EastEnders spoilers: Ben Mitchell’s near-death experience teased in deafness storyline?

EastEnders celebrated their 35th anniversary earlier this month with an extremely dramatic storyline. BBC viewers tuned in to see the Walford residents embark on a boat on the Thames, but tragedy struck and Dennis Mitchell (played by Bleu Landau) was sadly killed. Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) also suffered a life-changing head injury which left him struggling to hear and communicate with others. But what does this mean for his future? 

Express.co.uk spoke to Ipek Tugcu, an Associate Solicitor at Bolt Burdon Kemp about the challenges Ben is going to face in the coming months, and years. 

“One of the most difficult things about a brain injury is that it actually causes a multitude of injuries – some of which are not as obvious as others,” Ipek explained. 

“Hearing loss, whilst not always commonly recognised as a side-effect of brain injury, can and does happen to millions of people around the world.

“It’s fantastic to see EastEnders introducing this as a storyline so that it can show audiences about the true extent of a brain injury,” she added. 

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Explaining how Ben’s brain injury has caused him to lose his hearing, Ipek said: “Our ears and brain work together to help us hear sound.

“Sound waves go through the ear canal and eardrum, and vibrations pass through into the inner ear, which sends signals to the brain to tell us what we are hearing.

“When there is damage to the middle ear, inner ear or the brain, this can interrupt this process and cause hearing loss – whether this be a partial or total loss.

“This tends to happen specifically in cases of traumatic brain injury. 

“This is when there has been a physical external force which has damaged the brain, such as a hit or a fall. This trauma can cause damage to the ear and/or brain which can affect hearing,” she continued. 

But how is this going to affect the mechanic’s everyday life? 

“Hearing loss is likely to devastate Ben, as it would anyone,” Ipek remarked. 

“Sadly, it’s going to cause a change to everything he knows – the way he communicates with people, the way he is able to enjoy things like watching television and listening to music, and the way he lives his life – no longer being able to hear alarms, sirens and announcements.

“Ben is a mechanic by trade, and if he was to go back to work – hearing loss will change everything,” the solicitor revealed. 

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“He won’t be able to hear customers, his colleagues or the performance of the cars he’s working on. He could be at risk of losing his job, or making a professional mistake,” Ipek added. 

Will this mean Ben will suffer a near-death experience, say crossing the road without realising or being able to hear a car is coming towards him? 

In order for Ben to be able to deal with this life-changing injury, Ipek said he would need help from his family and friends. 

“It’s really important for Ben to lean on others for support, and look for ways to adapt to his new life,” she explained. 

“This may include learning sign language, and asking those close to him to do the same. It could mean getting a hearing aid, if a doctor feels this will make a difference. 

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“Little lifestyle changes could make a world of difference – like having flashing or vibrating alarms instead of ones that make sound, or having software which turns speech into text,” she concluded. 

As part of this storyline, Rose Ayling-Ellis is joining the cast, she is a deaf actress and will play a new character named Frankie.  

Charlie Swinbourne, part of the show’s writing team who pitched the idea of the storyline, said: “Creating a storyline and a character for EastEnders has been a lifelong dream of mine, so it’s been an incredible experience to work with the EastEnders team over the last few months.

“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!” He added. 

EastEnders returns on Monday at 8pm on BBC One. 

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