Rob Minter
Encyclopedia
Robert "Rob" Minter is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Stuart Laing
. He made his first appearance on 21 June 2006. Of his new role, Stuart said: "I am really excited about joining EastEnders and am thrilled to be working with the cast – I can’t wait to get stuck in." It was announced on 15 June 2007 he would leave the show at the end of his current storyline. Laing's contract was initially for a few episodes but was soon extended to six months and stayed on for a year in total and departed on 25 June 2007. He is the former husband of May Wright (Amanda Drew
) and father of Dawn Swann
's (Kara Tointon
) daughter, Summer Swann.
Rob's most notable storyline is kidnapping Dawn and handcuffing her to a bed so that his wife, May, could perform a home Caesarian in an attempt to steal her baby after Dawn fell in love with him after Rob gained her trust. This promoted over 200 complaints to the BBC as well as achieving 9.3 million viewers. Police were still searching for Madeline McCann
, and the BBC had to re-write the current storyline to avoid causing distress to the viewers.
) introduced Ian Beale
(Adam Woodyatt
) to him at a Walford Community Charitable Trust meeting. He also attended a charity auction where he tried to out-bid Ian, who was bidding for a bracelet for Dawn Swann. She was posing as Ian's wife while his real wife, Jane Beale (Laurie Brett
), was running the cafe she and Ian owned. When Rob had raised the price, he let Ian buy the bracelet. Rob and Dawn started dating. He discovered "Jane" was actually Dawn but they continued to date. On 13 November 2006, it was revealed that Dr May Wright, the new GP for Walford, was Rob's wife. May and Dawn had struck up a friendship but that didn't last.
When Dawn saw Rob and May acting like the perfect couple and discovering that they had been buying things for "their" baby, Dawn made another appointment for a termination. Again, she didn't go through with it, thinking Rob would leave May for her. It was later revealed that May had suggested he reconcile with Dawn - desperate for a baby - she insisted Rob keep Dawn sweet until she was over 24 weeks and no longer able to have a termination. Dawn, however, was unhappy that Rob intended to stay with May until she had the baby. He promised Dawn that they would be a family after the birth but she didn't believe him and tried aborting the baby herself and ended up in hospital. Rob tried talking her round but Dawn rebuffed him so he returned to May.
May later told Dawn not to stalk Rob so Rob told May that he was leaving her for Dawn and moved out. In revenge, May reported Rob for fraudulently obtaining a credit card for Jane Beale, (the name Dawn was using when they met). His boss suspended him and later sacked him. May left but later invited Rob round to apologise and tried to seduce him. Trying to leave, Rob found the nursery May had decorated, complete with calendar set to July. "My baby is born" was written on 5th. Realising May's obsession, Rob tried to leave but May wouldn't let him and a struggle ensued. Rob left, disturbed and telling Dawn they had to leave as soon as possible. The next day, May had a black eye and people assumed Rob was responsible. He insisted he wasn't but after Dawn saw him attack Keith, he admitted that he did hit May.
Rob told Dawn that he had a new job away from the Square and proposed again. She accepted and they went to his parents' house but was shocked to find May there - the new job didn't exist, being part of Rob and May's plan to take Dawn prisoner. They handcuffed her to a bed and May injected Dawn with a drug to induce labour. While Rob and May argued about May's plan to deliver the baby by caesarean, Dawn managed to free herself. Dawn packed a bag and got the tube, intending to go to her mother, but realised she was in labour. The maternity ward staff phoned Carly. She and the Millers went to the hospital and Keith instructed the staff not to let Rob or May in. Rob and May followed them. Rob told May that this was the closest they'd ever get, waiting in the car park while Dawn gave birth but May refused to accept it, so they waited for the Millers to leave. May went inside, telling Rob that she needed to apologise to Dawn for her behaviour. Finding Dawn asleep, she picked up baby Summer but Dawn woke and reclaimed her baby.
Executive producer Diederick Santer
commented on Laing's and Wright's skills for the kidnap storyline. The producer told the news website Digital Spy
: "Dr May and Rob - Amanda Drew and Stuart Laing - have led Dawn and the audience a merry dance this year. They have both given fantastic, gripping performances and we have loved having them. We wish them both all the best for the future."
