Albie Dennis Watts (previously Kayden) is the son of Sharon Watts and Phil Mitchell, as well as being the half-brother of Ben, Louise, Dennis and Raymond. He was thought to have been the son of Keanu Taylor for the first three years of his life.
Backstory
Born on the 14 February 2020, Albie was thought to be the love child of Sharon Mitchell and Keanu Taylor. However he is actually the son of Sharon's then husband Phil Mitchell. He was born on the day Sharon’s other son, Dennis, died due to drowning. As a result of this Sharon thought she couldn’t cope and gave the baby to Keanu’s mother Karen Taylor, who named the baby Kayden, although his name was never registered officially. Sharon soon realised she needed her son when she found a teddy that Denny had bought for his baby brother and soon got him back, re-naming and registering him as Albie Watts.
Storylines
2020-2021: Birth and early life
Albie was born 14 February 2020 and was thought to be the result of an affair between Keanu and Sharon even though Sharon was married to Phil Mitchell (who is the real father) at the time and Keanu was dating Phil’s daughter Louise Mitchell, who also became pregnant with their daughter Peggy.
Sharon and her husband, Phil Mitchell's relationship, starts to deteriorate due to Phil's bullying behaviour and her boredom with simply being Phil's stay at home wife and finds herself becoming attracted to Keanu. However, Sharon does not know that he is only nineteen years old. After Phil leaves to visit his brother, Grant, in Spain, Sharon invites Keanu over to the house where they kiss and have sex.
Keanu then wants to become a taxi driver but is too young, Sharon discovers he's only nineteen, younger than she believed him to be. The age gap unsettles Sharon, and she ends their affair. However, they later reconcile. Sharon starts receiving threatening text messages from an unknown person regarding their affair. At a party, Sharon and Keanu are seen kissing by Keanu's mother Karen Taylor who demands they stop the cheating.
Sharon starts receiving threats via text message saying to end her affair with Keanu and is then shocked to Louise sending her text messages. She manages to persuade Louise she has the misunderstood everything and successfully convinces her to drop the accusation before ending the affair with Keanu once more. Keanu asks to remain friends with Sharon, and she initially agrees, but when a goodbye kiss between them turns into sex, she admits that things will be too weird between them and tells him they should stay away from each other. However, they reunite their affair again weeks later. Sharon then tells Keanu to move on for good, and he has sex with Louise.
Sharon leaves the square for a while to clear her head, only to return two months later to witness Keanu and Louise kissing, now in a relationship, which she is jealous of. Keanu confronts her in the Vic toilets, saying he still has feelings for her, but Sharon denies she feels the same. They then reconcile and continue to have an affair behind Phil and Louise's back. This leads to Louise and Sharon becoming pregnant and after working out the dates, Sharon realises Keanu is the father. Despite this, Keanu still remains in a relationship with Louise, (unknown to Louise or Phil that he is believed to be the father of Sharon’s baby). On the 6th December 2019, their daughter, Peggy is born.
When Phil works out the dates of when Sharon’s baby was conceived, he realised that Sharon must of got pregnant while he was away visiting his brother. Phil admits to his son Ben Mitchell that he thinks Keanu was sleeping with Sharon when he was giving her “personal training lessons”. When Sharon admits the truth, Phil tells Louise the truth, making her hate Keanu and help with Phil and Ben’s plan to kill him.
Albie was born on the 14th February 2020, after Ben took Sharon to the funeral parlour and threatened her at gun-point. He did this to find out where Keanu was keeping his boyfriend, Callum Highway after Keanu kidnapped him in a revenge plot against the Mitchells for trying to kill him. During a phone call to Keanu, forced by Ben, he tells Sharon that he is going to the boat party. Sharon then goes into labour, making Ben panic and call his mother, Kathy Beale, for help. When Kathy arrives, she convinces Ben to leave. She calls an ambulance and helps Sharon through her labour. After getting Sharon onto the floor, Kathy sees she is bleeding and worries for both Sharon and the health of her unborn child. By the time the ambulance arrives, Sharon had given birth to her newborn son.
Simultaneously, Sharon’s other son Dennis Rickman had been locked in a locker room on the boat by Ian Beale as revenge for a bullying campaign against his son, Bobby Beale, which resulted in him being attacked and almost dying. When Keanu and Phil fought in the boat, they fell into the steering wheel causing the ship to crash and the lower decks to start filling with water - including where Dennis is being held. After losing the keys for the door and, then, smashing the door down with a fire extinguisher, Ian successfully pulls Dennis out of the locker room, and they attempt to swim through the corridor to safety. Unfortunately, the corridor filled with water, washing both Ian and Dennis into the River Thames and being pulled to shore by rescue teams. After rounds of CPR, Ian is saved and taken to hospital, but Dennis is pronounced dead at the scene. Keanu sees this and arrives at the hospital to inform Sharon of her son's death and to see his baby or the first time. Sharon then bans Keanu from seeing her ever again, which results in him leaving Walford.
