Kyle Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Riley Carter Millington. He made his first appearance on 30 October 2015. EastEnders executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins had previously announced in February of that year that he wanted to cast a transgender actor to play a transgender character on the soap. When Millington heard this, he wrote to EastEnders telling them about his acting and transition. He was then invited to audition for the role and received the part, with Treadwell-Collins revealing that he had believed that Millington was right for the role since his first audition. Millington's casting was announced in October 2015. Millington was happy to be cast in the role and initially signed a six-month contract, which was later doubled.
Kyle was characterised as being fresh, relatable and having a big heart. He was introduced as the mysterious man who Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) initially believes is stalking her and was part of the mystery surrounding a key. It is later revealed that Kyle is Stacey's half-brother, as her father, Brian Slater, had a secret family. Stacey's family struggle to believe Kyle's claim due to the belief that Brian did not have another son, and Kyle is blamed for Stacey's mental health issues, which leads Kyle to reveal that he is transgender and was originally called Sarah. Stacey is accepting of Kyle and they bond, with Kyle moving into her house. Kyle gets a job as a chef and briefly has a feud with Andy Flynn (Jack Derges). Producers cast Denise Welch as Alison Slater, Kyle's mother, for an emotional episode where Alison tells her son that she cannot accept his gender identity. Another storyline saw Kyle confront Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell) after discovering that he robbed his own restaurant. In September 2016, it was announced that Kyle would be one of several characters to depart the soap and Millington made his last appearance on 25 November of that year.
The announcement of Millington's casting received praise from critics and viewers, including transgender journalist Paris Lees, who called it the biggest thing to happen for the transgender community that decade. The casting of a transgender actor as a transgender character made EastEnders history and prompted Hollyoaks to announce their own casting of a transgender actress less than a day later. However, one newspaper reported the news of Kyle's character in a mocking tone, which was criticised by politician and former EastEnders actor Michael Cashman. Kyle's character received praise and Millington was nominated for several awards, including Best Newcomer at the 2016 TV Choice awards. The scenes where Kyle is rejected by his mother were considered emotional and praised by critics. Millington praised fans for their positive support and revealed that Kyle's storyline with Alison had managed to reconcile a viewer with her transgender son. Kyle's departure was criticised by fans and critics, with Millington himself expressing disappointment at the way that Kyle did not have further development after he came out as trans.
Casting and creation In February 2015, EastEnders executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins announced at National Student Pride that EastEnders was looking to cast a transgender actor for a "transgender storyline". He explained that he wanted to do research on the subject in order to tell the story "properly", which he said he "always" likes to do for the soap. At the time of his announcement, rival soap operas Coronation Street and Hollyoaks had had transgender characters played by non-transgender actors. Treadwell-Collins spoke about wanting to cast a transgender actor, explaining, "you have to cast a trans actor, but you also don't want to mess up the story because EastEnders reaches so many people and a lot of our audience are quite traditional. The power of EastEnders is we can change the world a little. You can change it gently and influence people who would be maybe quite bigoted". EastEnders worked with groups in the transgender community and held workshops to find an actor for the role before creating and developing the character.
On 9 October of that year, it was announced that 21-year-old transgender actor Riley Carter Millington had been cast in the role of Kyle. It was Carter Millington's first acting role, and he was excited to be joining the soap, saying, "I can honestly say that I have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams - to be living my life as a man and to be an actor". He added that he could not wait to "get stuck in with filming" and was looking forward to what was in store for Kyle. Not much was revealed about the character, but it was reported that he would move in briefly later that month and then be a "new permanent resident" by the end of 2015. It was also revealed that Kyle has "secrets" and would be " thrown right into one of [the soap's] biggest stories". Speaking of the casting, Treadwell-Collins revealed that he made sure to cast the right actor for the role after being very moved by the life stories of the transgender actors who auditioned. He explained, "The people we met showed us a strength and bravery that took our breath away. To go through as much as they have while maintaining humour and a positive view on the world is testament to what special people we met". He also believed that EastEnders was well-known for "pushing boundaries with stories", such as the HIV diagnosis of Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) and the first gay kiss on a British soap opera, adding that the soap has "always led the way in changing audience perceptions about 'difference'". He believed that it was the "duty" big shows like EastEnders to tell stories about transgender people, saying, "I think people aren't as forward-thinking as we'd like to think they are. The more we can show the trans community on the television, the more people will understand."
