Down's Syndrome actor set to join EastEnders
An actor with Down's Syndrome is set to join the cast of EastEnders, playing the long-lost son of Eddie Moon. According to Mail Online actor Elliot Rosen will appear as Craig Moon in scenes which will be screened in the autumn. The 32-year-old has previously appeared in small roles in Holby City and 90s drama Peak Practice - but this will be his most high-profile role to date. The scenes will see Eddie - played by David Essex - taking Craig to meet his brother Michael, who is shocked at the revelation that he has a long-lost sibling - and even more shocked to discover he has Down's Syndrome. The soap was previously criticised for its portrayal of the condition after a storyline in which Billy and Honey Mitchell's baby daughter Janet was born with Down's. This time around, however, the Down's Syndrome Association has reportedly congratulated the show for shedding light on the issue of people living with the condition. "Presenting people with Down’s syndrome living successful lives is always positive," said a spokesman for the charity.
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.