EastEnders Jase tells Terry: 'Kill me, not my son'

EastEnders' Jase Dyer is in trouble with gangster Terry, who sets him up and then kidnaps son Jay. And the only way Jase can save his son's life is to sacrifice his own, as actor Stephen Lord explains...

How did Jase get involved with Terry again? We thought he was going straight!
"Jase has been fooling himself. He thought he could do one or two jobs for Terry then walk away whenever he wanted… But when he tries his worst nightmare begins."

What happens?
"The night before the wedding he's supposed to do a job with Billy but at the last minute he's struck by the fact that he's got responsibilities and he shouldn't be doing this. He's about to get married. He's a dad."

Wise decision - but Terry doesn't see it that way does he?
"He tells Terry he's out but Terry won't take no for an answer. He reminds Jase that his family abandoned him and it was Terry who brought him up. He also goads Jase by telling him that Dawn will leave if he doesn't bring home the money.

So Jase relents?
"Jase snaps and agrees to do the job but when he and Billy get to the address it's a set-up. All that's there a note from Terry saying that he's got Jay."

How does Jase react?
"Jase's blood runs cold. He knows how evil this man is. He phones Terry and tells him 'If you've so much as touched Jay... You want to punish me, punish me. Don't use my son...'" But he doesn’t know where Terry is. He and Billy go to all Terry's haunts but can't find him."

Until Jase goes home...
"It turns out Terry's in Jase's flat. Dawn's at a hotel as it's the night before the wedding and when Jase gets to the flat, Terry's on the sofa with Jay while two heavies with baseball bats look on."

Is Terry threatening Jay?
"Terry's showing Jay pictures of the people Jase has beaten up and Jase is gutted. He feels he's let his son down.
But Jay tells Terry: 'I don't care what he's done. He's my dad. We're proper, alright? You ain't. You're nobody.' It's so gutsy of him and it freaks Terry. He pulls out a knife – and Jase throws himself at him."

Does Jase get hurt?
"All he cares about is saving his son. In the mayhem, Billy manages to get Jay out to safety but Jase is stabbed – badly. He's laying on the floor when Billy comes back. Terry is standing over Jase but as Jase begs for his life Billy turns and runs. Jase is still alive when help finally arrives and he's rushed to hospital – but only just."

What was it like filming those scenes?
"It's all filmed in a very dramatic and moving way with Jase imagining he's with his son as he's on the operating table. Even as he dies he's trying to reach out and touch his son…"

Was it the kind of exit you wanted?
"It's brutal in many ways but I think it's a sweet exit. It's brave of the show to have a character like Jase and to show the other side of him. You know, the loving partner and dad. But he couldn't get away with his crimes. It's a potent ending."