Treadwell-Collins revealed that the EastEnders story team had worked with Millington to make Kyle "fresh and relatable" and hoped that fans would quickly take him "to their hearts". The producer also stressed that casting Millington was not an act of tokenism, calling the actor an "inspirational young man whose warmth immediately comes through the screen" in addition to a "talented" actor. EastEnders casting a transgender actor to play a transgender character made British soap opera history, and EastEnders bosses described it as a landmark moment. One of Millington's former tutors at Eccles College told Manchester Evening News that she always knew that Millington was "very talented" and would succeed, adding, "Everyone one at Eccles Sixth Form Centre is very proud of him". Days after the announcement, Millington was pictured filming with Lacey Turner, who portrays Stacey Slater, in what was thought to be a Christmas episode, which suggested that Kyle and Stacey would strike up a friendship. Millington initially signed a six month contract, and this was later extended to twelve. Kyle made his appearance on 30 October 2015. Kyle's official BBC profile called Kyle a "big-hearted optimist finding his way in the world", and questioned whether Walford would force him to "toughen up". It also revealed that Kyle's struggle to live as the person he felt he was inside "has given him a determination to achieve his dreams and make his life a happy one that was worth the fight".
At the same time that Kyle's character was announced, Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks had already cast transgender actress Annie Wallace as Sally St. Claire, which was announced less than a day after Millington's casting announcement. Wallace revealed that the announcement of Kyle changed the announcement of her casting, explaining, "Hollyoaks originally wanted to just bring me in as a teacher and let people go, 'Is she trans or isn't she?', because I look a certain way and it's fine. But what happened was that EastEnders put out their big press release about Riley Millington. It was the week before my press release was about to be released, so our press office went, 'We better make sure people know about Annie as well'. We announced it within 24 hours of each other". As Sally debuted before Kyle, Wallace became the first transgender person to play a transgender character in a British soap opera.
Millington told Sarah Morris from The Independent that he had read about Treadwell-Collins's intention to introduce a transgender actor and character in an OK! magazine, which prompted him to write to the soap opera telling him that he was transgender and training to be an actor and at university, in addition to briefly outlining his transition. Millington then "completely forgot" about it, but that June he was invited to the EastEnders studio. Treadwell-Collins revealed that he knew from the first audition that Millington was the right actor for the role, explaining, "We saw Riley and we said that's him. One, because he was a brilliant actor. And two, there's a warmth in him that just comes through. I defy someone not to fall in love a little bit with Riley." Reflecting on the role in 2022, Carter Millington explained that he had initially lived a stealth life until he joined the soap, explaining, "When I got the role on EastEnders people knew, suddenly, who I was, my identity. They had those questions in their mind regarding my body. It was, at times, quite intrusive."
Development Introduction and family
Kyle is introduced in mysterious circumstances and is connected to the mystery of Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner)'s secret key, which had been a mystery on EastEnders since March 2014. Kyle begins stalking and reveals to her that he is her paternal half-brother, but Stacey's dying great uncle, Charlie Slater (Derek Martin) says that Stacey's father, Brian Slater, only had daughters (in addition to Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky)). However, EastEnders bosses confirmed that Kyle is Stacey's brother and was assigned female at birth. Kyle is thought to be Stacey's stalker and is blamed for the deterioration of her mental health. Kyle repeatedly tries to get Stacey to believe that they have the same father and tells her that she does need to be scared of him. He then comes out to her as transgender, revealing that he used to be called Sarah. Stacey is accepting of Kyle and they begin to bond, and Kyle later moves in with Stacey and her family. Kyle reveals to Stacey that his mother never accepted him as a man and he struggled to live as the person he had always felt he was on the inside.