Paul Coker (EastEnders)

Paul Coker
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Jonny Labey
Duration	2015–2016
First appearance	Episode 5077 1 June 2015 (2015-06-01)
Last appearance	Episode 5347 8 September 2016 (2016-09-08)
Classification	Former; regular
Created by	Daran Little
Introduced by	Dominic Treadwell-Collins
In-universe information Occupation Hair stylist Market trader Father Lawrie Coker Mother Jenny Rawlinson Grandfathers Les Coker Grandmothers Pam Coker Other relatives Miriam Crabbe

Paul Coker is a character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jonny Labey. He first appeared in episode 5077 of the show, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2015. Paul, a gay character, is the grandson of established characters Les Coker (Roger Sloman) and Pam Coker (Lin Blakley) and boyfriend of Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid). The character's final appearance is in Episode 5347, shown on 8 September 2016, following the character's death after an off-screen homophobic attack on 18 July 2016.

Kissing scenes between Paul and Ben received a mixed reaction from viewers, though the character has received positive comments from reviewers. Ofcom received 76 complaints from viewers when the couple were seen topless together in a funeral parlour with a corpse in the room, but decided not to investigate the complaints as the scenes were "justified in the context" and sexual contact was "implied". The relationship was longlisted at the Inside Soap Awards in the "Best Affair" category.^[1]