Chantelle Atkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessica Plummer. She first appears in episode 5991, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 26 March 2019. Chantelle is introduced as the eldest daughter of Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) and had been referenced on-screen since the family's arrival in 2017. The character was created with a family unit consisting of Chantelle, husband Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) and two children Mia Atkins (Mahalia Malcolm) and Mackenzie Atkins (Isaac Lemonius). Chantelle is characterised as a loving and vivacious hairdresser with the same fiery attitude as her family. Her backstory states that after marrying Gray, she established a perfect life for herself away from her family. The character's early stories focus on her relationships with her parents, Karen and Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths), and a feud with Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) after moving into her former home.
The characters of Chantelle and Gray were used to highlight the topic of domestic abuse. Producers wanted to explore the idea that "you don't know what goes on behind closed doors". To achieve this, the story was not announced prior to transmission and the first portrayed attack also marks the first time viewers see inside the family home. EastEnders worked with charities Refuge and Women's Aid throughout the plot. Writers developed the story over multiple months and explored the relationship, in private and public. They portrayed Chantelle being isolated from friends and family, falling pregnant and suffering a miscarriage, and developing a growing awareness of her situation.
The story concludes with Chantelle's death, a decision made to reflect real-life cases of domestic abuse. Plans for the character's exit were delayed by the show's three-month production break, but the story team used the break to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence. Chantelle dies after challenging Gray and announcing her plans to leave. Plummer and Smith filmed the 15 minute-long scene in one take under strict filming restrictions. The character departs in episode 6134, originally broadcast on 22 September 2020. Plummer was proud of her work on the storyline and felt it was important to end it with Chantelle's death.
For her portrayal of Chantelle, Plummer was nominated for and won multiple awards. In 2020, she won the Best Actress award at the Inside Soap Awards and the Best Soap Female Actor accolade at the Digital Spy Reader Awards. The domestic abuse plot led to an increase in calls experienced by Women's Aid. The character and the domestic abuse story was praised by television critics and the audience alike. Claire Crick from What's on TV called Chantelle's death "some of the toughest scenes EastEnders has ever aired". Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy praised Plummer's "astonishing" portrayal of her character's "agonising and unforgettable final scenes".
Creation and casting
In 2017, the Taylor family – consisting of matriarch Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) and her children, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris), Riley Taylor (Tom Jacobs) and Chatham Taylor (Alfie Jacobs) – were created and introduced to EastEnders. The family, and the concept of Chantelle, were announced on 12 May 2017. Chantelle is Karen's eldest child and lives nearby with her boyfriend and two children. While most of the children have different fathers, Chantelle and Keegan share the same father, Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths). Morris expressed an interest in introducing the character in a September 2017 interview with Inside Soap. Mitch was introduced to the series in March 2018.
The character was referenced on-screen on several occasions prior to her introduction. Laura Morgan, writing for entertainment website Digital Spy, did not believe the family had made an impact on the soap following their arrival and thought that introducing Chantelle and her family would help them achieve this. She believed that casting a capable actress would benefit the family and establish Chantelle as a "standout character", such as Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) in the Slater family and Max Branning (Jake Wood) in the Branning family. Morgan noted that Chantelle could be portrayed as "a chip off the old block and as mouthy as her mum" or characterised in contrast to her family.
On 20 December 2018, it was confirmed that the character would be introduced to EastEnders in 2019 and that the role was in the process of being cast. Kate Oates, the show's senior executive producer, stated that Chantelle's arrival would "complete" the Taylor family and added, "Things are set to get a whole lot louder in Walford in 2019." Stanley was excited about Chantelle's introduction and wanted to explore the character as well as Chantelle and Karen's relationship. It was announced on 5 March 2019 that actress and singer Jessica Plummer had been cast as Chantelle, and further details about the character and Plummer's casting were announced on 11 March 2019.
When she joined the cast, Plummer was mentored by experienced cast member Tony Clay (who portrays Callum Highway). She felt fortunate to have Clay as her mentor and called her "a calming presence". The character was created with a family unit consisting of Chantelle, husband Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) and two children Mia Atkins (Mahalia Malcolm) and Mackenzie Atkins (Isaac Lemonius). The actors began filming in early 2019. Oates expressed her excitement at the family's introduction and Plummer called it "an absolute honour" to join the cast. The family were previewed in promotional images featuring them with Karen and Mitch.
Development Characterisation Chantelle is billed as "compassionate and bubbly" with the same "hair-trigger temper" as her mother. Although she appears "friendly [and] easygoing", she has underlying traits of a Taylor. Chantelle values family and is "devoted to her [children] and fiercely protective of her five siblings". Discussing her personality, Oates stated that Chantelle "certainly has that feisty Taylor streak". She added that the character is "tough, sharp and streetwise". Chantelle is trained as an experienced hairdresser.
