In EastEnders last night, (Thursday, September 4) the soap revealed the identity of the man who has been tormenting Zoe Slater – and it’s not Max Branning after all.
When Zoe first returned to the soap earlier this year, she told Alfie and Kat that she owed money to some dangerous people. She may have been lying about a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them.
In a flashback, we learned that Zoe has been trying to track down the son she gave up at birth. In doing so, she had hired a Private Investigator, although things turned nasty when he demanded a further £5000, and then tried to assault her.
But what exactly do we know about Greg Dolan?
Who is EastEnders villain Greg Dolan?
In the episode, Zoe’s Private Detective is named as Greg Dolan. After taking Zoe’s money, he demanded more cash and then tried to assault her. Hitting back, Zoe whacked him over the head with a lamp, leaving him for dead.
Back outside, she joined a waiting Max Branning, who was shocked to learn that she might have killed a man. It appears that she didn’t actually kill Dolan though, if her later claim that ‘he’s alive’ is anything to go by.
EastEnders fans spot Redwater connection
In the wake of last night’s episode, eagle-eyed fans spotted a connection between Zoe’s detective and the EastEnders spin-off, Redwater. In the (immediately forgotten) Kat and Alfie miniseries, it was revealed that Zoe’s twin brother (immediately also forgotten) had been adopted and was living under the adoptive name Dermott Dolan.
“Oh here’s one for you to chew over…. The guy that Zoe banger was called Greg Dolan…guess who he shares a surname with…!” pointed out one fan on X.
“it just a coincidence that the man who she banger’s last name is Dolan, the same last name as her twin brother Dermott Dolan?” asked another over on Reddit.
“Probably a coincidence or a cheeky little reference but did anyone else notice in the credits that the last name of the guy who Zoe attacked after asking her for more money is Dolan…” said another.
Is EastEnders setting up a future return for Dermott Dolan/Luke Slater? Or is it merely a wink to the soap’s past?
Who played Greg Dolan on EastEnders?
Dolan was played by actor Dean Williamson, making his EastEnders debut. Dean previously appeared on Coronation Street in two roles, first appearing in 1998 as the biological father of Toyah Battersby.
He returned in 2012 and 2013 as Tez, the best friend of Karl Munro.
Other TV roles include episodes of Brookside, Holby City, Doctors, Dalziel and Pascoe, Casualty and Silent Witness. He has also appeared in the films Revenge of Billy the Kid and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
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