The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera EastEnders in 2024, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer, Chris Clenshaw.[1] The first characters to be introduced are Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank) and Gloria Knight (Elizabeth Counsell), the adoptive parents of George Knight (Colin Salmon). Harold Martin (David Sterne), the husband of Aunt Sal (Anna Karen), appears in a guest stint. Additionally, multiple other characters were featured during the year.
Eddie Knight
| Eddie Knight | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Christopher Fairbank | ||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 6831 1 January 2024 | ||||||||
| Classification | Present; guest | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Chris Clenshaw | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Eddie Knight, played by Christopher Fairbank, first appears in episode 6831, originally broadcast on 1 January 2024.[2] The character and Fairbank's casting details were announced on 10 December 2023.[2] Eddie is introduced with his wife, Gloria Knight (Elizabeth Counsell), as the adoptive parents of established character George Knight (Colin Salmon).[2] Fairbank and Counsell were contracted for a short stint.[2] The characters' backstory states that Eddie and Gloria have not seen George for over a decade. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, explained that it would "[become] apparent why George has kept his distance".[2]
The characters' arrival proves a surprise for George and they are introduced with a secret. Clenshaw teased that Eddie and Gloria would be "thrust into the heart of the drama" upon their introduction.[2] Fairbank expressed his joy at joining the show and working with the cast. Clenshaw was excited about the casting of the "legendary and immensely talented" Fairbank and Counsell.[2] Producers used the characters of Eddie, Gloria and George to explore the topic of baby farming. To ensure the story was portrayed sensitively and accurately, the show worked with experts and those with lived experiences of farming.[3] Through the story, Eddie's "racist ideologies" are also examined and result in clashes with his family.[3] Clenshaw opined that the story follows EastEnders' tradition of "telling challenging yet truthful stories".[3] He added that the story would challenge George "to question the identity his parents gave him from childhood as he discovers the true means by which he was adopted".[3]
Gloria Knight
| Gloria Knight | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Elizabeth Counsell | ||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 6831 1 January 2024 | ||||||||
| Classification | Present; guest | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Chris Clenshaw | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Gloria Knight, played by Elizabeth Counsell, first appears in episode 6831, originally broadcast on 1 January 2024.[2] The character and Counsell's casting details were announced on 10 December 2023.[2] Gloria is introduced with her husband, Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank), as the adoptive parents of established character George Knight (Colin Salmon).[2] Counsell and Fairbank were contracted for a short stint.[2] The characters' backstory states that Gloria and Eddie have not seen George for over a decade. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, explained that it would "[become] apparent why George has kept his distance".[2]
The characters' arrival proves a surprise for George and they are introduced with a secret. Clenshaw teased that Gloria and Eddie would be "thrust into the heart of the drama" upon their introduction.[2] Counsell expressed her joy at joining the show and working with the cast and crew. She was looking forward to working with Salmon again, having previously worked together almost thirty years prior.[2] Clenshaw was excited about the casting of the "legendary and immensely talented" Counsell and Fairbank.[2] Producers used the characters of Gloria, Eddie and George to explore the topic of baby farming. To ensure the story was portrayed sensitively and accurately, the show worked with experts and those with lived experiences of farming.[3] Clenshaw opined that the story follows EastEnders' tradition of "telling challenging yet truthful stories".[3] He added that the story would challenge George "to question the identity his parents gave him from childhood as he discovers the true means by which he was adopted".[3]
Harold Martin
| Harold Martin | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | David Sterne | ||||||||
| Appears in | Episode 6839 15 January 2024 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; guest | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Chris Clenshaw | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Harold Martin, played by David Sterne, first appears in episode 6839, originally broadcast on 15 January 2024.[4] The character and Sterne's casting details were announced on 8 January 2024.[5] Harold is introduced as the husband of established character Aunt Sal (Anna Karen), the aunt of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf).[5] Aunt Sal appeared on the show sporadically across 21 years with Harold being referenced throughout her appearances but never appearing.[5] Sterne was contracted for a short guest stint. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, expressed his joy at casting Sterne and described the character as "elusive".[5]
Producers introduced Harold to the show as part of a set of episodes portraying Aunt Sal's funeral. The character of Aunt Sal was killed-off following the real life death of Karen in early 2022. Clenshaw opined that it was "imperative that we gave Aunt Sal the send-off she deserved".[5] Sterne enjoyed playing the character of Harold and recognised that the character was "important in the context of the show".[5] He added, "The writing was brilliant, so he was a joy to play."[5]
Other characters
| Character | Episode date(s) | Actor | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juliette Dubois | 1 January 2024 | Lily Catalifo[6] | A former colleague of Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) who she has been avoiding. They discuss an event where Penny was nearly arrested. Penny and her cousin, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), later find Juliette talking to Lauren's son, Louie Beale (Jake McNally). She explains that Louie told her about Penny's father, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), a detective in the police force; Penny reassures Juliette that she is estranged from her father. Juliette threatens Louie's life and instructs Penny to do a job for her, claiming that Penny's disability will help.[6] |
