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The following is a list of characters introduced to the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

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 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive producer,

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 executive producer,

Jon Sen Jon Sen (born 9 October 1974) is a British television and film director, writer and producer. After working as the executive producer of the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2018 to 2022, Sen began working as the executive producer of the BBC ...

. The first character to be introduced is Bailey Baker (Kara-Leah Fernandes), the daughter of

Mitch Baker Mitch Baker may refer to: *Mitch Baker (Grand Theft Auto), fictional character from the video game ''Grand Theft Auto'' * Mitch Baker (''EastEnders''), fictional character in ''EastEnders'' See also *Mitchell Baker Winifred Mitchell Baker (born ...

(

Roger Griffiths Roger Griffiths (born 6 February 1965) is an English actor who has had several roles in television. He first rose to prominence opposite Lenny Henry as Gareth Blackstock's foil Everton Stonehead in BBC One 1990s sitcom ''Chef!''. Before starri ...

). She is followed by her mother

Dinah Wilson The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pr ...

(Anjela Lauren Smith) who is introduced the following month. Sisters

Iqra Ahmed Iqra Ahmed is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Priya Davdra. Davdra's casting as Iqra was announced on 20 December 2018, along with that of Habiba. Both characters were called feisty and the BBC stated th ...

(

Priya Davdra Priya Davdra (born 12 April 1987) is a British actress, known for portraying the role of Iqra Ahmed on the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2019 to 2022. Davdra's character is the first Muslim lesbian to appear on ''EastEnders''. Ea ...

) and

Habiba Ahmed The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pr ...

(

Rukku Nahar Rukku Priya Nahar (born 28 February 1996) is a British actress, known for her roles as Selina Khan on the CBBC series ''Wolfblood'' and Habiba Ahmed on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Early life Nahar was born on 28 February 1996 in Bedford, ...

), the granddaughters of

Arshad Ahmed The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke (producer), John Yorke. Madhav Sh ...

(

Madhav Sharma Madhav Sharma (born 12 November 1939) is an Indian-British actor. Early life Sharma studied at the Scottish Church College in Kolkata, India and later, at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Bloomsbury, London. Following the death of his m ...

) and

Mariam Ahmed The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke. Madhav Sharma and Indira Josh ...

(Indira Joshi) are also introduced in February.

Danny Hardcastle The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pr ...

(

Paul Usher Paul Usher (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Barry Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' and Des Taviner in the ITV drama ''The Bill''. In 2019, he began appearing in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders' ...

) and

Midge A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some mid ...

(Tom Colley), associates of

Phil Mitchell Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant Mitchell (EastEnders), Grant (Ross Kemp), s ...

(

Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has played since 1990. He was also the presenter of the game show, ''Britain's ...

), are introduced next, followed by

Chantelle Atkins The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive p ...

(

Jessica Plummer Jessica Kate Plummer (born 16 September 1992) is an English actress and singer. From 2013 to 2015, she was a member of the British girl group Neon Jungle, with whom she released an album that peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart. She is ...

), the daughter of Karen Taylor (

Lorraine Stanley Lorraine Stanley (born 28 June 1976) is an English actress, known for playing Kelly in the 2006 film ''London to Brighton'' and Karen Taylor in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Personal life Stanley was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, the dau ...

) and

(

). Chantelle is joined by her husband

Gray Atkins The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pro ...

(

Toby-Alexander Smith Toby-Alexander Smith (born 26 February 1991) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Gray Atkins in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 2019 to 2022. Early life and education Smith was born on 26 February 1991 in Lichfield, ...

) and her children

Mia Atkins The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pr ...

(Mahalia Malcolm) and

Mackenzie Atkins The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pro ...

(Isaac Lemonius). Later,

Brooke Brooke may refer to: People * Brooke (given name) * Brooke (surname) * Brooke baronets, families of baronets with the surname Brooke Places * Brooke, Norfolk, England * Brooke, Rutland, England * Brooke, Virginia, US * Brooke's Point, Palawan ...

(Ria Lopez) is introduced as a love interest for

Bernadette Taylor The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2017, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer Sean O'Connor or, from 27 November, his succe ...