The character's backstory states that she grew up in a "humble" setting, before meeting Gray who "swept [her] off her feet and whisked her away". Stanley told Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy that Chantelle has established her own life away from her family. A show spokesperson thought that Chantelle's absence from the Taylor family was "tough for Karen". Oates explained that Chantelle's backstory establishes her in the family as "the one who's 'done good'" by settling down in a marriage with Gray. She summarised that Chantelle has a "picture-perfect lifestyle", which places her in dispute with her family. Plummer initially felt pressure to join the established Taylor family as she wanted to portray Chantelle as "the long-lost sister".
Introduction and feud with Kim Fox The character is introduced in episode 5891, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 26 March 2019. Chantelle joins the soap alongside her "successful" husband Gray, who is a solicitor, and their "lively" young children Mia and Mackenzie. On Chantelle and Gray's relationship, Plummer said that there is "drama" between the couple and Gray has the potential to become a villainous character. The actress enjoyed working with Smith, who she called a "sweetheart". Plummer and Smith appear together in most of their scenes, so she was pleased that she could befriend him. Smith was also delighted that they could establish "a really solid friendship". Karen and Mitch are delighted by Chantelle's arrival, although tension between Chantelle and her parents strain their relationship quickly. Mitch has been absent in the family's lives and has only recently returned prior to Chantelle's arrival. This concerns Chantelle, who becomes "immediately suspicious" about his reasons for returning. Off-screen, Plummer enjoyed filming with Griffiths and praised his acting techniques. On Chantelle and Karen's strained relationship, Stanley said that the friction stems from Chantelle leaving the family. The actress looked forward to seeing Chantelle's reaction to her family. Katie Baillie of the Metro wondered whether Chantelle would help Keegan with his struggles and how she would react to her new half-sister, Bailey Baker (Kara-Leah Fernandes).
Advanced spoilers of Chantelle's introduction were released on 16 March 2019, and the introduction was teased in a promotional trailer, released two days later. Chantelle first appears alone before the rest of her family debut. Prior to her arrival, Mitch and Denise Fox (Diane Parish) battle to open their own salon using funding from Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker). Patrick hires a salon for the day and instructs the pair to launch pop-up salons and see who is most successful. After hiring a stylist, Denise gloats to Mitch, but he is surprised to learn that she has hired Chantelle. As they compete, Denise and Chantelle perform poorly in comparison to Mitch. However, Gray soon arrives, pretending to be a customer who leaves a large tip for the team. Patrick decides to invest in both businesses, so Denise and Mitch set up the salon together. Denise wants to hire Chantelle full-time for the salon, but she cannot commit to that. Denise believes this is due to her estranged relationship with Mitch, so he persuades her to accept the full-time position. The first scenes that Plummer filmed were opposite Parish, Walker and Tameka Empson (who portrays Denise's sister, Kim Fox). She found this nerve-wracking as she had watched the actors on-screen while growing up. The actress did not watch her first scenes as she dislikes watching herself act.
Writers embedded Chantelle and her family into the show further by having them purchase and move into No. 1 Albert Square. Gray surprises Chantelle with the move and she is pleased with the news. A show insider told Allison Jones of Inside Soap that Chantelle and Karen are "chuffed" about the move and thought that it would strengthen the bond between the characters. They later explained that Chantelle is "overwhelmed" by Gray's decision to buy a house so close to her family and her new job. After learning the news, Chantelle decides that she wants to repair her relationship with Mitch and introduces him to Mia and Mackenzie. As they prepare to move in, Chantelle and the Taylors begin clearing the house, which devastates Kim, who previously owned the house. When Kim spots her belongings being binned, she starts arguing with Karen, causing Mitch to intervene. Chantelle is "mortified" by Karen's arguing, especially when Gray and the children arrive mid-argument. A show insider pointed out that Chantelle would "hate for Gray to see all this and think, 'What the hell have I signed up for?'". Chantelle confronts Karen about her behaviour, but later tries to apologise.
A feud between Chantelle and Kim was developed shortly after the character's introduction. The pair work together at the salon, leaving Denise, who is Kim's sister, in the middle of their feud. A show insider joked that "a United Nations taskforce would have its work cut out in persuading the pair to try to get along." When an important customer comes to the salon, Denise forces Chantelle and Kim to work together. However, Kim soon insults Chantelle, creating a new argument between them. The pair clash again while giving Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) a hairdo, but when Denise is forced to intervene, neither Chantelle nor Kim are prepared to explain themselves. A show insider dubbed the clash "totally embarrassing" and compared it to "World War Three". They added that customers are "getting caught in the crossfire of Kim and Chantelle's catty swipes at one another" rather than being able to enjoy the salon experience.