Keith Miller (EastEnders)

Keith arrives with his partner, Rosie (Gerry Cowper), their twins, Darren (Charlie G. Hawkins) and Demi (Shana Swash), and the family dog, Ghengis, joining Rosie's son, Mickey (Joe Swash), and moving into 27 Albert Square. They are later joined by Demi's newborn baby, Aleesha (Freya Coltman-West), Rosie's daughter, Dawn Swann (Kara Tointon), and Dawn's daughter, Summer Swann. Keith, who does not work and spends his time watching documentaries on television, has his incapacity benefits stopped when Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) catches him on CCTV moving heavy boxes and reports him for benefit fraud. However, he remains unemployed, and it is revealed that he is illiterate, but, his family encouraged him to learn to read and write. Rosie drops several hints that she wants Keith to propose, but he eventually leaves her when he discovers that she plans to leave him for her ex-husband, Mike Swann (Mark Wingett), and he moves in with Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves) and Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi). He later forgives Rosie when she begs for another chance and moves back in with her. Mike moves out, but, leaves a message for Dawn on the Millers' answering machine. Keith deletes the message, as he does not want Mike to have anything to do with the family. Mike's mother, Nora Swann (Pamela Cundell), later dies in hospital and they have no way of contacting Mike to let him know. Rosie kicks Keith out and he moves in with Gus (Mohammed George) and Juley Smith (Joseph Kpobie). Keith desperately wants Rosie back and knows that the only thing he can offer her is marriage. He proposes and they get back together, but, Keith tries to delay the wedding, as he is not really interested in getting married. He later realizes that nothing will really change after they get married and soon changes his mind.

Rosie does not want to put off the wedding any longer and the ceremony takes place at Walford Register Office. Keith arrives late with mud on his suit, but, Rosie cannot go through with the wedding and jilts Keith halfway through the ceremony. Keith decides to change his ways and help more around the house. However, this does not change Rosie's mind. She tells Keith she is no longer in love with him, and is taking a job in the Cotswolds, and taking Darren, Demi and Aleesha with her. She prepares to leave but Darren does not want to go, so Rosie convinces Keith to make Darren leave by saying he is not interested in his son. However, Darren is upset and decides to go, and when Rosie sees how upset he is, she allows him to stay, revealing that Keith was lying. Keith wins on the lottery but loses the ticket. The next day Dawn, Mickey and Darren are furious at him so he agrees to try to get a job. However, he changes his mind, but lies to Dawn; when she, Mickey and Darren discover the lie, they throw him out of the house, even though he has found a job as a road sweeper. He moves in with Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra), who owes him a favor. May Wright (Amanda Drew) sets the Millers' house on fire after her attempts to kidnap Summer. Keith was supposed to be on the lookout for May but was revising for a pub quiz in The Queen Victoria. Wracked with guilt, he goes into the burning building and rescues Dawn. Mickey discovers a letter from Rosie offering Keith a job working as a concierge at the hotel she was working at in the Cotswolds. Keith, however, has kept this letter hidden from his family for over a month. Angry that he has not followed up to contact Rosie about the job, Mickey applies for the job instead. Keith admits to Dawn that he still loves Rosie but cannot take the risk accepting the job and being rejected by her. As Mickey is set to leave, a newly groomed Keith, along with Genghis, tells Mickey he has decided to accept the job after all and that he is coming with him. They leave for the Cotswolds, leaving Darren, Dawn and Summer in Walford. Dawn later reveals that Keith and Rosie have reconciled.

File:David Spinx.jpg was cast as the father of the 'controversial' Miller family.]]

