Kyle Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Riley Carter Millington.

However, one newspaper reported the news of Kyle's character in a mocking tone, which was criticised by politician and former EastEnders actor Michael Cashman.

Millington praised fans for their positive support and revealed that Kyle's storyline with Alison had managed to reconcile a viewer with her transgender son.

[1] At the time of his announcement, rival soap operas Coronation Street and Hollyoaks had had transgender characters played by non-transgender actors.

[1] EastEnders worked with groups in the transgender community and held workshops to find an actor for the role before creating and developing the character.

[3][4] It was Carter Millington's first acting role, and he was excited to be joining the soap, saying, "I can honestly say that I have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams - to be living my life as a man and to be an actor".

"[6] Treadwell-Collins revealed that the EastEnders story team had worked with Millington to make Kyle "fresh and relatable" and hoped that fans would quickly take him "to their hearts".

[6] It also revealed that Kyle's struggle to live as the person he felt he was inside "has given him a determination to achieve his dreams and make his life a happy one that was worth the fight".

[14] Millington told Sarah Morris from The Independent that he had read about Treadwell-Collins's intention to introduce a transgender actor and character in an OK!

magazine, which prompted him to write to the soap opera telling him that he was transgender and training to be an actor and at university, in addition to briefly outlining his transition.

[22][21] In March 2016, it was announced that Denise Welch had been cast as Kyle's mother, Alison Slater, who would debut later that year for a short stint in an episode that would focus on the character.

[25][24] Welch had previously starred in the sitcom Boy Meets Girl and had spoken about how she was overjoyed that the show had helped people in the transgender community.

[22] Millington praised EastEnders fans for the "overwhelmingly positive" reception that they have given him and spoke about how his life had changed since joining the soap, commenting that it is "weird to have people following me around in shops!

"[21][28] Millington commented on how the role was increasing understanding about the transgender community; he told Radio Times that he had received a letter from a trans man telling him that he had been disowned by his mother, but they had known reconciled due to seeing the similar storyline regarding Kyle.

[34] Life for Kyle becomes "unbearable" at his house due to overcrowding and financial issues and he becomes uncomfortable that Stacey is struggling to make ends meet, so he asks Steven for a pay rise.

[35] Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy teased the storyline by writing "No more Mr Nice Guy..." and questioned whether Steven had met his match or if Kyle would be forced to back down.

"[9][12] Kyle's exit was announced at the same time that a number of other characters were also announced to depart, including Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack), Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), Pam Coker (Lin Blakley), Les Coker (Roger Sloman), Babe Smith (Annette Badland) and Claudette Hubbard (Ellen Thomas), among others.

[41] Millington added that Kyle "had the big coming-out story and it was dramatic and emotional, but we didn't get to see a happy ending, like a relationship of any sort other than the reunion with his half-sister, Stacey.

Kyle tries to reveal himself to Stacey and comes to Walford with his close friends Sophie Dodd (Poppy Rush) and Ricksy Hicks (Joel Phillimore) as support.

"[2][42] The reception was not all positive; Meka Beresford from PinkNews reported how the soap was "barraged with transphobic abuse" when Kyle's character was announced.

"[43] Responding to this, LGBT politician Lord Michael Cashman, who had appeared in EastEnders as Colin Russell and took part in the soap's first same sex kiss, told PinkNews, "The BBC's courage and determination in reflecting the world in which we live honestly is to be applauded.

Our judges felt his decision to play the character Kyle in EastEnders could help trans people – even save lives – and represents a landmark cultural moment.

[27] Kilkelly also placed Millington on his list of the top 10 "rising stars" in British and Australian soap operas, writing: "Let's be honest – after nearly two years of hype surrounding Stacey's mystery key, the 'big reveal' that it unlocked the secret of a long-lost brother could have been a real dud on paper.

[22] A writer from Irish Independent believed that "Transgender actors are beginning to make an impact on television", citing Millington, Rebecca Root and Annie Wallace.

[16] Danny Walker from the same website called the scenes where Kyle comes as transgender to Stacey as "emotional" and reported how it had shocked some viewers, but also noted how some fans had already predicted it.

[29] Battson also congratulated Millington for his TV Choice Awards nomination and wrote, "We've loved seeing Kyle's story develop since his arrival on Albert Square and can’t wait to see what else is in store for the character".

[29] Speaking about the announcement of Kyle's exit, Rachel McGrath from HuffPost wrote that "mass exodus is continuing" and joked that "Albert Square is going to be pretty empty at this rate".

[48] Duncan Lindsay from Metro wrote that Kyle was introduced in "mysterious circumstances" but had since "put roots down in Albert Square".

[17] Angie Quinn from MyLondon wrote that despite building a relationship with Stacey, "life in Walford wasn't meant to be for Kyle" due to his departure.

[50] Áine Toner Women's Way from believed that Kyle "deserved better" in reference to his exit and Millington's 2017 comments over his disappointment over how the character was written out.