(Clair Norris). In June,

Daniel Cook Daniel Cook may refer to: * Daniel Cook (gymnast), British acrobatic gymnast * Daniel Cook (musician) (born 1979), English organist, conductor and singer * Daniel Pope Cook (1794–1827), American politician, lawyer and newspaper publisher from Il ...

(

Ade Edmondson Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series '' The Young Ones'' (1 ...

) joined, later followed by

Jonno Highway The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke (producer), John Yorke, or his successors ...

( Richard Graham), the father of Stuart (

Ricky Champ Ricky Champ (born 1 July 1980) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Paul Parker in the BBC Three sitcom ''Him & Her'', and Stuart Highway in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Champ has also appeared in ''Crims'', ''Plebs'', and th ...

) and

Callum "Halfway" Highway Callum "Halfway" Highway is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Tony Clay. He was introduced in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2018. Callum is introduced as a friend of the Car ...

(

Tony Clay Tony David Clay (born 8 August 1991) is an English actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Callum "Halfway" Highway in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' since 2018. Early and personal life Clay was born in Bexley, Kent on 8 August ...

). In August, the wife of

Patrick Trueman Patrick Trueman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Rudolph Walker. He made his first appearance on 13 September 2001. His storylines include being the possible father of Denise Fox (Diane Parish), to whom ...

(

Rudolph Walker Rudolph Malcolm Walker (born 28 September 1939) is a Trinidadian-British actor, known for his sitcom roles as Bill Reynolds in ''Love Thy Neighbour'' (1972–76) and Constable Frank Gladstone in '' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995–96). Since 2001, ...

Sheree Trueman The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke (producer), John Yorke, or his successors ...

( Suzette Llewellyn) was introduced as well as Ash Panesar (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha), the girlfriend of Iqra. In September, Tom Wells joined the cast as Leo King, the son of Tony King (

Chris Coghill Christopher Coghill (born 11 April 1975http://web.researcha.com/iccquery/detail/?did=816979&c=uk) is an English actor, having had roles in '' Shameless'', ''Burn It'', ''Hotel Babylon (BBC series), Hotel Babylon'', ''The Bill'', ''New Tricks'', ...

) and

Wanda Baptiste The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pr ...

(

Anni Domingo Anni Domingo (born 1950s) is a British actress, director and writer, working in theatre, television, radio and films. She additionally holds positions on the boards of several organisations in various sectors, and has said: "You can't make a di ...

) as Sheree's mother. October saw the introductions of the Panesar brothers: Jags (Amar Adatia), Kheerat (

Jaz Deol Jaskiranjit Singh Deol (born 12 March 1989) is a British actor, known for portraying the role of Kheerat Panesar on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 2019 to 2022. Career Deol made his onscreen debut in the 2010 television film ''Castin ...

) and

Vinny Vinny or Vinnie is a masculine given name, usually a shortened version of Vincent, Vincenzo, or Vicente, which may refer to: Vincents * Vinnie Anderson (born 1979), New Zealand rugby league footballer * Vinny Appice (born 1957), American rock d ...

(Shiv Jalota). 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 ...

appear throughout the year.

Bailey Baker

Bailey Baker, played by Kara-Leah Fernandes, first appears in episode 5847, which was first broadcast on 10 January 2019. Bailey is a girl who is in

's (

) van when drug addict Craig (Andrew Armitage) tries to break in. She hits him over the head and then Mitch arrives, telling Bailey to keep quiet but she says she is bored so he says he will get her a football to play with.

Mick Carter Mick Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' played by Danny Dyer, making his first appearance in the show in the episode originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 25 December 2013. Dyer's casting was annou ...

(

Danny Dyer Danial John Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff in ''Human Traffic'', with other notable roles as Mick Carter in EastEnders, Billy the Limpet in '' Mean Machine'' and as Tommy Johns ...

) sees Bailey sitting with the ball on the street and when she says it is boring on her own, he says he used to spend hours kicking a ball against a wall. Bailey decides to kick the ball against the wall of Mick's pub,

The Queen Victoria The Queen Victoria (more often referred to as The Queen Vic or The Vic) is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20. Appearance and developmen ...

