Raymond(o) Henderson: 10 big moments that made a Shieldinch legend

The drama started quickly as Raymond’s ex-wife Eileen was preparing to marry Tommy Donachie. And although Raymond became a popular chap, in the early days of the show he was a bit of a rogue with an eye for trouble. How times have changed…

When Roisin scored lucky with a lottery win, it funded a flamboyant and totally over-the-top wedding day. Eat your heart out Posh & Becks…

When Raymond tracked down Alanna, the daughter Roisin had given up for adoption he had hoped to build a happy family. However, secrets and lies quickly surfaced after Alanna revealed to Raymond she’d been sexually abused by her adoptive father, Alex. When Alex arrived in Shieldinch trouble came calling and Alex accidentally killed himself when, in a drunken state, he left the gas on in his caravan before lighting a cigarette. The shock explosion left Roisin injured, Alanna traumatised and Raymond left to pick up the pieces.

You’d think that falling in love with your ex-wife’s sister would be fraught. But that didn’t put Raymond off. In Shona, Raymond thought he’d found ‘the one’ but, despite being already married to Tony, Shona the bigamist ‘married’ Raymond in 2007. He was devastated by Shona’s duplicity but eventually forgave her and they married (again) in 2009. But the honeymoon period proved short-lived when Shona died of a brain tumour – on their second wedding day. Left broken hearted, Raymond vowed to get the Tall Ship back in memory of his true love, Shona.

Realising she could fleece an older man out of his money, Sharon set about bleeding him dry, taking full advantage of Raymond’s fragile state. This dangerous liaison proved to be expensive with Raymond losing everything including the Tall Ship which she sold to Lenny Murdoch. There’s no fool like an old fool.

A one night stand with his ex-Eileen resulted in little Stuart Henderson being born in 2010. This unexpected second chance at fatherhood was welcomed by Raymond not least because his grown-up children, Kirsty and Brian, met unhappy fates. Kirsty died in a car crash while Brian, is currently in a mental institution.

One of his greatest relationships was with his beloved nephew, Deek. More like father and son, Raymond and Deek had an enviable bond which was abruptly broken in 2012 when Sean Kennedy mowed Deek down in the street in a hit-and-run.

Pushed to the limit by gangster Sean Kennedy, Raymond finally snapped after Sean gloated about his role in Deek’s death. As red mist descended, Raymond whacked Sean over the head with a poker before torching the Tall Ship to cover his murderous tracks. But in doing so, he embroiled Stevie and Eileen in his lies.

Eileen’s discovery that Raymond was involved in Sean Kennedy’s murder cast a shadow over their relationship in 2013. Worse still, Eileen attempted to keep Raymond away from their son, Stuart, leading to Raymond’s unwise actions. However, a showdown at the airport with Eileen made him see sense and, sensing his desperation, Eileen gave him a second chance.

Sensing wrong-doing at the heart of the Shieldinch regeneration project, Raymond went in search of the truth. But little did he realise the lengths Alex, Alan and Frank would go to keep their collective corruption hidden. Someone has murder on mind…but who?