EastEnders' Colin Salmon reveals all on 'warrior' George Knight and chaos ahead

Following the arrival of new Queen Vic landlady Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) in EastEnders, viewers are soon set to meet the Knight family, headed by patriarch George (Colin Salmon) as they join Elaine and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) behind the bar.

When Linda invited mum Elaine to buy into the Queen Vic, she had no idea that they would be joined by Elaine’s new partner and his two daughters, Anna and Gina (Molly Rainford and Francesca Henry).

The family are set to cause quite a stir among residents, and actor Colin Salmon has told us what we can expect from George Knight as he makes his debut.

‘I think he’s a good man’, Colin revealed. ‘He’s a good man because he’s had strong women around him, just like I have in real life!

‘As an ex-boxer, he doesn’t have to be hard or prove himself because he’s a warrior. He’s been through some things like many people have.

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‘When you are a big man, you have the power to hold people down or to lift them up – and George Knight is strong enough to lift people up. He’s also a single parent, and he’s had to get real, and I like that.

‘I’m a dad and I’m a big guy, and George is a dad and is a big guy! He throws his arms around his family he loves his girls, and Lainey.

‘He also really understands and respects Linda even though she’s a thorn in his side.’

Linda will soon learn that George is Elaine’s partner, and he and the Knight girls have flown over from Marbella to help with the running of the pub, much to Linda’s shock.

In the beginning, Linda is very hostile towards the newcomers, though Colin revealed that George understands her reaction.

‘He totally gets it. The Knights come in and cause chaos in her home!

‘He didn’t realise that Elaine hadn’t told Linda they were coming, but then George got all excited and arrived early, so it was as much his fault as hers.

‘But George just has to be consistent, and eventually, Linda will warm to him, hopefully! It’s just very difficult for now because they live together.’

Though Linda takes an instant disliking to George, his first impression of her is much more positive.

‘He recognises a fellow warrior – and there’s some interesting parallels between them which will be explored’, Colin teased.

‘He’s really impressed with how Linda has kept it together after losing Mick. George is also impressed by Linda’s fearlessness, but then she’s Elaine’s daughter, so he’s not surprised. She’s a formidable warrior, and he likes that.’

Something else that is sure to be explored during their time on the Square is Elaine and George’s relationship.

According to Colin, there is a very interesting dynamic between them.

‘What’s really interesting about Elaine is that she doesn’t let him get away with anything! He wasn’t looking for an adversary, he was looking for an equal, and that’s what he’s got in Elaine.

‘She looks him square in the eye. There are a lot of people who struggle to look a man as big as George in the eye, but not Elaine. She didn’t struggle, and she challenges him.

‘When you get told you are wrong from time to time, you develop as a human being, and that’s why Elaine is good for George.

‘She’s naughty! But they do lots of fun things together and have a great time’, Colin explained.

‘By moving to London to live, George has made himself vulnerable to Elaine. But she instils confidence in George, and he’s a lovely guy who is there for her. She knows George has got her back and that he’s a softie.

‘He says to Elaine “when you looked me in the eye I saw a bold, fearless, kind woman who gets on with my girls”. She’s bringing out the best in them as well.’

As the Knights find their way around the Square, Anna and Gina find themselves getting on the wrong side of a lot of the residents, but will George take their side as they struggle to fit in?

‘George is protective of Gina and Anna, and they are very close. But the girls don’t have him wrapped around their little fingers at all – he doesn’t do that because it wouldn’t be good for them.

‘He’s made sure there are clear boundaries for them. If there are no boundaries, it doesn’t work, and that’s when children get into trouble.

‘Anna is the glue but his relationship with Gina is that she’s a mini-me, they are both on the edge a lot, because Anna was the baby they had to keep it together.’

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