, but she smashes an upstairs window. Mick, his wife,

Linda Carter Linda Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kellie Bright. She first appeared on 19 December 2013 and her casting was announced alongside her on-screen partner, Mick Carter ( Danny Dyer). Linda was ...

(

Kellie Bright Kellie Denise Bright (born 1 July 1976) is an English actress. Her roles include Linda Carter in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', for which she won the 2015 British Soap Award for Best Actress and Best Dramatic Performance, Julie in ''Ali G I ...

), Mitch, his son

Keegan Baker The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2017, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer Sean O'Connor or, from 27 November, his succ ...

( Zack Morris) and Keegan's mother, Karen Taylor (

) all arrive but when Karen tells Bailey to leave, Mitch is forced to say she is with him. Mitch tells Karen that Bailey is his friend's daughter, and takes Bailey to a football training session. However, after Karen looks after Bailey, Bailey asks Mitch why she is not allowed to tell people that he is her father. When Bailey returns home from a football game, she is shown to be a young carer for her mother,

(Anjela Lauren Smith), who is suffering from

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

. When the Taylor family find out, they pledge to help out, and encourage Bailey to seek help from a care organisation. When Dinah commits suicide, Bailey moves in with Karen and her children. Bailey overhears a conversation between Karen and Mitch, where she discovers that Karen knew Dinah was going to kill herself. She holds a grudge against Karen for a number of weeks, until Karen buys her a star in honour of her mother. When the

COVID-19 lockdown Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...

occurs, she goes to live with an aunt. When Chantelle dies, Mitch goes to tell her. Bailey was called a "mystery newcomer" by Sophie Dainty from

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

Dinah Wilson

Dinah Wilson, played by Anjela Lauren Smith, makes her first appearance in episode 5869, broadcast on 14 February 2019. Dinah is the ex-girlfriend of

(

) and mother to his daughter Bailey Baker (Kara-Leah Fernandes). It is soon discovered that Dinah suffers from

and is looked after by Bailey. Mitch reveals to his ex-girlfriend Karen Taylor (

) that Dinah suffers from multiple sclerosis and that Bailey is her carer. Karen, Mitch and their two children

( Zack Morris) and

(

) help Bailey to clean her flat and Dinah becomes friends with Karen. Unbeknownst to Bailey, Dinah's condition is getting worse and she tells Keegan. Dinah's health decline becomes apparent when she has an accident and is rushed to hospital. The Taylors later rent a room for Dinah and Bailey at 23A Albert Square so that Dinah can have more assistance. Dinah and Karen become closer and Dinah confides in Karen that she can no longer deal with her multiple sclerosis and wants Karen to help her end her life. Karen refuses and reaches out to Darren ( Kris Saunders), a man with multiple sclerosis so that he can speak to Dinah. Darren tells Karen that he used to be depressed but now he enjoys his life and agrees to speak to Dinah the following week. However, Dinah refuses and tells Karen that she doesn't want her condition to ruin her life and that she wants to be there for Bailey. Unknown to Karen, Dinah plans on ending her own life and buys birthday cards where she writes her final messages to Bailey. Karen discovers this, but Dinah breaks down and reveals that she is scared she will not be able to survive any longer and Karen encourages her to not let her condition negatively impact her life any more. Dinah spends time with Bailey and the following day, Dinah seems better and thanks Karen for her help. Karen decides to take Bailey on a family trip to Walford Park, but Dinah decides to stay at home and says her last goodbye to Bailey. After she finishes writing her last birthday cards to Bailey, Dinah commits suicide and her body is discovered by Mitch.

Habiba Ahmed

Habiba Ahmed, played by

, makes her first appearance in episode 5871, originally broadcast on 19 February 2019. She is introduced alongside her sister,

(

), as the granddaughters of

(

) and

(Indira Joshi). Habiba arrives in

Albert Square Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...

alongside her sister Iqra. They convince their uncle Masood that they can run Walford East which he agrees and leaves Walford for Tamwar's wedding. She spots

Adam Bateman The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke. Madhav Sharma and Indira Josh ...

(

Stephen Rahman-Hughes Stephen Rahman-Hughes (born 26 January 1970) is an English–Malaysian actor and singer. He is known for his roles as DCI Vikesh Dasari in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' and Adam Bateman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Career In 200 ...

