EastEnders spoilers: Toby Alexander-Smith is glad killer Gray didn’t die

One part of us was quite bloodthirsty to see Gray killed in a brutal manner, forcing him to face the same fate of his victims.

But in all honestly, the only real way to have a satisfactory ending was for him to face true justice at the hands of the law.

EastEnders star Toby-Alexander Smith is in agreement. As he departs the role which has led to the deaths of three major characters, he reckons Gray doesn’t deserve any easy way out.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, the actor said: ‘I think there would have been a bit of an uproar to be honest if Gray had taken his life. Because when he knows he’s out of options the last bit of power Gray’s got is to take his own life. So to deny him that is the ultimate comeuppance.

‘The fact that he’s got to face potentially a life sentence in prison which he’s going to be in despair at – there’s no way he’s going to cope and he’s going to suffer in that prison. And that’s what the audience wants to see.

‘They don’t want to see him get the easy way out. So I do think the outcome will be satisfying for them.’

And even though it has marked the end of his time on the show, Toby has enthused that the filming of the week’s drama has been a thrill and a perfect way to end his time.

‘Any time you see stunts on the call sheet or script you do get very excited because it’s few and far between in soaps. It was very physical,’ he smiled.

Any time you see stunts on the call sheet or script you do get very excited because it’s few and far between in soaps. It was very physical. It was very physical, lots of bumps and bruises.

‘Linda’s just a powerhouse and she brings full-blown Shirley down on Gray and she wants blood. That was very fun to film. Me and Shona got to do some great stunty stuff which we threw ourselves into and had a lot of fun doing that.

‘It’s just really exciting to have that opportunity to do more physical things, so when you get those opportunities you just want to throw everything at it.’

There’s much more to come in the aftermath and although Gray won’t be there, the spectre of the killer will be hanging over the Square.

And Toby will be as glued to the screen as the rest of us.

He told us: ‘I’m a massive fan of Shona and Zaraah and Linda and Danny and people like that, and Lorraine and Roger, so to watch them continue to play out this storyline and all the aftermath, I’m really excited to see where that goes.

‘Because obviously I don’t have a clue, I don’t know what scenes are ahead after the following week.’

All heavy stuff! So what would Toby like to get his hands on post Walford?

He laughed: ‘A bit of light relief, a bit of lighthearted comedy or something like that.

‘Just a nice guy, a guy that people aren’t rooting to be killed or arrested every time he’s on screen would be quite nice. But who knows what’s around the corner?’

You can read the full interview with Toby in tomorrow’s free Metro Soaps Newsletter, you can sign up to get it here.