'EastEnders' mystery man finally revealed

For months, EastEnders newcomer Neil McDermott has been named only as 'man' on the credits but his identity has now finally been revealed.

Ladies and gentlemen - as most of the online community have already guessed, Ryan is indeed Whitney's half-brother.



Until now, Whitney - played by Shona McGarty - has believed her male follower to be her knight in shining armour.

We saw Ryan fend off Whitney's potential love interest Todd Taylor (Ashley Kumar) back in February and then at the beginning of last month, he rugby tackled Nick Cotton (John Altman) to the ground before the café exploded.

However, in a fortnight's time, Whitney's handsome stranger reveals his true identity to his half-sister.

So what do we know about Ryan? Well, he's nine years older than Whitney and they both have the same mother in Debra Dean (Ruth Gemmell). Surprisingly for soap, Ryan has "something of a dark past" and when Whitney starts asking questions about his life, Ryan immediately clams up. He's a closed, moody character and quick-witted kind of a guy, but certainly won't back away from potential trouble.

Ryan has an eye for the ladies, too. Anyone in particular, I hear you cry? Well, Ronnie Mitchell's (Samantha Womack) on the top of his proverbial 'to do' list...

A thief by nature, Ryan apparently doesn't stay in the same place for too long. So will he be hanging around for a while in Walford? He's certainly there for something - and if it's not his sister, then what?

Speaking of his role, McDermott said: "I was really excited when I joined EastEnders and it's great that the viewers will finally learn who Ryan is and what he's all about."

Executive producer Diederick Santer added: "Neil is a charismatic young actor playing an intriguing and complex character. While incognito, he made a big impression on EastEnders viewers. Now they know who he actually is, I'm sure things will get even more exciting."

Also, is it just me or is Mr McDermott the ultimate hybrid soap actor? He has the look of about four or five characters...

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