| Kyle Slater | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Riley Carter Millington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2015–16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 5164/65 30 October 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 5391 25 November 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Dominic Treadwell-Collins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Dominic Treadwell-Collins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 and relatable and having a big heart. He was introduced as the mysterious man who Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) believed was stalking her and was part of the mystery surrounding her 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 to Stacey 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 him. Another storyline saw Kyle blackmail Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell) after discovering that he robbed his own restaurant. In September 2016, it was announced that Kyle would be departing the soap, among several other characters, 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 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 Alison 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 development after he came out as trans.