) and begin an affair while he is in a relationship with

Honey Mitchell Honey Mitchell (also Edwards) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Emma Barton. She made her first appearance in the show on 22 November 2005. The character left the show on 2 September 2008. Barton briefly ...

(

Emma Barton Emma Louise Barton (born 26 July 1977) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Honey Mitchell in ''EastEnders'' which she has portrayed on and off since November 2005. Before her role in ''EastEnders'', Barton appeared ...

). Adam constantly lets her down and shows that he doesn't love her. After realising that Adam has no intention of leaving Honey for her, she threatens him and ends their affair. The Ahmeds celebrate Eid where Adam and Iqra threaten each other and reveals that Iqra has a secret lover. Habiba is shocked at this, and confronts Iqra, who reveals that she is a lesbian. After having a heart to heart with Honey, Habiba feels sympathy towards her and warns her about Adam. To make Honey see sense, she reveals her affair with Adam while they were preparing a meal for Mariam after discovering she was mugged. She later begins a relationship with

Jags Panesar The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pr ...

(Amar Adatia). When they go public with their relationship, Jags' mother Suki Panesar ( Balvinder Sopal) is unhappy and frames Jags for an attack he did not commit. Jags goes to prison and Habiba attempts to prove his innocence. Iqra struggles to support her and believes Ash instead; Habiba tells her to choose between them. Iqra is speechless and Habiba gets in a taxi and leaves. She later gives birth to their son, Jaguar, on the same day that Jags is killed in prison. The character and Nahar's casting were announced on 20 December 2018, along with that of Habiba's sister, Iqra. Both characters were called "feisty" and a BBC announcement stated that the "Defiant, smart and confident" sisters would "quickly make an impact on Walford". Habiba is described as "full of heart" and "bubbly", and she has "the best intentions" but it was said that "trouble never seems to be too far behind". Nahar said of her casting, "I'm so excited to have joined ''EastEnders'', it's a show I've grown up watching and stepping onto Albert Square is just unreal! Habiba is great fun to play and I'm so happy to be working alongside Priya. Can't wait for you all to see what we get up to on the Square." Davdra confirmed on social media that the characters would appear from February 2019. On 22 October 2020, Nahar made her final appearance as Habiba in previously unannounced scenes. Nahar confirmed her exit on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, where she thanked ''EastEnders'' for teaching her "so much" during her tenure, and stated that she was "grateful" for the friendships she made on the programme.Non-loginwalled link at bibliogram.pussthecat.org

Iqra Ahmed

Iqra Ahmed, played by

, makes her first appearance in episode 5871, originally broadcast on 19 February 2019. She is introduced alongside her sister,

(

), as the granddaughters of

(

) and

(Indira Joshi).

Ash Kaur The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pr ...

(Gurlaine Kaur Garcha) is introduced as Iqra's girlfriend. Iqra is the first Muslim lesbian to be featured on ''EastEnders''.

Danny Hardcastle

Danny Hardcastle, played by

, made his first appearance in episode 5890, originally broadcast on 25 March 2019. Danny is introduced as a business associate of

(

), as well as being involved with

Keanu Taylor The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2017, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer Sean O'Connor or, from 27 November, his succ ...

( Danny Walters). It was announced on 6 March 2019 that the character would appear for a "short period over the spring". Danny was introduced on 25 March 2019, departed on 25 April 2019 and returned on 16 March 2020 and departed again on 29 September 2020. Danny is an acquaintance of

(

) who has a connection to garages used for money laundering in Spain, which leads Phil into

liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...

. He arrives in Walford to tell Phil that he needs to come up with an alternative way to launder money, after the business of the garages collapsed. Phil's son Ben Mitchell (

Max Bowden Max Bowden (born 31 December 1994) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Justin Fitzgerald in the BBC One school-based drama series ''Waterloo Road (TV series), Waterloo Road'', and his portrayal of Ben Mitchell (EastEnders), Be ...

) decides to meet up with Danny and threaten him into going into business with him. As revenge, Danny sends

(Tom Colley) to befriend Phil's daughter

Louise Mitchell Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

(

Tilly Keeper Matilda Elizabeth Keeper (born 16 August 1997) is an English actress, known for her role as Louise Mitchell on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. Shortly after leaving the soap, Keeper appeared in the BBC film ''Make Me Famous'' and has since ...