| Maxime | Ilan Evans[6] | A man who flirts with Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) at a New Year's Eve party. She rebuffs his advances and asks him for her name, which he cannot recall. He leaves her alone when Lauren's cousin, Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine), tells him that Lauren is a recovering alcoholic and single mother.[6] | |
| Elle | Zoë Armer[6] | A woman who Peter Beale (Thomas Law) meets in Peggy's nightclub. They return to Peter's house and have sex. Afterwards, she reveals that she has a fiancé.[6] | |
| Officer Pickard | Saif Al-Warith[6] | A police officer who asks to search Lauren Branning's (Jacqueline Jossa) suitcase at the airport after a detection dog alerts them to it. He finds a packet of drugs inside and arrests Lauren.[6] | |
| DI Price | 3-4 January 2024 (2 episodes) |
Simon Lenagan[7] | A detective inspector who interviews Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) when she confesses to the drug smuggling offence that her cousin, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), has been arrested for.[7] DI Price speaks to Penny's father, detective Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), and sympathises with him. He asks his colleague, DC Barkley, to escort Penny to her cell, but when he enters the room, Penny is out of her wheelchair and on the floor, claiming DC Barkley has hit her. In an interview with DI Price and DC Barkley, Penny threatens to press charges unless the charges against her and Lauren are dropped; she stops when DI Price reveals two hidden CCTV cameras caught her tipping herself of her wheelchair. DI Price then offers Penny a deal to have her and Lauren released in exchange for information about Juliette Dubois (Lily Catalifo). After consulting with Jack, Penny agrees to provide DI Price with information about Juliette.[8] |
| DC Barkley | 4 January 2024 | Uncredited | A detective constable working with DI Price (Simon Lenagan) to investigate Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) for drug smuggling. Whilst alone in an interview room, Penny tips herself out of her wheelchair onto the floor; when DC Barkley enters the room, she cries out for him not to hit her again. She then claims that DC Barkley hit her and demands that he is removed from her case. She threatens to press charges against him unless the charges against her and Lauren are dropped, but stops when DI Price reveals two hidden CCTV cameras caught her tipping herself of her wheelchair.[8] |
| Builder Dave | 8−11 January 2024 (2 episodes) |
Dan Skinner[9] | A builder preparing to start work on Kathy's café, having been hired by Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) while the owner, his father Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), is in a coma. Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) send Dave and his colleagues to get a sandwich to keep them away from café, where the body of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) has been hidden by Kathy, Suki, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright). Suki speaks to Dave and explains that she wants the work postponing until after Nish is out of his coma, but Dave only agrees to postpone the work for a couple of days. He adds that they will still need paying for the inconvenience.[9] When Dave and his team return to the café, they find that the hole in the floor has been concreted over. They exit the café to find Denise staring at them; they mock her until her daughter, Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams), interjects.[10] |
| Loretta Martin | 15 January 2024 | Nicola Wright[11] | The children of Aunt Sal (Anna Karen) and Harold Martin (David Sterne) who attend Sal's funeral. Loretta mistakes Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) for the husband of Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), who is Sal's great nephew. Loretta and Lenny chat with their cousin Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and meet his wife, Kat Mitchell (Jessie Wallace), and stepson, Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall).[11] |
| Lenny Martin | Philip Day | ||
References
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (12 November 2021). "EastEnders appoints new executive producer as Jon Sen steps down". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Knight, Lewis (10 December 2023). "EastEnders casts British sitcom legends as George Knight's parents". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "EastEnders to air identity storyline involving George Knight" (Press release). BBC Media Centre. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel. "EastEnders spoiler: Sam finds a way to blackmail Phil". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Harp, Justin (8 January 2024). "EastEnders casts Bridgerton star to play off-screen character". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Executive Producer: Chris Clenshaw; Writer: Simon Norman; Director: Abe Juckes (1 January 2024). "Episode dated 01/01/2024". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
- 1 2 Executive Producer: Chris Clenshaw; Writer: Richard Davidson; Director: Abe Juckes (3 January 2024). "Episode dated 03/01/2024". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
- 1 2 Executive Producer: Chris Clenshaw; Writer: Richard Davidson; Director: Abe Juckes (4 January 2024). "Episode dated 04/01/2024". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
- 1 2 Executive Producer: Chris Clenshaw; Writer: Lydia Marchant; Director: Alan de Pellette (8 January 2024). "Episode dated 08/01/2024". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
- ↑ Executive Producer: Chris Clenshaw; Writer: Kevin Rundle; Director: Alan de Pellette (11 January 2024). "Episode dated 11/01/2024". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
- 1 2 Executive Producer: Chris Clenshaw; Writer: Jonny O'Neill; Director: David Beton (15 January 2024). "Episode dated 15/01/2024". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.