EastEnders (Mark Thrippleton); wheeler-dealer Vince Johnson (Hepburn Graham) and Laurie Bates (Gary Powell), who became Pete Beale's (Peter Dean) sparring partner. The majority of "EastEnders" characters are working-class. Middle-class characters do occasionally become regulars, but have been less successful and rarely become long-term characters. In the main, middle-class characters exist as villains, such as James Wilmott-Brown, May Wright, Stella Crawford and Yusef Khan, or are used to promote positive liberal influences, such as Colin Russell or Rachel Kominski. "EastEnders" has always featured a culturally diverse cast which has included black, Asian, Turkish, Polish and Latvian characters. "The expansion of minority representation
Grant Mitchell (EastEnders) at the 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2006 National Television Awards, and British Soap Award nominations for 'Villain of the Year' in 1999, and 'Spectacular Scene of the Year' in 2006, for Grant's brush with death in 'Get Johnny Week'. The character has been the focus of varying "EastEnders" merchandise in other media, which includes the VHS "EastEnders - The Mitchells - Naked Truths" and "EastEnders: Blood Ties - The Life and Loves of Grant Mitchell", a novelisation written by Kate Lock, which chronicles facts about the character, explores his background and attempts to explain the source of his aggression and