to manipulate Alice further, who tells him to run away, but when he discovers that Scarlett is locked in her room so he cannot see her, he tries to throttle Janine again. Alice stabs Michael in the back to stop him, and then she answers the door to the police. Michael and Janine both try to grab the knife, but Janine gets it first and stabs Michael again, killing him. However, Alice believes she killed him. Janine lies in her police statement, saying that Alice attacked both her and Michael, and Alice is charged with murder. Eventually, Janine is arrested, but she and Alice are both found not guilty of murder. Casting and characterisation Shepherd's casting in the role of Michael was announced on 28 July 2010. Shepherd said of his casting: "I can vividly remember watching the first ever episode of EastEnders and I'm very excited to be joining such a fantastic and iconic programme. Michael Moon will be an exciting character to play". Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood explained that he had been a fan of Shepherd for many years, adding: "He's a fantastic signing for EastEnders, an exciting addition to the Moon family, and is set to cause a big splash in Albert Square from the moment he arrives." Shepherd's contract was a long-running negotiation and he received confirmation whilst filming Waking the Dead. His first appearance on screen was on 1 October 2010. Michael is described as a competitive and manipulative risk-taker who lives dangerously, and a charmer with an eye for the ladies, but he is willing to stab anyone in the back. Shepherd said that "on the surface he's a loveable, cheeky chappy, but underneath he has hidden depths which will be exciting to explore." Shepherd opined that viewers would be unlikely to vote for him in polls such as 'sexiest male' because his character is "duplicitous": "I think viewers tend to fall in love with the character you play, and if they go for a duplicitous rogue, I'd be very surprised!" He told What's on TV that Michael can be mercenary and has a cruel streak, but "there's darkness and light to him, really. Some moments you can see him being really quite cruel and then the next he can be quite compassionate and thoughtful." He told We Love Telly that "[Michael] takes pride in the way he dresses and he's always been quite