The episode showing Dawn Swann handcuffed to the bed grabbed 9.3 million viewers in total. In the episode, Rob lures Dawn out into the country so that May can handcuff her to the bed in order to give Dawn a home Caesarian. This screening prompted over 200 complaints to the BBC. Laing commented: "I was shocked when I read the script and my girlfriend Ali has been a bit disturbed by what I've been up to. She's enjoyed it but she's been a bit horrified at the same time! I didn't have any idea how bonkers it was going to get. [...] Rob and May were going through real problems with IVF then made some bad choices which got them spiralling into this very dark place. It's good drama and a difficult thing to pull off when it's going out at 8pm. Although we received a lot of complaints last week nobody was trying to offend people." Dawn falls in love with Rob, and he uses this to get a child for May and himself. Laing admitted it was an "intense" period, and commented: "As an actor, you've got to find a way to get your head around it. I never thought about Rob as a villain, he's just someone who makes bad choices and digs holes he can't get out of. The very last turn, when it got so extreme, I put it down to him falling out of love with Dawn and his wife having this spell on him. [...] He justifies it to himself by thinking Dawn wants to give the baby up anyway and she was going to take money for it. I think deep down he has a conscience and there is probably a part of him which is horrified but there's no going back."
The kidnapping of Dawn sparked further complaints, as police were still searching for Madeline McCann, who was abducted on a holiday to Portugal
. An spokeswoman for the show confirmed: "In the current circumstances it was felt any storyline that included child abduction would be inappropriate and could cause distress to our viewers. It was felt any storyline that included a child abduction was inappropriate and could cause distress. Police are still searching for 4-year-old Madeline, who vanished 18 days ago in Praia da Luz, Portugal. [...] There were some quite disturbing similarities to the situation in Portugal and we didn't want to add to the torment of Madeleine's parents."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, played by Stuart Laing
Stuart Laing
Stuart Laing is an English actor. He is probably best known for his role of Rob Minter in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders.Laing trained at Drama Centre, London, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London....
. He made his first appearance on 21 June 2006. Of his new role, Stuart said: "I am really excited about joining EastEnders and am thrilled to be working with the cast – I can’t wait to get stuck in." It was announced on 15 June 2007 he would leave the show at the end of his current storyline. Laing's contract was initially for a few episodes but was soon extended to six months and stayed on for a year in total and departed on 25 June 2007. He is the former husband of May Wright (Amanda Drew
Amanda Drew
Amanda Drew is a British actress. Drew is best known for her role as the psychotic Dr. May Wright in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Biography:...
) and father of Dawn Swann
Dawn Swann
Dawn Roxanna Swann is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kara Tointon, who first appeared on 26 September 2005...
's (Kara Tointon
Kara Tointon
Kara Louise Tointon is a British actress, best known for playing Dawn Swann in BBC soap opera EastEnders. Tointon was the 2010 winner of BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing.-Early life:...
) daughter, Summer Swann.
Rob's most notable storyline is kidnapping Dawn and handcuffing her to a bed so that his wife, May, could perform a home Caesarian in an attempt to steal her baby after Dawn fell in love with him after Rob gained her trust. This promoted over 200 complaints to the BBC as well as achieving 9.3 million viewers. Police were still searching for Madeline McCann
Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Madeleine McCann disappeared on the evening of Thursday, 3 May 2007. She was on holiday with her parents and twin siblings in the Algarve region of Portugal. The British girl went missing from an apartment, in the central area of the resort of Praia da Luz, a few days before her fourth...
, and the BBC had to re-write the current storyline to avoid causing distress to the viewers.
Storylines
Rob first appeared on 21 June 2006, when Victor Brown (Jimmy YuillJimmy Yuill
Jimmy Yuill is an actor, born in 1959, in Golspie, Scotland.He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and later joined the Renaissance Theatre Company. He has appeared in many of Kenneth Branagh's films, most recently as Corin in the 2006 As You Like It...
) introduced Ian Beale
Ian Beale
Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the longest-serving character and the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985...
(Adam Woodyatt
Adam Woodyatt
Adam Brinley Woodyatt is an English actor and media personality, best known for his role as Ian Beale in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders...
) to him at a Walford Community Charitable Trust meeting. He also attended a charity auction where he tried to out-bid Ian, who was bidding for a bracelet for Dawn Swann. She was posing as Ian's wife while his real wife, Jane Beale (Laurie Brett
Laurie Brett
Laurie Brett is a Scottish actress, currently known for her role as Jane Beale in EastEnders, in which she has starred since 2004.-Personal life:...
