George was introduced by executive producer Chris Clenshaw in episode 6,708, broadcast on 1 June 2023, as the patriarch of the Knight family.

Initially billed as a charismatic ex-boxer and protective father, the character debuted alongside his girlfriend Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) and daughters Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford).

Salmon expressed excitement about joining the soap after the news of his casting was released, as he could easily identify with George's character.

[1] To ensure accuracy on George's baby farming storyline, the show worked and consulted with experts and people who lived through it.

After divorcing Sabrina, George lost contact with Junior and moved to Marbella, where he married Rose Sawyer and they had two daughters named Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford).

Years later, while working at a bar in Marbella, George met Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), and the two began a relationship.

As George becomes acquainted with the locals, some recognise him from his boxing past, including Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), whom he forms a friendship with.

They reveal that he was adopted illegally through a process known as baby farming, meaning George's biological parents were not Jamaican, but in fact from Ghana.

Broken by Gloria's death and his conflicted national identity, George begins self-destructing, coping by participating in underground boxing.

While preparing for his wedding with Elaine, George is shocked to learn that she arranged for Cindy to honey trap him as a method of ensuring his loyalty.

George experiences mixed emotions when she declares her intentions to leave and invites her to spend Christmas with the family.

On Christmas Day 2024, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), who had stolen the recording, tricks George into playing it in front of the whole pub.

On 28 March 2023, the show announced that established actor Colin Salmon had been cast as George, and would join the show as the patriarch of the Knight family, which included George, his partner Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), and his daughters Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford).

[2] Salmon explained that due to his wife's health, he wasn't able to work abroad, so decided to try for EastEnders after his agent suggested it.

[6] Clenshaw revealed that the family were created in January or February 2023, and commented that the show began the early stages of their development for much longer.

[8] Salmon confirmed via his Twitter account that, after Elaine had entered in May, the remainder of the Knight family would make their first appearance on 1 June 2023,[9] which was the 6708th episode of the serial.

[10] Ahead of the family's arrival, Clenshaw praised the actors and promised that the characters were written really well but will be even more extraordinary when seen on the screen.

[2] In an interview with Radio Times, Salmon described his character as a "good man" and explained that George had a soft side to his personality as his experiences shaped him into a "warrior" who doesn't need to seem hard or to prove himself.

[11] Radio Times described George as the leader of the Knight family,[12] and a new "lord of the manor", due to inheriting The Queen Victoria.

[14] George's backstory stated that he was once a successful London-based professional boxer under the name "Nightmare", before leaving London to run a bar in Marbella, Spain.

[17] Helen Daly of Radio Times commented that while George appears to be a man of integrity, he hid "multiple secrets".

[11] Prior to his introduction, George was set to get off on the wrong foot with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), as she was against him working in The Queen Victoria.

[11] Despite the rough start, Salmon teased that George would gain respect for Linda after recognising her as a "fellow warrior".

[26] He added that their relationship was not beyond repair, as it was evident they could rebuild it, but noted that even a single comment or action by either was enough to pull up the walls between them.

[26] In December 2023, it was announced that George's estranged adoptive parents Eddie (Christopher Fairbank) and Gloria Knight (Elizabeth Counsell) would be introduced, with the desire to reconnect with their son.

He also added that George's story would make him question his identity when he discovers the true means by which his parents adopted him.

He added that Eddie knows how to aggravate George and compared the characters' dynamic to fighters in a boxing ring.

[4] He later added in an interview with What's on TV that George uses the ring as an outlet for his anger, but will eventually need to seek therapy to help him through his trauma.

[37] It was confirmed that Kobina would leave quickly, while Kojo would become a regular, with Clenshaw teasing how it would give George an opportunity to be a brother figure.

[35] Laura Denby of Radio Times called Gloria's death scene "moving" and added that Salmon's portrayal was powerful throughout the storyline.