Callum's dad Jonno returns to EastEnders - and gets a punch from Phil
Richard Graham rejoins the cast as the horrid Mr Highway
EastEnders puts another obstacle in the way of Ballum becoming a proper couple when Callum Highway's (Tony Clay) homophobic father Jonno Highway (Richard Graham) makes a surprise visit to Walford, leading to a violent showdown in the Queen Vic as the poisonous parent demands to know why his son was jilted at the altar by Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty).
In Tuesday 1st October's dramatic episode, Callum is smarting from his disastrous date with Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) the previous day, and learns his protective older brother Stuart Highway's (Ricky Champ) misguided meddling was to blame.
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Meanwhile, Jonno is spotted on the Square by Stuart who is far from pleased to his dodgy dad and warns him to stay away. Jonno won't be swayed and seeks out Callum in the Vic, where he's trying to make amends with Ben and arrange another date.
Jonno turns up and it's somewhat awkward as he discovers Callum and Whit never tied the knot. Stirring up trouble as his boy's struggle with his sexuality threatens to be exposed, the Highway patriarch is stunned when Callum stands up to his fuming father, igniting a confrontation that is shut down by none other than Ben's dad Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) who intervenes and punches Jonno to the ground.
Warning him to leave his son and his new fella alone, Phil manages to stop the situation getting any further out of hand – but is this the last we've seen of horrid Jonno?
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When was Jonno Highway last in EastEnders?
Viewers first met the character in July 2019 when Callum attempted to reconnect with his dad in the run-up to his and Whit's big day, eventually ruined by his admission he had cheated on his bride-to-be with Ben.
Unsavoury Jonno's demeanour shed some light on the Highway brothers' past, lifting the lid on an unhappy upbringing that left both with huge emotional issues – particularly troubled Stuart who protected his younger sibling as much as he could from his father's terrifying temper.
Mr Highway Senior riled up Phil and Ben during his last visit with bigoted comments about Walford Pride, which saw him get a pasting from Ben at the time. Exposed as a nasty, ignorant and downright horrible piece of work, Jonno was run out of town.
Can Callum and Stuart finally get closure on their childhood once Phil teaches Jonno a lesson? And does this mean Callum and Ben can finally have their happy ever after?
Veteran actor Graham has been in high-profile movies such as Titanic, Gangs of New York and Vera Drake, and is familiar to Hollyoaks fans as Billy Alexander, long-lost father (there's a theme developing) of McQueen sisters Jacqui, Mercedes and Theresa.
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