), was running the cafe she and Ian owned. When Rob had raised the price, he let Ian buy the bracelet. Rob and Dawn started dating. He discovered "Jane" was actually Dawn but they continued to date. On 13 November 2006, it was revealed that Dr May Wright, the new GP for Walford, was Rob's wife. May and Dawn had struck up a friendship but that didn't last.
When Dawn saw Rob and May acting like the perfect couple and discovering that they had been buying things for "their" baby, Dawn made another appointment for a termination. Again, she didn't go through with it, thinking Rob would leave May for her. It was later revealed that May had suggested he reconcile with Dawn - desperate for a baby - she insisted Rob keep Dawn sweet until she was over 24 weeks and no longer able to have a termination. Dawn, however, was unhappy that Rob intended to stay with May until she had the baby. He promised Dawn that they would be a family after the birth but she didn't believe him and tried aborting the baby herself and ended up in hospital. Rob tried talking her round but Dawn rebuffed him so he returned to May.
May later told Dawn not to stalk Rob so Rob told May that he was leaving her for Dawn and moved out. In revenge, May reported Rob for fraudulently obtaining a credit card for Jane Beale, (the name Dawn was using when they met). His boss suspended him and later sacked him. May left but later invited Rob round to apologise and tried to seduce him. Trying to leave, Rob found the nursery May had decorated, complete with calendar set to July. "My baby is born" was written on 5th. Realising May's obsession, Rob tried to leave but May wouldn't let him and a struggle ensued. Rob left, disturbed and telling Dawn they had to leave as soon as possible. The next day, May had a black eye and people assumed Rob was responsible. He insisted he wasn't but after Dawn saw him attack Keith, he admitted that he did hit May.
Rob told Dawn that he had a new job away from the Square and proposed again. She accepted and they went to his parents' house but was shocked to find May there - the new job didn't exist, being part of Rob and May's plan to take Dawn prisoner. They handcuffed her to a bed and May injected Dawn with a drug to induce labour. While Rob and May argued about May's plan to deliver the baby by caesarean, Dawn managed to free herself. Dawn packed a bag and got the tube, intending to go to her mother, but realised she was in labour. The maternity ward staff phoned Carly. She and the Millers went to the hospital and Keith instructed the staff not to let Rob or May in. Rob and May followed them. Rob told May that this was the closest they'd ever get, waiting in the car park while Dawn gave birth but May refused to accept it, so they waited for the Millers to leave. May went inside, telling Rob that she needed to apologise to Dawn for her behaviour. Finding Dawn asleep, she picked up baby Summer but Dawn woke and reclaimed her baby.
Casting
The character of Rob was originally a minor part. Laing said of his casting: "I originally came up for a smaller part - for four or five episodes - and then they called me back and said there was this possibility of a character they were looking to develop, which would be in it for a longer time. I don't think they knew quite where the storylines are going, but they had a faint idea of relationships that they could establish. Laing's character, Rob, was initially six months long and his character was not very involved in the programme in his first two months. He added: "I'd come in and do a day every couple of weeks and the story was very slow-burning, really. The writers got their teeth into the story and started to develop more and more ideas for it and that's where it started to take off."Storyline development
Although the kidnapping of Dawn prompted 200 complaints, the BBC had already re-written the storyline. The original storyline was for Rob and May to kidnap Dawn's baby but because of the Madeline McCann abduction, it was re-written. A spokeswoman for the BBC said "The storyline involving child abduction would be "inappropriate" and could cause distress for viewers". Dawn is caught in a love triangle involving her lover Rob, and his character's wife Dr May Wright. "Rob is currently living with Dawn and has left his wife after she attempted to buy Dawn's unborn baby, which is fathered by Rob."Executive producer Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders, a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010...
commented on Laing's and Wright's skills for the kidnap storyline. The producer told the news website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
: "Dr May and Rob - Amanda Drew and Stuart Laing - have led Dawn and the audience a merry dance this year. They have both given fantastic, gripping performances and we have loved having them. We wish them both all the best for the future."
Reception
The kidnapping of Dawn sparked further complaints, as police were still searching for Madeline McCann, who was abducted on a holiday to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. An spokeswoman for the show confirmed: "In the current circumstances it was felt any storyline that included child abduction would be inappropriate and could cause distress to our viewers. It was felt any storyline that included a child abduction was inappropriate and could cause distress. Police are still searching for 4-year-old Madeline, who vanished 18 days ago in Praia da Luz, Portugal. [...] There were some quite disturbing similarities to the situation in Portugal and we didn't want to add to the torment of Madeleine's parents."
External links
- Rob Minter at BBC Online