Tony Clay’s Callum Highway (from EastEnders) is currently involved in two riveting storylines that are still airing on the drama. Supporting characters are obviously essential in such compelling stories, but Callum has been a glaringly underutilized player for a while now.
Since his debut as the endearing, goofy “Halfway” in 2018, Callum has become a cherished staple on EastEnders. After one metamorphosis and a moving coming-out narrative, Callum was firmly established.
It’s not that he’s been missing lately. Callum frequently appears on film with his brother Stuart (Ricky Champ), who is receiving cancer treatment. The issue is that any sequences in which Callum appears are so fleeting as to leave little room for a thorough examination of his viewpoint.
Police officer Callum had the chance to do precisely that the previous year when he saw a comrade get stabbed while performing his duty. Given that Callum had already battled post-traumatic stress disorder, according to an earlier account, this terrifying incident caused a relapse.
Callum struggled to confide in him due to his disagreement with his law-abiding employer, criminal husband Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), and Tony Clay gave a heartfelt, genuine performance.
While we were happy to see Callum finally confide in Ben, this turn of events marked the end of his intriguing storyline. The moment Callum’s appointment with a counselor was mentioned, the focus quickly shifted to the most recent Mitchell drama, in which Ben immediately confessed to his role in Jags Panesar’s death (Amar Adatia).
The murder of Ben’s first boyfriend Paul Coker (Jonny Labey) was then brought up again, causing Ben further distress. A homophobic incident a few months later made Callum a target. These situations were crucial and sensitively portrayed, but the final twist simply proves my position.
The tale was still not about Callum, despite the fact that he was the victim of this hate crime. Ben had been there before, and his entire identity was still at danger, so it made only sense to see him deeply shaken by what had transpired. However, why did EastEnders decide not to show more of Callum right after his horrendous beating?
The attitude he adopted after that, where he insisted on being out and proud, was great. Ben’s viewpoint was given so much attention, though, that the narrative might have delved a little more deeply into Callum’s psychology concurrently rather than just using their divergent points of view as the basis for their argument.
It makes sense that EastEnders would seek to split up a relationship as the show is a soap opera. The show most definitely succeeded in making the decision that generates the most drama. Currently, Callum and Ben are not together because Callum thinks Ben had a sexual relationship with another man.
Fans are well aware that Ben was truly sexually assaulted by Lewis Butler (Aidan O’Callaghan), and that his efforts to cope with the incident resulted in a drug binge and a heart attack that came dangerously close to being deadly. Ben was unconscious when Callum arrived, but Callum left the hospital out of frustration at Ben’s actions.
Who can blame him given the incomplete knowledge Callum has of the circumstances? He has, however, appeared to be more callous than the person we know him to be due to how frequently he has entered and exited the tale.
Ben’s tragic experience has been expertly portrayed thanks to the soap’s close collaboration with Survivors Manchester and Max Bowden’s constantly faultless performance.
This is in no way intended as a criticism on EastEnders’ commitment to spreading important knowledge. But where, even as the spouse who is unaware, is Callum’s presence or point of view in between? And when will he receive a continuing narrative of his own?
Recently, a brief, much lauded scene with Karen Taylor was the closest we’ve come to comprehending Callum’s mental state (Lorraine Stanley). Callum spoke of his own difficulties to reach the two most important men in his life throughout their struggles as Karen urged him to help Stuart through his postpartum depression.
Callum’s disastrous covert mission was the last time he was truly at the center of his own elaborate scheme. Even yet, we soon ceased witnessing the grimier side of his difficult duty. It was a tense, high stakes manner of using Callum’s reputation as a police officer against his relationship with Ben.
Since he accepted his sexuality, Callum hasn’t really been in the spotlight. The audience saw what Callum and Tony were truly made of thanks to Tony’s incredible performance, and the character still merits praise today.
Fans are ready to see Callum and Ben together again, but if it does, there should be a more sensible plan for the future. Callum is an essential element of EastEnders as one half of a legendary duo, but he also merits to be the star of the show.
