I'm very much looking forward to this week. Sam Strike looks like he's really gonna prove himself as an actor in various scenes in the week. Can't wait!!

THIS!!!!! This is why he was SNUBBED and ROBBED at the awards!!!! Johnny/Sam is AMAZING! One of the best in EE at the moment! Im'm actually Glad he is on EE i feel like, Hollyoaks, CS or ED could have ruined him Thank You DTC for bringing him onto our screens and into our lives!

I couldn't agree more. He's a little star. Looking at those photos I just wanna be there with him, give him a hug and reassure him that nothing is his fault and that he couldn't have done more than he did, hold his hand and protect him from the inevitable public backlash he'll get later in the week (no thanks to his own mother).

And just when I thought my crush on him couldn't get any bigger......

That picture of him curled up in The Albert has actually broken my heart. I think now more than ever he essentially has a panic attack and his body just closes down while it's happening. He should be receiving counselling for what happened, instead it seems like Linda is going to be telling him to keep quiet, thereby increasing his feelings of guilt, and then telling everyone all at once which is going to be awful for him.

This is going to be a difficult week to watch.

Just found this on Twitter, must be from one of the soap mags this week:

http://t.co/22hjU4SJof

Lovely to see Johnny smiling, think I needed to see that after those midnight spoiler pictures! And that guy he's with is cute. I approve.

omg i actually started to get tears in my eyes when reading Letitia's interview, concerning the attack and the bond between sharon & johnny that's exactly how it comes across the screen, so well done to both actors and scriptwriters...

the pictures of johnny during the attack and afterwards just breaks my heart... poor guy. hope he seeks counselling afterwards, or just opens up to maybe nancy about it. he really shouldn't hold it inside of him. it would also be a fantastic storyline for sam/johnny if we saw him in counselling.

it's definitely gonna be a hard week to watch, _elly001. glad we fans stick together

omg he's cute and that smile from johnny. so amazing to see!

I've said it for a while but I'd love to see an anxiety storyline with Johnny. He just seems to tick all the boxes of someone that would experience it, and Sam Strike would do such an amazing job portraying it. But yes, at the very least I hope he can talk to Nancy or Mick about what happened as I'm sure they'd both be supportive.

The interview with Letitia is great, and I love the way she talks about Sharon's relationship with Johnny.

N'aww its the photo where he's telling Phil and his face in that that does it for me. My heart just breaks for him.

An anxiety storyline could work, you know. Though I don't know how much heartbreak I could take from our fragile Johnny. It reminds me almost of the sort of anxiety I went through when I was in the closet late last year/early this year and garnering strength to come out to immediate family - which I eventually did over the weekend just gone. I see a lot of myself in Johnny; he as a character has helped me realise things and move forward - not just from my crush on him, but from how Sam Strike has portrayed him and his character's support from the bulk of his family and friends. There are many, many deep rooted reasons why I value Sam Strike as an actor and his portrayal of Johnny in all of this, and though I'd watching the storyline with watery eyes, he gets my A-OK for an anxiety story line.

On a sidenote, good to see him looking happy with that fella at the pride event (assumingly for the week after) - I can't tell if that's a behind the scenes or not. The guy gets my seal of approval though.

What a lovely post. Did things go well when you came out to your family? It seems as though Johnny as a character (and Sam's portrayal of him) has helped a lot of people come out and I hope as a result that the writers really invest in Johnny during his time on the show and ensure he continues to come across as relatable and sympathetic. Although an anxiety storyline would be difficult to watch for such a lovely character, it's something I've wanted to see in soaps for a long time and I think it would have the potential to be brilliant if they did it with Johnny. I don't know If I'm barking up the wrong tree here but those pictures and the spoilers for next week really make me think that this could be a trigger event.

I also can't tell if it's a behind the scenes picture or not, but it says in the article that Johnny gets to do a lot of flirting so I think that will be lovely to watch, especially after the trauma of next week's episodes.

Thank you! Seemingly so. It was only 48 hours ago so I really don't know for sure. They all seem to be supportive though, but I've kept myself to myself since and not been talking too much to them. It's a big thing to reveal especially when you've kept it to yourself for a few years - probably having impact on mental health too in the process.

Me too! He's an amazing character portrayed by an amazing and natural actor. He's by far the most relatable character in soap currently imo. I hope the fella cheers him up and strays him away from a battle with anxiety, though I think it would be a meaty storyline for Johnny regardless. I wanna see flirty Johnny

Yes, keeping something like that to yourself is not at all good for your mental wellbeing so I'm glad you've managed to take this step. Do try to talk to your family, though, just to 'normalise' things in your head; it doesn't need to be about your sexuality, just spend some time with them and get back to how you usually are around them. But obviously you should take it at a pace you feel comfortable with.

