Jai

Given the recent departures of some characters, and rumoured departures of others, is anyone else as baffled as I am as to why Jai is still kicking about?

He’s been in the show for fifteen years and in that time he’s gone from part of a close family unit, with parents and siblings, to being quite isolated on the canvas.

At the moment, his sole relative on the show is his son Archie (who is a child who rarely appears on screen), he has no friends, and his storylines seem to revolve around him being bitter and miserable.

It feels like the writers have no interest in the character. He used to run a business which had him in regular contact with numerous villagers and provided organic reasons for storylines and interactions. Now he’s reduced to vague ‘business deals’ and going round in circles with Caleb.

Jai used to be married to Charity and almost adopted Noah but they act like virtual strangers around one another. Brenda is the grandmother of his brother Nikhil’s daughter - have Brenda and Jai ever shared a scene discussing their mutual relative? There’s virtually no mention of Jai’s daughter Eliza. His other daughter, Mia, seems to have been airbrushed out of his history.

Even the revelation that his Uncle Amit was his real father went nowhere.

I can’t remember the last time Jai had a compelling storyline or even a moment where he was someone I felt I liked or could root for, but he’s also not hateable enough to be a brilliant villain. He’s just a moany non-entity.

Genuinely don’t understand why the writers and producers have kept him in.