EastEnders has confirmed an audio change as part of Ben Mitchell's hearing loss storyline.
Starting in tonight's episode (February 24), viewers will notice differences in audio during scenes with Max Bowden's character to reflect his additional loss of hearing, following a head injury during the 35th anniversary week.
The audio will sound muffled, as Ben struggles to hear other characters.
This will continue in future episodes, which will eventually see the introduction of a new deaf character called Frankie, played by deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis.
The BBC soap is working with the National Deaf Children's Society in addition to experts in the field on the storyline.
Writer Charlie Swinbourne, who pitched the storyline, said: "Being deaf myself and a fan of the show from an early age, I've always looked out for Ben Mitchell's character because he was the one who wore hearing aids!
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"I wanted to explore how losing more of his hearing affects Ben, as well as how it makes him see the world – and his deaf identity – a bit differently as time goes on.
"I also wanted to see deaf characters and sign language become a part of Albert Square because we see so little representation of deafness in mainstream media. I'm really excited to see this story reach the screen."
EastEnders airs Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays on BBC One.
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