Character Creation and Development
In 1998, EastEnders acquired a new executive producer, Matthew Robinson. Robinson was dubbed "the axeman" in the British press, after a large proportion of the EastEnders cast either quit, or were culled, shortly after Robinson's introduction. It was reported that Robinson hoped the changes would attract more viewers and "spice up Walford".
Among the departing characters were longrunning Asian family the Kapoors, including Sanjay, Gita and Neelam Kapoor. As they were the only Asian characters in the show, EastEnders received criticism for axing them from angry black and Asian MPs, including Oona King, MP for East End constituency Bethnal Green and Dr Ashok Kumar.
In response to the criticism, bosses at EastEnders announced the upcoming arrival of various new ethnic minority characters in July 1998. These included, a "heart-throb" Asian doctor, later revealed as Fred Fonseca, and the Jamaican relatives of Mick McFarlane (Sylvester Williams), including his mother Josie McFarlane. According to the press report, BBC bosses held a brainstorming session including black and Asian representatives among the writers and cast, to see how they could reflect black and Asian life in London more fully.
In July 1998 it was announced that actor Jimi Mistry would be playing the part of Fred, "an attractive young doctor". Commenting on his new role, Mistry said "Let's hope it's a prescription for success - I'm working on my bedside manner".
Dr Fonseca first appeared briefly in 1998, and became Walford's GP full-time in February 1999, heralding the retirement of original character Dr Harold Legg, who had been the soap's GP for 14 years, since the first episode was broadcast in February 1985. Speaking on his decision to replace Dr Legg, executive producer Matthew Robinson said "Dr Legg is getting on a bit, so we're retiring him. He'll be going to a nice cottage in the country."
The character's most notable storyline concerns him coming out as a homosexual, and as a result being subjected to homophobia from several other characters. In May 1999, it was reported that bosses at EastEnders were struggling to hold on to actor Jimi Mistry, due to the box office success of a low-budget film he made prior to joining the soap, East is East. Executive producer Matthew Robinson commented, "We've got Jimi signed up until early next year but by then his choice will be Hollywood or Walford...It could be tricky." The film was an international success, and at the end of his contract in 2000, Mistry left EastEnders to pursue a career as a film actor. At the time the press claimed that Mistry quit because his character was "boring", and Mistry has since commented that he found playing Fred "quite hard".
Read more about this topic: Fred Fonseca
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