When Sharon returns home, to the Beale household, she is distant from her baby as she grieves for Dennis. She later offers Keanu’s mother Karen to look after the baby for her and Karen agrees. Karen then gives her condolences to Sharon and tells her that Phil caused the boat crash by attacking Keanu. Karen comments that they can’t keep calling him “the baby” forever and that he looks like a "Kayden" which she had initially considered naming her son Keegan, but decided to put it as his middle name instead. She asks Sharon what she thinks of it but Sharon doesn't pay attention. Karen continues to call the baby “Kayden” - although his name was never registered officially.
Later, Sharon steals Kathy's keys to the Mitchell household so she can go through pictures of Dennis. She considers taking her own life but backs out at the last minute. When Ian and Kathy realise the keys are missing, Ian goes to get Sharon and tells her she has a son to live for and it will get better. However, Sharon tells Ian she doesn't want him - she wants Dennis. The next day, Ian backs off from Sharon as the baby is none of his business.
Sharon decides to take a trip to Australia so she and Phil can rekindle their romance where they plan to buy and move into the Vic. Sharon finds out Karen is moving away and is taking the baby with her so she attends their going away party and Sharon goes round to see her infant son for a little bit. She stays with him for hours and even lays on the bed with him. Karen tells Sharon it isn't too late to take him back, but Sharon tells her that she is his mum now, not her and walks away. On the day of Karen leaving to Croydon with the baby, Sharon considers going to say goodbye to her son but decides not to with Phil's encouragement. However, Sharon finds a teddy that Dennis bought for his baby brother before he died and takes it round to Karen's house where she picks up the baby and starts cradling him. When Sharon returns home, she tells Phil that she told Karen not to go and that she wants the baby here with them. Phil is not happy about this but allows it to happen.
When Sharon gets her son back, she hides some nappies and tells Phil she needs to go shopping to get some; however she only did this to make Phil bond with the baby. Phil tries to make an effort, but when Sharon returns, he tells her she needs to choose between him and the baby because he cannot raise Keanu Taylor’s child after all the pain he caused to his family. Sharon chooses the baby and Phil tells her to get out of his house. The next day, Sharon decides not to give up, and she asks Phil to give it a chance, but he tells her that 'that thing' is the reason Denny is dead. Sharon then re-names and registers her infant son as Albie Watts - giving him her maiden name.
2022 to present: Christening and toddler years
In 2022, Albie’s supposed dad, Keanu, returned to the square after nearly three years away after somehow learning that Phil is away. Sharon lets him See Albie, and Keanu takes him to the square to play football, during which he tells him he’ll always be there for him. It’s later revealed that Keanu is working with Samantha Keeble to take down Phil so he can return home.
In April 2023, Sharon and Keanu agree on christening Albie, and Keanu offers to pay, despite not having money. Because of this, he goes to Ravi Gulati for work, who offers him some at the restaurant.
Christos arrives in Walford and sees Keanu taking in some boxes containing stolen whiskey into Walford East for Ravi. Christos approaches Keanu, pretending to be a police officer and orders Keanu to show him whats in the boxes. However, Keanu refuses to show him inside the boxes and tells him to go and get a search warrant. Keanu tells Ravi that the police were just around and that they are probably going to get raided, Ravi and Keanu then attempt to hide the Whiskey, however Christos walks in and Ravi orders him out thinking he is a police officer. However, Christos reveals his police badge is fake and he then reveals he is Christos, Ravi's criminal associate that had been talking to him on the phone. Christos then tells Ravi he has a job for him and Keanu and asks if he's in and Ravi says yes.
Keanu later agrees to the job, Christos then supplies a van full of weed and Ravi tells Keanu to go and get the van and deliver it, however due to the job clashing with Albie's christening Keanu tells Ravi he will deliver the drugs after. However, the alarm on Keanu's van goes off during the christening and when Keanu goes out of the church the police are searching Keanu's van, the police find cocaine in the van, not weed despite Ravi and Christos telling Keanu that it was weed he was delivering. Ravi learns of Keanu's arrest and tells Sharon he will kill Keanu if Keanu mentions his name to the police, Keanu is released on bail. Sharon slaps Keanu for getting involved with drugs and Phil fires Keanu from Peggy's, Ravi is ordered by Christos to kill Keanu to make sure he doesn't say anything to the police. Ravi later beats Keanu almost to death, puncturing Keanu's lung. Phil finds Keanu and calls him an ambulance, Keanu is rushed to the hospital and the doctors tells his family he will live. Sharon then hears a voicemail from Keanu and realises Ravi was responsible for the attack, Sharon later calls the police and has Ravi arrested.
In July, Peggy, who was thought to have been Albie's half-sister, returns to the square with Lisa Fowler. Keanu is keen to reconnect with his daughter and for her and Albie to meet, however Lisa demands money from Keanu, claiming it is to support Peggy, but it is secretly to fuel her gambling addiction. Keanu gives Lisa three thousand pounds and is allowed to see Peggy and lets her see Albie, however the next time, Lisa demands twenty thousand pounds, forcing Keanu to take it out of The Arches, which Sharon has recently brought for him. Sharon is furious when she discovers this and also discovers that Keanu has stolen £10,000 from Phil, Sharon forces Keanu to tell Phil and they confront Lisa and it's revealed Lisa has blackmailing Keanu because she is broke from a gambling addiction. Keanu later plans to keep Peggy in the country after ex-lawyer Eve Unwin tells Keanu that if he can keep Peggy in the country then the court might allow him access. However Sharon gives Lisa her passports back that Keanu had stolen to keep Lisa and Peggy in the country under the agreement that Keanu has access to Peggy, however when Lisa leaves she denies Keanu access. Keanu discovers Sharon's betrayal when he hears a voicemail from Lisa, Keanu breaks up with Sharon but makes he promise that she will still let him see Albie, to which Sharon agrees.
