EastEnders: Ryder Hawkins beaten in attack arranged by his father Ned
In Tuesday's EastEnders episode, released early on BBC iPlayer, Ryder Hawkins is beaten by Mark Fowler at the instigation of Ryder's father Ned, who wants to stop his son coming out as gay. Radio Times and Digital Spy both recap the storyline.
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The story, neutrally told
Centre · 2Tuesday's (13 October) episode of EastEnders, available on BBC iPlayer before its 7.30pm BBC One broadcast, shows Ryder Hawkins (Felix Uff) badly beaten in an attack arranged by his own father, Ned (Jamie Bamber). Radio TimesN “Ryder Hawkins (Felix Uff) has been cruelly attacked because of his sexuality – with a sickening EastEnders twist seeing the incident orchestrated by his own father Ned (Jamie Bamber).” Read at Radio Times ↗ Digital SpyN “EastEnders has aired a shocking new episode, as Ryder Hawkins becomes the victim of his dad Ned’s sinister scheme.” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Centre · 2In recent episodes Ryder told his aunt Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) that he was gay, a secret he was keeping from the rest of his family, and Ned then saw him kissing a man in the Square Gardens. Radio TimesN “He confirmed that nobody else in the family knew, and she tried to assure him that his mum Gemma (Patricia Potter) would be OK with it.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Digital SpyN “But Ned then spotted his son kissing another man in the Square and was displeased.” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Centre · 2Ned also discovered the affair between Mark Fowler (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) and Lauren Beale (Jacqueline Jossa) and used it to pressure Mark into doing him a favour. Radio TimesN “He went on to ask Mark for a favour, threatening to expose what he knew if his demands weren't met.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Digital SpyN “Ned rumbled Mark and Lauren’s affair – so he used this sordid secret to ask Mark for a favour.” Read at Digital Spy ↗
Centre · 2Radio Times says Ned wanted Mark to assault Ryder in the hope that it would prevent him from coming out; Digital Spy says Ned asked Mark to scare his son and show him the world can be dangerous. Radio TimesN “Mark was stunned to hear that Ned wanted him to assault Ryder, in the hope that it would prevent him from coming out.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Digital SpyN “he asked him to scare his son and show him that the world can be a dangerous place.” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Centre · 1Digital Spy reports that Mark first refused, and that Ned then diverted Ryder from his planned chat with his mother Gemma (Patricia Potter) by giving him cash for a night out, and argued that Mark should keep the affair going to keep Lauren from staying with Peter. Digital SpyN “Mark was horrified and immediately refused to follow Ned’s orders.”“he gave his son some cash to have a night out with friends instead.” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Centre · 2Mark was persuaded to go ahead after Lauren, who feared the revelation would destroy her marriage to Peter Beale (Thomas Law), urged him to comply. Radio TimesN “Lauren urged her lover to comply so that her marriage to Peter Beale (Thomas Law) wasn't destroyed by the revelation.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Digital SpyN “who had been persuaded to follow these shocking orders after a chat with desperate Lauren” Read at Digital Spy ↗
Centre · 2Ryder was drinking with Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan) at The Prince Albert and stepped outside to phone Gemma; Digital Spy adds that Ned texted Mark the bar's location. Radio TimesN “Ryder was enjoying drinks with Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan) at The Prince Albert, though had stepped outside to call Gemma.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Digital SpyN “Ned saw his son going into the bar and texted the location details to Mark” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Centre · 2Mark attacked Ryder from behind wearing a balaclava; Ryder fought back but was left badly beaten on the ground. Radio TimesN “Mark came from behind wearing a balaclava and a fight ensued. Ryder retaliated, though ultimately ended up badly beaten and injured on the ground.” Read at Radio Times ↗ Digital SpyN “While Ryder fought back, Mark was too strong and he was left lying beaten in the road.” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Centre · 2Harry found Ryder unresponsive and helped carry him home to No.1, where Gemma was devastated and Ned suggested Ryder had been targeted because he was at or outside a gay bar. Digital SpyN “Harry rushed to the injured Ryder when he found him unresponsive and helped carry him back to No.1.” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Radio TimesN “Ned made the suggestion that he was targeted because he was drinking in a gay bar.” Read at Radio Times ↗
Centre · 2Both outlets end on open questions: whether Ned will be caught out, whether his hold over Mark is over, and whether the attack has halted Ryder's plan to come out. Radio TimesN “Will Ned be caught out, and is this the end of his influence over Mark?” Read at Radio Times ↗ Digital SpyN “Has Ned’s evil plan halted Ryder’s decision to come out to his family?” Read at Digital Spy ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre2 outlets
- Framing
- Both soap-news outlets run spoiler recaps of the episode, framed around the storyline's shock twist that Ned arranged the attack, and lead on the early iPlayer release.
- Emphasis
- Plot mechanics: Ned's blackmail of Mark, Lauren's role, and cliffhanger questions about whether Ned will be exposed or Ryder will still come out.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither article quotes the BBC, the cast or the production team, or discusses audience reaction or the programme's handling of homophobic violence.
- Charged language
- “sickening familial twist”“shocking new episode”“sinister scheme”“disgusting treatment”“evil plan”
- For example
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“with a sickening EastEnders twist seeing the incident orchestrated by his own father Ned” — Radio Times
“EastEnders has aired a shocking new episode, as Ryder Hawkins becomes the victim of his dad Ned’s sinister scheme.” — Digital Spy
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- The episode streamed on BBC iPlayer ahead of its 7.30pm BBC One broadcast on 13 October.
- Ned arranged for Mark Fowler to attack his son Ryder, using knowledge of Mark and Lauren's affair.
- Mark attacked Ryder in a balaclava outside The Prince Albert and left him badly beaten.
- Ned suggested Ryder was targeted because of a gay bar.
Where accounts differ
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What Ned asked Mark to do
- Centre
- Radio Times says Ned wanted Mark to assault Ryder to prevent him coming out; Digital Spy says he asked Mark to scare Ryder and show him the world is dangerous, with the attack following later.
EastEnders organisation
The coverage shows the soap airing the storyline in an early iPlayer release; no statement from the programme or BBC is quoted in either article.
“The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.” — Digital Spy
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre2 articles
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Alarmist Spoiler recap that foregrounds the homophobic nature of the attack and Ned's role, with strongly judgemental wording.
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EastEnders airs shocking new Ryder Hawkins twist in early iPlayer release
Mixed Spoiler recap with a more detailed sequence of Ned's manipulation of Mark, framing Ned as villain and the episode as a shock.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 13 Oct 11:03 First Radio TimesN EastEnders airs homophobic attack on Ryder Hawkins with sickening familial twist in early BBC iPlayer release
- 13 Oct 11:39 +35m Digital SpyN EastEnders airs shocking new Ryder Hawkins twist in early iPlayer release
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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