In July 2004, The Sun reported that a controversial family of lowlifes would be joining EastEnders in an attempt to boost ratings.{{cite news |last=Wilkes |first=Neil |date=19 June 2004 |title=New "low-life" family join 'EastEnders' |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a15022/new-low-life-family-join-eastenders.html |work=Digital Spy}} It was said that they would make the Slater family "look like royalty". Their casting was confirmed a month later when executive producer, Louise Berridge, commented: "I'm delighted to introduce the Miller family, who will be joining Mickey on Albert Square in September, but I warn you - this lot are trouble".{{cite news |last=Green |first=Kris |date=9 August 2004 |title=New family heads for 'EastEnders' |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/news/a15308/new-family-heads-for-eastenders.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912195255/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/news/a15308/new-family-heads-for-eastenders.html |archive-date=12 September 2012 |access-date=8 July 2013 |work=Digital Spy}}{{Cite news |date=2004-08-09 |title=Troublemakers to join EastEnders |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3547770.stm |access-date=2025-03-21 |language=en-GB}} She added: "Even the dog is dodgy. They're set to cause havoc all over the Square, and by the end of their first week the sparks will be flying - literally". The family initially consisted of father Keith, mother Rosie (Gerry Cowper), eldest son Mickey (Joe Swash), twins Demi (Shana Swash) and Darren (Charlie G. Hawkins) and their mangy Irish Wolfhound dog, Ghengis.

Upon the casting announcement, The BBC described Keith as a "good natured know-it-all who lives his life through the documentaries he watches on television."{{Cite web |title=BBC - Press Office - The Miller Family |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/08_august/08/miller.shtml |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404162033/https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/08_august/08/miller.shtml |url-status=live }} It was also said that he "rules his family from his safety of his armchair, shirking responsibility and hard work at any opportunity." Spinx said on his new role: "I'm really enjoying playing Keith, he's a great character. I'm looking forward to developing his character over the coming months."

Spinx had also played two other roles on EastEnders, prior to this.{{Cite web |last=O'Sullivan |first=Kyle |date=2022-07-26 |title=EastEnders Miller family now - working in pub, bankrupt and two co-star breakups |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/eastenders-miller-family-now-working-27542506 |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=Daily Mirror |language=en |archive-date=31 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731224420/https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/eastenders-miller-family-now-working-27542506 |url-status=live }} In 1999, he played Sharkey, who was a prisoner that knew Matthew Rose (Joe Absolom) and Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), and at another point, he played a driver for Barry Evans' (Shaun Williamson) cab firm.

In February 2008, after four years on the soap, it was announced that executive producer, Diederick Santer, had axed Keith. Santer also made the decision to axe Swash as Mickey, alongside him, as he felt the two had "run out of steam" and that there was nothing left for the characters to do on the series.{{cite news |last=Green |first=Kris |date=25 February 2008 |title='Enders boss axes Mickey and Keith |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/a90098/enders-boss-axes-mickey-and-keith/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002003527/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a90098/enders-boss-axes-mickey-and-keith.html |archive-date=2 October 2015 |access-date=7 July 2023 |work=Digital Spy}} Spinx's final appearance aired on 1 July 2008.

In 2011, it was announced that Rosie and Keith's son, Darren, would be leaving the soap.{{Cite web |last=Payne |first=Will |date=2011-04-30 |title=EastEnders exit for Darren Miller actor Charlie G Hawkins |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/eastenders-exit-for-darren-miller-actor-125838 |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=The Mirror |language=en |archive-date=21 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321174956/https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/eastenders-exit-for-darren-miller-actor-125838 |url-status=live }} After this announcement was made, Spinx said about a possible return, "Darren is indeed the last of the Millers, so I don't know how that works out for the rest of us who might have wanted to return at some point."{{Cite web |last=McLennan |first=Patrick |date=2011-05-29 |title=No return for Enders' Miller family, says actor |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/eastenders-main/eastenders-news/no-return-for-enders-miller-family-says-actor-162416 |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=whattowatch.com |language=en |archive-date=21 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321174957/https://www.whattowatch.com/eastenders-main/eastenders-news/no-return-for-enders-miller-family-says-actor-162416 |url-status=live }} He also made it clear that he would love to return if he was asked back, stating, "It would have been nice if he'd had a little wedding and we could've all turned up and had a reunion. I enjoyed my time on EastEnders immensely and of course I would go back."

