EastEnders has revealed an emotional two-hander episode that centres on Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) and Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker).
Yolande has been in despair ever since she suffered a horrific sexual assault at the hands of Pastor Clayton (Howard Saddler) and has been too scared to tell her partner Patrick what happened.
Now, Patrick will finally discover the heartbreaking truth in a poignant episode set to air on Tuesday, May 7.
The episode will focus on Patrick and Yolande as he discovers that she was sexually assaulted by Pastor Clayton, and the immediate aftermath that follows. The revelation will be the catalyst for Yolande to finally break her silence about the assault as she shares her harrowing ordeal with her life partner.
For Patrick, it will answer his confusion about Yolande’s wellbeing but begin a new, difficult journey as he tries to process what has happened and how best to support Yolande.
EastEnders Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw said of the episode: “When you have a story that deserves time and space to explore, and you have talent like Angela Wynter and Rudoph Walker, it felt only right to produce an EastEnders two-hander episode. This conversation is the most difficult that Yolande and Patrick will ever have, and an episode dedicated to them gives us a chance to tell this story truthfully and authentically. I’m in awe of the performances Angela and Rudolph have given and they’ve handled such a challenging and sensitive subject matter.”
Following the attack, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) found an inconsolable Yolande at the Launderette, who broke down and revealed what happened. Elaine encouraged Yolande to report Pastor Clayton, but she refused and made her promise to keep it a secret.
Too afraid to tell Patrick what happened, Yolande has taken an extended break from the church in order to get away from Pastor Clayton.
However, the nightmare has continued to haunt her and she has struggled to hide her trauma at home with Patrick.
Patrick has been making loving advances towards her, but every time he attempts to show her affection she is triggered by memories of her attack and pushes him away, leaving him confused by her out of character behaviour.
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
