Step aside, Queen Vic. Queen Tara is coming to the Square as EastEnders bosses announce new character.
British soap EastEnders has welcomed its first drag character with actor Matthew Morrison playing Felix Baker, who is also an East London drag star by the name of Tara Misu.
Felix is the younger son of Mitch’s (Roger Griffiths) estranged brother Avery (Omar Lye-Fook) and arrives on the Square alongside Avery and Finlay (Ashley Byam), his older half-brother – all three are set to stir things up in Walford this summer!
Matthew Morrison says of the role: “I am blessed to have the opportunity to step into the heels of the fierce Tara Misu as part of my role on EastEnders. It’s a privilege to represent the LGBTQIA+ community and to showcase the creative art of drag to both viewers at home and the residents of Walford.”
In a special behind the scenes video posted on the soap’s social media channels actor Matthew spoke to EE legend Natalie Cassidy about joining the soap and his history as a viewer:
“The whole arc with Christian and Sayeed was the one I was most focused on growing up,” he said.
“It’s important for people to see themselves reflected on screen. It’s almost like affirmation, if you can see someone like you then it’s OK.”
And describing Tara, he added: “She’s quite sassy.
“She wants to play the Queen on The Crown but has never could so she has a very Queen-like accent.”
Walford’s first Drag queen is about to make her grand entrance! Sashay this way to watch the full video here: https://t.co/WWOwE2VKyS @matt_james_morr @Nat_Cassidy @TheOnlyVinegar @dragraceukbbc @BBCiPlayer @bbcthree #ShantayYouStay #Pride #EastEnders pic.twitter.com/urt7fUMESF
— BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) June 30, 2022
EastEnders has a rich history when it comes to bringing Queer representation on screen.
It brought us the first gay kiss on a British soap EVER:
Colin Russell was the first gay character on EastEnders, appearing in Albert Square just over a year after the show’s first episode.
Played by Lord Michael Cashman, there was controversy at the time when Colin kissed boyfriend Barry Clark (Gary Hailes) in 1987 – even though it was just a quick kiss on the forehead.
Two years later, Colin and new character Guido Smith (Nicholas Donovan) shared the first mouth-to-mouth kiss on a British soap – an estimated 17 million people tuned in to watch the couple’s kiss.
It became one of the most ground-breaking scenes in soap history – but was deemed so controversial that some MPs called for the soap to be pulled from the air.