After Keith and Rosie arrived on the soap, Nancy Banks-Smith, from The Guardian, said that Keith is "something between a ne'er-do-well and a never-well. He enjoys ill health which prevents gainful labour".{{Cite news |last=Banks-Smith |first=Nancy |date=2004-09-07 |title=Mothers and slaughters |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/sep/07/television.artsfeatures |access-date=2025-03-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} Digital Spy's Dek Hogan praised Spinx's acting in August 2005 after his part in a storyline that sees Demi go missing. He hoped that his part in the story would be remembered when the nominees for award ceremonies are being picked.{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/dekstvdiary/a23256/picture-this.html|title=Picture this|date=7 August 2005|last=Hogan|first=Dek|work=Digital Spy|access-date=7 July 2023|archive-date=21 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021055023/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/dekstvdiary/a23256/picture-this.html|url-status=live}} However, in 2007, Digital Spy journalist Kris Green opined that Keith is a useless character who he thought would be axed in the near future.{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a43103/enders-questions-answered.html|title='Enders Questions: Answered|date=24 February 2007|last=Green|first=Kris|work=Digital Spy|access-date=7 July 2023|archive-date=29 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130805/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a43103/enders-questions-answered.html|url-status=live}} After it transpires that Keith is illiterate, a storyline sees him learning to read and write. The Guardian{{'}}s Alan Wells criticised the storyline as he felt that it was too brief. He felt that Keith's journey to becoming fully literate was shown to be too "effortless". Wells noted how Keith had several long absences from being onscreen, which he felt had made the storyline feel non-existent.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/feb/12/furthereducation.educationguardian2|title=The basic skills parade has passed on|date=12 February 2008|last=Wells|first=Alan|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 July 2023|archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325162830/http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/feb/12/furthereducation.educationguardian2|url-status=live}}

In 2022, Kyle O'Sullivan, from The Mirror, deemed the family as "chaotic" and said the members were "troublemakers" and also mentioned that they were instantly fighting with existing families, such as the Fowlers and Slaters. O'Sullivan also said that fans had a lot of anger towards the family's axings. He also described Keith as "lazy". MyLondon's Angie Quinn wrote: "EastEnders viewers are sure to remember Rosie Miller and her lazy husband Keith who moved onto Albert Square in 2004 with their children Mickey, Dawn, and twins Demi and Darren. Within minutes of their arrival, the family was branded unruly and received anything but a warm welcome from their neighbours. However, viewers of the BBC One soap instantly fell in love with the rowdy clan as we all followed their drama and scandal throughout the 2000s. And although it's been nearly 20 years since the Millers arrived, they are still adored to this day."{{cite news |last1=Angie |first1=Quinn |title=BBC EastEnders star who played Rosie Miller is unrecognisable in forgotten role as Trigger's niece in Only Fools and Horses |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/tv/bbc-eastenders-star-who-played-26630285 |website=MyLondon |access-date=7 July 2023 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404225414/https://www.mylondon.news/news/tv/bbc-eastenders-star-who-played-26630285 |url-status=live }} Nicole Douglas from OK! referred to Keith as "Albert Square's token sloth",{{cite web |last1=Douglas |first1=Nicole |title=EastEnders' Keith Miller doesn't look like this anymore |url=https://www.ok.co.uk/lifestyle/eastenders-keith-miller-doesnt-look-14720666 |website=OK! |date=21 October 2016 |access-date=7 July 2023 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707205244/https://www.ok.co.uk/lifestyle/eastenders-keith-miller-doesnt-look-14720666 |url-status=live }} while Daily Mirror{{'}}s Kyle O'Sullivan described him as a "sofa-bound layabout" and remarked that the character spent his entire four-year tenure "on his bum".

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Category:EastEnders characters

Category:Television characters introduced in 2004

Category:Fictional fraudsters

Category:English male characters in soap operas

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Category:Miller family (EastEnders)