I'm so looking forward to seeing flirty Johnny.

what wonderful thing to read that you have come out to your immediate family, Neu Intention. You get a big hug from me. Reminds me of when I came out, and as I've said before on this thread, I can see myself SO MUCH in Johnny that it's eerie. Sam truly is a find for EE and for closeted- and out young men for portraying Johnny.

regarding flirty Johnny, I think we all want him to have some fun- especially after this coming week- and if those pics at pride are not bts, then I can safely say that they have chemistry

I'll try - it's just a weird time atm I guess. I think it'll just take time for things to return to normal and for my family and even myself to come to terms with it being revealed I guess. Much like Johnny though I'm the quiet, sensitive baby of the family and my family are fiercely overprotective of me. Things will work itself out I think.

I think that's one of the reasons why I like Johnny as a character. No discredit or offence to anyone here whatsoever, but I guess he makes me feel normal to be gay. This is emphasised through his relationships with his family, especially Nancy. I wouldn't consider myself camp as such, but Johnny is such a great representation in the media currently of a gay person/character who isn't defined by their sexuality, and is a normal sweet adolescent lad who just happens to fancy blokes. I guess when he comes on my TV screen on weekday evenings I don't feel different I guess.

I'm trying to imagine what he'd say in that episode to that fella now. I hope Johnny laughs too, he has the cutest laugh in real life.

N'aww thank you! Me too, even down to really minor things. A reaction, a mannerism, even sleeping on the sofa out of choice from time to time

Like i said to elly I want Johnny to laugh in those scenes. He has a really cute laugh and makes him more endearing - it would probably add to his character in those circumstances as well.

Aw you really do sound like Johnny, right down to the overprotective family. I definitely agree that he's a really good representation of a gay character. Even though I don't normally like to think of gay characters as representations because I feel it can limit their potential a bit, Johnny is just so relatable and sweet that it's inevitable that young gay guys watching are going to see themselves in him (not like that... well, maybe like that )

Yes, we don't often hear Johnny laughing but you're right, it's such a cute laugh, we need to hear it more often.

You're quite welcome! I still gush about that scene when Sharon handed him the keys to The Albert last week. His reaction to it is something I do too

Yeah Though I don't have his good looks

I just meant in general media that Johnny as a great character is a great role model for young gay/closeted gay men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KDbOpvVB3w - 1:21 mins in. I think I just died from his cuteness.

I read in an interview though (think it was that Heat interview) that he doesn't laugh in bloopers for the show though as he got told off badly at one stage which scared him off giggling in takes for his previous work. I think a bit of laughing for the pride scenes and when he's chatting up the fella wouldn't hurt.

That was too cute. I almost wanted someone to catch him reacting like that and him try and act completely normal after. He's such a cutie.

awwww I've only just seen the pictures for next week's attack, I think my heart just spilled out for him!

They better not destroy his character, but I doubt that would happen as Daran Little seems to like his character a lot.

Hi HarryMiller! Welcome to this thread

those pictures are definitely heartbreaking I can't imagine them destryoing his character, he seems to be quite popular with mr. DTC himself, Daran Little & Leo Richardson. The latter also a writer for EE. He for example wrote that beautiful scene between Johnny & Sharon in the café early april.

Yes, I agree. I think Johnny is in safe hands with DTC at the helm and Daran and Leo writing him. I wish that one of those two were doing some episodes next week, though. I'm hoping Daran will do the Pride episode.

Johnny was on the phone to Sharon tonight but unfortunately went unseen. I did actually feel a little bit sorry for Phil, but Johnny is so panicky and Sharon really needs to give him a bit more support before just leaving him to get on with big nights at The Albert. Plus Curtis is in the Big Brother house (lol!) so he can't help either.

I wish Johnny was seen tonight. I could just sorta envision it though - Sharon going to the Albert and Johnny all panicky and not knowing what to do bless him. Yeah Curtis seems to have ditched Sharon and Johnny and his job and is now tryna chase after Tamara in the Big Brother house.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2...d.html#a575449

^I literally can't get his face in this photo out of my head. My heart breaks for him. I just wanna hug him while he cries his little heart out.

Also in Inside Soap magazine, it says something about exploring Linda's family history in the week after this? Wonder if that's what spurns her onto accompanying Johnny to the pride thing?

Also Harry I swear you joined the forums around same time as me?

(what'll seem like my life story coming up haha)

Well I hated EE until the carters arrived, and suddenly when I noticed Johnny I immediately became a lot more interested! And then when he turned out to be gay which I can relate to, I thought (and still do) that he is the best character in it.

So when he came out to Mick and my crush started I decided to do some research on Sam and found this thread so have been monitoring it for a while. But yeah it was May just gone that I decided I was missing out on too much by not joining in. Sooooo....here I am! ahaha!

(Unnecessarily long story over)