Freddie Slater (also Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by twins Alex and Tom Kilby from 2004 to 2006 and Bobby Brazier since 2022.
Freddie is introduced as the son of Little Mo Mitchell (Kacey Ainsworth), conceived after she is raped by Graham Foster (Alex McSweeney), and makes his first appearance in episode 2826, broadcast on 1 November 2004.
His storylines have focused on being led to believe that his former stepfather Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) is his biological father, a friendship with Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell), being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, reuniting with Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis) - a teacher who bullied him, discovering that his biological father is his mother's rapist, Graham Foster (Alex McSweeney), a one-night-stand with Bobby's love interest Anna Knight (Molly Rainford), attacking Theo when he attempts to rape his cousin Stacey (Lacey Turner) and entering into a love triangle with Bobby and Anna.
Freddie was conceived in late 2003 when his mother, Little Mo Mitchell (Kacey Ainsworth), is raped by her friend, Graham Foster (Alex McSweeney).
A few days before the hospital admission, Little Mo admits to her boyfriend Oliver Cousins (Tom Ellis), who is also a GP, that she sometimes gets very irritated with Freddie when he cries.
When Oliver hears that Freddie's injury must have been caused by shaking or rough handling, he admits what Little Mo has told him to a paediatrician, Briony Campbell (Rae Hendrie), at the hospital.
After extensive tests at the hospital, it is discovered that Freddie has a temporary low platelet count, due to an infection, meaning that any minor injury could hurt him badly, as his blood is not clotting properly.
When Billy is arrested for the murder of Malcolm Keeble (Christopher Pizzey) and needs money to hire a good solicitor, Freddie becomes determined to help him out and gets a job at the local fish and chip shop, having lied to Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) that he has lengthy experience.
Freddie initially lives with his aunt, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) and her fiancé, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) but after Phil tells him that Billy is not his father, a rift develops between them and he moves in with Stacey and her family, eventually joined by Kat's ex-husband, Alfie Moon (Shane Richie).
Due to his cheerful and laid back personality, Freddie soon settles into life in Walford and becomes close friends with Bobby as well as building solid relationships with Stacey, her mother Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) and Alfie, the latter of whom he later moves into Harvey Monroe's (Ross Boatman) former flat with.
In October 2023, Freddie walks in on his former schoolteacher Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis) trying to rape Stacey, violently beating him.
Clenshaw added that Brazier was "an amazing young addition to the EastEnders cast who brings heart and humility to the role of Freddie Slater and I can't wait for audiences to get to know him".
[5] The show teased that the now 18-year-old Freddie would arrive to Walford on a "mission that could end in violence", and that he would clash with Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick), as he was his mother's, Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth), ex-husband.
[9] Brazier explained that "Freddie used to get called 'thick' at school and made to feel stupid all the time, so what Jean says really hurts him, it forces him to confront things from his past and give the teacher who was horrible to him a bit of a talking to".
[12][13] In July 2023, the show revealed that Freddie would meet his father, Graham Foster (Alex McSweeney), against the wishes of his family, after growing curious about his identity.
Clenshaw explained that they employed the plot line as producers "felt that it was important for Freddie to find out about the circumstances relating to his conception so he can understand and process the identity of his dad".
[16] On 11 September 2023, Brazier announced that he was taking a temporary exit from the soap to participate in the 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing.
[25] After the character's first appearance of his reintroduction, Laura Denby of Radio Times called Brazier's debut acting role "promising", adding that "it feels inevitable that Freddie will soon steal our hearts".
[7] Brazier received praise on social media for a scene where Freddie gives Billy a pep talk about handling Lola Pearce's (Danielle Harold) cancer, with Rafi Mauro-Benady of MyLondon reporting that it left fans "in tears".
[26] His colleague, Dan Wiggins, noticed Freddie was "a big hit amongst fans, with his jokey and kind-hearted manner winning them over in no time".
[29] Katherine Heslop of Mirror called the scene where Freddie opens up about Jean about his bullying "moving", reporting that many fans had been "left in tears".
[31] The manner in which Freddie incapacitated Theo, by hitting his head with a clothing iron was praised by fans as it was a reference to a 2001 scene where Little Mo fended off her abusive husband Trevor Morgan (Alex Ferns).