EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick has long been neglected as Jay Brown. Finally he has the storyline he deserves, but the soap is in danger of making an all-too-familiar mistake and overshadowing him AGAIN.
Please, EastEnders, let Jay shine.
Jay Brown in EastEnders
Tearaway Jay arrived in EastEnders in 2006 to live with his grandfather, Bert Atkinson. Jay’s father Jase soon turned up and Jay became involved in his plots, seemingly going the same way as his gangster dad.
Adopted into the Mitchell family after Jase’s death, Billy has always been like a father to Jay. This is despite Billy having been too scared to intervene the night Jase was murdered.
Jay’s main storylines throughout the years have revolved around his relationship with Ben Mitchell. They were brought up as ‘brothers’ and have bickered like brothers. When Ben killed Heather Trott, Jay helped him to cover it up, and was eventually charged with perverting the course of justice.
When Jay was a suspect in the murder of Lucy Beale, it turned out he was helping Ben out. He buried Lucy’s purse and phone on Ben’s instruction. When Phil gave Jay the Car Lot it was about Ben’s reaction to it, rather than Jay’s. More recently, when Ben was raped, Jay supported him. He has always ridden Ben’s coattails.
Jay’s other main storyline saw him put on the Sex Offenders’ Register after being in a relationship with a 14-year-old. Although Jay did not know her real age and they never slept together, she sent him sexy pictures and he pleaded guilty to spare her the ordeal of going to court. The Mitchell family disowned him – all apart from Billy.
Other than this plot – which was frankly, grossly unfair on Jay and should have been portrayed completely differently – the pattern remains: Jay’s stories always seem to revolve around Ben.
Lola’s death
In fact, fast-forwarding to more recent times (and skipping past Jay and Honey’s relationship, which was honestly just a bit weird and best forgotten), even much of Lola’s death storyline was about how Ben was falling apart. Ben was struggling financially to support his friends, Ben was desperate to go to any lengths to find a cure, and Ben is the one battling bulimia as it all got too much.
During the funeral scenes on Tuesday (June 27) it was Ben blubbing who the camera focused on a lot more than necessary.
Then, tonight’s episode (Wednesday June 28) saw Jay almost get hit by a car and not care. He told Ben death didn’t frighten him because the worst had already happened: he’d lost Lola.
Ben offered counsel and Jay agreed he would move in with Ben, Callum and Lexi. Then by the end of the episode, Jay seemed to have accepted he needs to live his life as Lola wanted.
Meanwhile, the camera once again focused on a struggling Ben who was looking at the food and panicking about how he’d make himself sick with a house so full of people.
Stop this now, EastEnders, let Jay have a storyline
I really hope Jay’s grief is not that simply solved. I think EastEnders needs to remember it has more than one actor in his mid-20s who can pull superb performances out of the bag – it doesn’t all have to be about Ben Mitchell all of the time.
Jamie Borthwick is fantastic. He has long been neglected by EastEnders – always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Lola’s death is finally his chance to get his teeth into a storyline that will see him shine. It can become his storyline – and he is more than capable of accepting the challenge.
EastEnders cannot make this all about Ben. Sure, he’s been through a lot, and of course the death of the mother of his child is going to hit him hard. But, it does not need to focus on Ben. He can have his storyline running through separately. Jay needs to be the one EastEnders is concentrating on here.
As I said, Jamie is a phenomenal actor – you only have to look at how understated his performance has been in recent weeks as he lost the love of his life to see it. He broke my heart – and many others – during the funeral scenes.
Do better for him, EastEnders. Give him more and let him shine – away from Ben.
Read more: Who is leaving EastEnders this year?
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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