) and kidnap her. Louise gets trapped in a container and is due to be taken into sex trade in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, but the Mitchell's manage to rescue her. Phil confronts Danny and Danny reveals that it was a warning to Ben who threatened him and Danny insults him, causing Ben to almost attack him with a glassed cup. Danny later gives Phil another job offer, but Phil refuses and warns Danny never to contact him again.

Midge

Midge, played by Tom Colley, makes his first appearance in episode 5891, broadcast on 26 March 2019. He bumps into

(

), causing her to spill coffee on herself. He offers to make it up to her but she declines. He later sees

( Danny Walters) and when he sees Louise again, she sits with him and introduces Keanu to Midge, who says his name is short for Miguel as his mother is Spanish. Midge then meets with Louise's father,

(

), who tells Midge not to mess around. It is revealed that Midge is a rival business owner of Phil's in Spain, that Phil stole business from when he set up garages in Spain and had Keanu working for him. Midge tells Phil he needs compensation and threatens Louise. Phil goes to hit Midge but Keanu stops him. Keanu then tells Phil that Midge was one of the people who tried to kill him in Spain. Some time later, Midge sees Louise in the pub and says it is nice to see her again. He then calls someone to say he has made contact with "the target" and in 24 hours "she will be history". The next day, Midge realises that Keanu is protecting Louise but after Louise and Keanu argue, he sits with Louise and when Keanu tried to find Louise, he sees Midge and some other men forcing her into a car and driving away at speed. Keanu informs Phil of what he has seen and Phil realises that Louise is being taken to a shipping container yard. Midge has his associates tie Louise's legs up and gag her and he threatens to throw acid in her face if she does not do as she is told, telling her that the shipping container is destined for

, Ukraine. However, when Louise is tied up, Midge reveals it was water, not acid. Midge then locks her in the container. When Keanu finds Louise, Midge knocks him out and locks them both in the container. When Phil arrives, he attacks Midge and demands to know where Louise is. Midge almost overpowers Phil but Phil overpowers Midge and finds out where Louise is. The character and Colley's casting were announced on 19 March 2019. Midge is described as "thug", "dodgy" and "nasty".

Chantelle Atkins

Chantelle Atkins (also Baker), played by

, is the daughter of Karen Taylor (

) and

(

). Chantelle first appears in Episode 5891, originally broadcast on 26 March 2019. It was announced on 20 December 2018 that the character would be joining the series in 2019, when senior executive producer

commented, "The Taylor family are set to be complete when Chantelle arrives in Walford and Chantelle certainly has that feisty Taylor streak. Things are set to get a whole lot louder in Walford in 2019." Casting for the character was still taking place at the time. On 5 March 2019, it was announced that Plummer would be playing Chantelle. Further details about the character and her family, consisting of husband

(

) and their children

(Mahalia Malcolm) and

(Isaac Lemonius), were announced on 11 March 2019. Of her casting, Plummer said, "Just like the majority of the UK, I grew up watching ''EastEnders''. It's an absolute honour to be joining the cast with all my childhood favourites... Rickaaaaaaaay." Producers used the characters of Chantelle and Gray to explore the topic of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

as Gray is revealed to be attacking Chantelle. The show worked closely with

Women's Aid Women's Aid Federation of England, commonly called Women's Aid within England, is one of a group of charities across the United Kingdom. There are four main Women's Aid Federations, one for each of the countries of the United Kingdom. Its aim is t ...

in order to portray the issue sensitively and accurately. Plummer said: "I feel honoured to take on the responsibility of Chantelle's story. This is an issue that I, and everyone at ''EastEnders'', hope we can raise awareness of. Many women and men that are in Chantelle's situation suffer in silence and we really hope that by showing this story we can highlight an issue and encourage those in similar situations to seek the help they need." The story results in the character being killed-off, highlighting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence; Chantelle was killed by Gray in the episode broadcast on 18 September 2020. Plummer said: "It's been such a privilege to play Chantelle and to be able to tell her story. Sadly what she goes through is all too common and her death is a reminder of the devastating effect of domestic abuse. I've known it wasn't going to end well for Chantelle for a while now and although it was a shock to find out her fate, far too many men and women suffer in silence so I hope that by raising awareness we can ultimately save lives. I am so grateful to all the team and my lovely cast members for being so supportive, I'll miss Albert Square." Jessica Plummer 2019

Chantelle arrives in

Walford Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...

as a hairdresser who

Kim Fox Kim Fox (also Fox-Hubbard) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Tameka Empson. She is the half-sister of Denise Fox ( Diane Parish), and aunt to Chelsea Fox ( Tiana Benjamin/ Zaraah Abrahams) and Libby F ...

