of the obstacles that lie in his way, Ray will acknowledge his responsibilities towards his family and he will deal with them to the very best of his ability."