User:FishLoveHam/Knight family

The Knight family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that first appeared in episode 6708, broadcast on 1 June 2023. An extension to the Carter family, it initially included consisted of a returning Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), mother of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright); Elaine's partner George Knight (Colin Salmon), and George's daughters Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford).

It was later revealed that Rose Sawyer, the mother of Gina and Anna, was actually Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), who had faked her death.

In 2024, the family began to become expanded, as George's adoptive parents, Eddie (Christopher Fairbank) and Gloria Knight (Elizabeth Counsell) were introduced. George's son Junior (Micah Balfour) was later introduced alongside his wife Monique (Busayo Ige) and son Xavier Knight (Chase Dean-Williams).

Introduction and family dynamic
On 1 March 2023, Molly Rainford became the first cast member of the family to be announced after a scene aired depicting Linda calling someone and offering to run The Queen Victoria public house together. On 28 March, it was announced that Linda had called her mother Elaine Peacock, who would be recasted from Maria Friedman to Harriet Thorpe, and join the show alongside the new family. The family would include Elaine's new partner, George Knight, and his two daughters, Gina and Anna, who were set to be played by Colin Salmon, Francesca Henry, and Rainford, respectively. The family would also join with their pet chihuahua, Tyson. The Knights would arrive in Walford looking for a "fresh start" and would "immediately be thrown into the heart of the Square". The family were set to arrive on the show in early Summer.

An extention to the Carter family, executive producer Chris Clenshaw explained that the family's arrival would "bring a new dawn" to the show. The family was headed by George, described by Clenshaw as "charming" and "old-school", and a "doting" father to his daughters. He would be joined by his "beloved" Elaine, a landlady who "knows how to have fun" and his daughters: the "feisty", "determined", and "demanding" Gina, and the "fun", "loveable", and "big-hearted" Anna. Clenshaw explained that "George, Gina, and Anna have been bound together for years". Henry described the family as being "tight-knit".

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/a43601914/eastenders-first-look-knight-family-molly-rainford-colin-salmon/

Family members

 * Henry Asare, married to Margaret
 * George Knight, son of Henry and Margaret, adopted by Eddie Knight and Gloria; Married to Sabrina and Cindy Beale
 * Junior Knight, son of George and Sabrina; Married to Monique
 * Xavier Knight, son of Junior and Monique
 * Gina Knight, daughter of George and Cindy
 * Anna Knight, daughter of George and Cindy
 * Unnamed male, son of Henry and Margaret
 * Unnamed male, son of Henry and Margaret


 * Notes

Reception
Immediately following the announcement of the new family running The Queen Victoria, Stephen Patterson of Metro believed the decision would negatively affect Linda's ability to stand as her own character, while his colleague, Maisie Spackman, argued that a new family could prove to be successful and refreshing, opining that Clenshaw could successfully incorporate it. Following the family's announcement, Patterson was "overwhelmed with glee" at the thought of the family kickstarting a "new era" for the show.