When Keanu discovers Sharon is taking Albie to Abu Dhabi he is furious with Sharon and is left even more angry when she refuses to put his name on Albie's birth certificate following a meeting with Sharon's solicitor. Keanu later kidnaps Albie but when Albie keeps calling out for Sharon, Keanu can't go through with it and calls Karen. Keanu tells Karen to take Albie to Kandice Taylor's. Keanu then goes to see Sharon and Zack who have both called the police, Sharon and Zack both grab Keanu and in a panic Keanu claims that he took Albie to the park and he turned his back to get an ice cream for Albie and someone took him. Sharon is devastated and the police interview Sharon and Keanu, Keanu suggests it could be Dorian but Dorian is found by the police in Birmingham and has an alibi, ruling him out of being a suspect. In order to cover his tracks Keanu posts a ransom note through Sharon's door demanding £50,000 in exchange for Albie to be returned. Phil and Kat later hear about Albie's kidnap and offers to give them the money and help, Sharon and Keanu later confront Dorian and he swears that he didn't take Albie and says he was with his daughter and even shows them a picture. Keanu and Sharon believe Dorian and he tells them he hopes they get Albie back, Karen posts another ransom note through the door and tells them to drop the money off tomorrow and they will get Albie back. Phil offers to take the money to the kidnapper and kill them, Sharon accepts leaving Keanu worried. Keanu later convinces Sharon to let Karen drop off the money instead of Phil and Sharon agrees, Karen then gets the Albie from Kandice's boyfriend Malcom and returns Albie to Sharon. Keanu then begs Sharon not to take Albie away from him and Sharon tells Keanu that she won't go to Abu Dhabi and Keanu tells her he also wants her back, the two then kiss and reunite.
When Albie is taken for blood tests the doctor informs Sharon that Albie has Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AADT), which can increase his risk of lung conditions and other health issues in later life, Sharon is told that it is genetic meaning both parents must also have it. Sharon and Keanu take the blood tests and it reveals that Sharon has Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency but Keanu doesn't, Sharon then realises Keanu can't be Albie's father. The doctor asks Sharon if she was having sex with anyone else around the time Albie was born, Sharon looks out the window towards Phil who is with Keanu and Albie.
Sharon later tries to tell he is Albie's father however when Phil starts to say horrible things about Keanu, Phil and Sharon then argue and Sharon decides not to tell Phil when he tells her to get out of his house. Sharon later makes it her mission to make sure Phil never finds out he is Albie's father, Sharon puts Keanu's name on Albie's birth certificate and tells Phil that she is going to sell her half of the gym. However Phil offers to buy Sharon out, offering her £100,000, to which Sharon accepts.
Phil gets suspicious when he sees Karen spending money in the Vic, when Karen gives Kat £2,000 to pay for damage to a car that Mitch accidentally crashed into. Phil checks the money and notices it is his marked notes that he gave to Sharon to pay off Albie's kidnapper, Phil is convinced that the Taylor's kidnapped Albie and he asks Sam to find proof, Sam later finds a picture on Karen's brother-in-law's social media with Albie from the day after he was kidnapped. Phil gains further proof when he sends Tommy around to Karen's and he finds Phil's money under her bed, before Tommy can take the money back he is interrupted by Felix Baker, Tommy takes a couple of the notes and gives them to Phil. Phil then goes to the Vic and confronts all the Taylor's and reveals the true circumstances behind Albie's kidnap infront of Sharon. Karen admits to being behind the kidnap and takes the blame for it to protect Keanu, Sharon slaps Karen and threatens to call the police on her. However, Keanu begs her not to insisting that despite what she's done she's still his mother, Phil angrily confonts Keanu and demands to know if he was involved in the kidnap and Keanu swears that he wasn't. Phil then storms over to the Taylor's and smashes their door down, Phil demands his money back from Karen. Karen grabs a baseball bat and they tell Phil that their kids are here. Phil then tells them kids or no kids he will be coming back for his money, Keanu goes to the Taylors to say sorry but they are all disgusted that Keanu let Karen to take the blame, Karen later tells Mitch she's going to take Phil's money and leave Walford, Karen asks Mitch to leave with her.
Resident history
| Address | Years |
|---|---|
| 23B Albert Square | 2020 |
| 46 Albert Square | 2020-2021 |
| 29B Albert Square | 2021-2022 |
| 43 Albert Square | 2022 to present |
| Australia | 2024 |
Quotes
To Karen and Keanu Taylor (first line): “Lego!” (16 December 2022)
Background information
- On 15 November 2023, Albie is diagnosed with AADT, a biological liver condition.