The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' in 2023, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's senior

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

Kate Oates Kate Oates (born 1979 or 1980) is a British television producer, who was born in Nottingham and graduated from Warwick University. She began her career working as a researcher and editorial assistant for Germaine Greer, before becoming a script ...

, and the executive producer, Chris Clenshaw. The first character to be introduced is

Brett Brett derives from a Middle English surname meaning "Briton" or "Breton", referring to the Celtic people of Britain and Brittany, France. Brette can be a feminine name. People with the surname * Adrian Brett (born 1945) English flutist and writer ...

(

Fabrizio Santino Fabrizio Santino (born 12 December 1982) is a British actor, known for portraying the role of Ziggy Roscoe in the Channel 4 soap opera, ''Hollyoaks'', between 2013 and 2015. In 2023, Santino appeared in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders ''E ...

), a man from Zack Hudson's ( James Farrar) past; he debuts in January.

Emma Harding The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2023, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's senior executive producer, Kate Oates, and the executive p ...

(

Patsy Kensit Patricia Jude Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and was the lead singer of the pop band Eighth Wonder in the 1980s. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Bird ...

), the estranged mother of

Lola Pearce Lola Pearce is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Danielle Harold. She is introduced as the granddaughter of Billy Mitchell (EastEnders), Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) and Julie Perkins (Cathy Murphy), and a ...

(

Danielle Harold Danielle Amy Louise Harold (born 30 May 1992) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Lola Pearce in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', which she played from 2011 to 2015, and reprised the role from 2019 to 2023. Career Before H ...

), also first appears in January. Additionally, multiple

other characters Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

were featured during the year.

Brett

Brett, played by

, first appears in episode 6625, originally broadcast on 9 January 2023. The character and Santino's casting details were announced on 29 December 2022. Brett is introduced as someone from Zack Hudson's ( James Farrar) past. He is described as "enigmatic". Lewis Knight from the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' reported that Brett would deliver some news to Zack which would "change his life forever". Writers used the character to create problems for Zack,

Whitney Dean Whitney Dean (also Carter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shona McGarty. The character is the ward of long-running character Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and was introduced on 1 April 2008 when Pal ...

(

Shona McGarty Shona McGarty (born 14 October 1991) is an English actress and singer who portrays Whitney Dean in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Career Before joining ''EastEnders'', McGarty had been involved in amateur musical theatre for six years, in ...

) and their unborn baby.

Emma Harding

Emma Harding, played by

, first appears in January 2023. The character and Kensit's casting details were first reported on 5 November 2022, with further details announced on 20 December 2022. Emma is introduced as the estranged mother of established character

(

), who is terminally ill with a

brain tumour A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...

. Kensit was contracted for a short stint and began filming in November 2022. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, thought Emma shared some similarities with Lola, including "a striking resemblance; successful, the capacity to hold her own ..and she's a fighter". He noted that Emma is also "softly spoken and measured", unlike Lola. The character's backstory states that she left Lola and her father when Lola was three years old. Clenshaw explained that Emma wants to reconcile with her daughter, having felt guilty since she left. Kensit expressed her joy at appearing in the soap and praised the show's cast and production team. Clenshaw called Kensit the "perfect fit" for the character of Emma, who he described as "a long-awaited character that we know very little about". He added, "Patsy's portrayal is bound to set off fireworks in Walford and cause havoc for the Mitchell household."

Other characters

References

{{EastEnders characters, year, state=expanded

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

*, EastEnders