Isaac Baptiste in EastEnders is the son of Sheree and Patrick Trueman, though he grew up believing his dad was Sheree’s first husband, Eamonn.
Actor Stevie Basaula has played Isaac since his first appearance in January 2020.
Stevie was in TV show Bulletproof and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company before taking on the role of Isaac.
Isaac Baptiste in EastEnders
The young man arrived in Walford on January 1, 2020, in a flashback episode to Christmas Day 2019 which revealed Sheree’s mystery man was in fact her son.
Teacher Isaac later discovered he was Patrick’s son, having grown up thinking his mother’s first husband was his real dad. Isaac didn’t take the news well initially but he has come round to accepting Patrick in his life.
Isaac and Lola Pearce
He portrayed himself as reluctant to commit when he first came to the Square. He didn’t want to settle down to one job, or one woman. But when he met Lola Pearce he fell hard.
Read more: Martin Kemp reveals he was attacked by EastEnders fan over Phil Mitchell storyline
Sheree didn’t want him to get involved with Lola, and eventually viewers discovered she was concerned about Isaac because he has a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
But Isaac told Lola the truth about his mental health, and revealed all to dad Patrick, too. Lola was supportive.
Schizophrenia storyline
With stress in Isaac’s life caused by the news that his brother Paul’s murder and concern about Patrick’s drugs trial, the teacher began to question his diagnosis.
He made the decision to stop taking his medication abruptly.
In the coming weeks, viewers will see Isaac’s mental health decline and him dealing with the opinions of family and friends about his condition.
EastEnders has worked closely with mental health charity Mind on the storyline, and specifically with its Young Black Men programme. Young black men are more likely than others to get a diagnosis of severe mental health problems, according to reports.
Actor Stevie Basaula said: “There’s so much we think we know about schizophrenia, but it’s often not the reality for people living with the condition.
“I hope that anyone engaging with Isaac’s story will gain a better understanding and can approach someone they know that may be struggling from a more positive place.”
Are you looking forward to seeing Isaac’s big storyline play out on screen? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.