The relationship between Callum ‘Halfway’ Highway and Ben Mitchell has had EastEnders fans on the edge of their seats.
Thousands of viewers want the pair to get together and they have even given the duo their own moniker – Ballum – praise indeed in the world of soaps.
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During Thursday night’s visit to Walford (August 29), Callum finally told his fiancée Whitney Dean that he had cheated on her with Ben.
While many viewers were heartbroken for Whitney, others are keen for Ballum to become a couple.
After the explosive episode, EastEnders boss Kate Oates has revealed the reasoning behind putting the two men together – especially as Tony Clay’s character Callum seemed to start off heterosexual.
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In fact, Kate – who previously worked on the ITV soaps – has admitted Callum’s struggle with his sexuality was not originally planned as a storyline.
Callum was introduced by Kate’s predecessor John Yorke and fell for Whitney straight away – with no hints whatsoever that he was bisexual.
In a recent interview Kate said: “In terms of Callum’s struggle with his sexuality, that wasn’t on the cards when I arrived.
“On the cards was Halfway and Whitney trying for a baby – and that being the struggle – but I just didn’t believe it as much as I might’ve done because the dynamic of the relationship felt really strange.”
She went on to say: “The relationship felt so new and they felt so young, I didn’t really know why they’d want to drive their lives in that direction.”
Kate added: “Callum just felt like such a blank canvas. There was lots of unanswered questions, which is what Tony and I talked about when we first had a conversation.
“I think Whitney was his first, he’d been in the army but I didn’t understand why he’d left, he always felt a bit like a square peg. It just felt like he was somebody who didn’t really know fully who he was, or was running away from who he was.”
Kate went on to explain that, with Callum never having had a proper relationship prior to his romance with Whitney, and with him having joined the army at such a young age, she believes it’s totally understandable that he wouldn’t have had much opportunity to figure out who he is or who he’s attracted to.
Also his brother Stuart and dad Jonno’s “toxic masculinity” played a huge part in forming Callum’s persona.
But why Ben?
Kate explained to Metro.co.uk: “I’d always thought they might be an interesting couple.
“We’d always thought that we wanted a new relationship for Ben, and when we knew we were bringing a different Ben back, we wanted someone really comfortable with his sexuality and a relationship that would challenge him and being with somebody completely different to him would do that, so that was kind of the genesis of it.”
In tonight’s instalment of the soap, Whitney confronts Ben, turning violent with the man her fiancé cheated on.
Will Whitney and Callum tie the knot next week as planned?
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