in september 2012, viewers see ray become a victim of racial profiling by the police, and kim suggests that ray channel his negativity into mentoring youths. venn spoke on "this morning", confirming that ray would indeed start such a scheme. venn praised the storyline and the fact that the character could show a more serious side, saying, "for me, of course, i was very impressed by "eastenders" for even making the choice to tackle such a pertinent, very relevant issue. it felt very close to my heart." he went on to say that ray would "help empower [youths], so they can equip themselves in situations similar to that—[to have] a bit more self-respect, know how to carry themselves and not deal with it in a violent or aggressive manner." venn then stated that the storyline could establish ray as "a more well-rounded character", saying, "it's about levels. there's different sides to every individual. it's nice that "eastenders" have given me the opportunity to allow ray to show the other sides. it just shows versatility."