(

Tameka Empson Tameka Empson (born 16 April 1977) is an English actress and comedian. She appeared as one of the three protagonists in the hidden-camera comedy sketch show ''3 Non-Blondes''. In 2009, she began portraying the role of Kim Fox in the BBC soap ...

) contacts to work as a new hairdresser in her and her sister

Denise Fox Denise Fox (also Wicks and Johnson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Diane Parish. She made her first appearance on 11 May 2006 and temporarily left ''EastEnders'' in early 2008 to give birth to her ...

's (

Diane Parish Diane Parish (born 1 November 1969) is an English actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2006 Born in Chelsea, London and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Pari ...

) new unisex salon. Chantelle does not actually know that she is auditioning for a job as she presumes that she was cutting someone's hair and that was all. Kim later offers Chantelle the job; she refuses at first, but then later agrees to help at the salon, but only part-time. During celebratory drinks in

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, Chantelle bumps into her father

(

) who she has not seen for a long time. Chantelle later meets her mother Karen Taylor (

) and reconnects with her family. On the opening day of the salon, Chantelle gives a haircut to a man and he gives them £100. She crosses the man again in The Queen Vic and kisses him, and it is revealed that he is her husband

(

). With Gray's permission, Chantelle agrees to work at the salon and they plan on relocating to Walford with their children Mia and Mackenzie. Chantelle boasts about moving to 1 Albert Square, unaware that Kim once lived there with her estranged husband

Vincent Hubbard Vincent Hubbard is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Richard Blackwood. He was introduced by executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins during the show's 30th anniversary celebrations, and was later reve ...

(

Richard Blackwood Richard Clifford Blackwood (born 15 May 1972) is a British actor, presenter and rapper. Between 2015 and 2018, he played Vincent Hubbard in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 2020, he began portraying the role of Felix Westwood in the Channel ...

), which causes hostility between the two women. Chantelle and Kim resolve their differences, but their feud ignites again when they argue over attending to Rainie Branning (

Tanya Franks Tanya Christine Franks (born 16 August 1967) is an English actress, producer and writer. She has had starring roles on the television shows ''Family Affairs'', ''The Bill'', ''Pulling (TV series), Pulling'', ''EastEnders'' and ''Broadchurch''. ...

). Chantelle and Gray's perfect relationship attracts attention in Walford. Chantelle's friend

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 ...

) compliments her relationship with Gray and asks her for advice on her relationship to

(

);

(

) also compliments the couple and Chantelle's family warm up to Gray. However, the relationship turns out to be the opposite as it is revealed that Gray abuses Chantelle, which is first seen when Gray becomes angry at Mitch for cheating at the Walford 10K run and accuses Chantelle of laughing at him. Gray apologises to Chantelle and she later forgives him. Chantelle's brother

( Zack Morris) stays with the couple and, after becoming inspired by someone from Gray's workplace, decides that he wants to leave school. This causes a fight between Mitch and Gray, and Gray abuses Chantelle in response to his anger. Chantelle discovers she is pregnant and tells Gray. He reacts positively to the news and stops abusing her. She miscarries but decides not to tell Gray in fear of him abusing her. When he finds out Gray and Chantelle start to attending counselling sessions together even though she finds out he was involved in a fight. Gray suggests Chantelle and him try for another baby and reluctantly she agrees, the two of them also decide to renew their vows, however the venue pulls out the day before and although Chantelle says she does not want to renew their vows yet, Gray organises a surprise one at their home. After this, he says she vowed to do things for him and leads her upstairs against her will, saying they must try for a baby straight away. Chantelle is later abused by Gray for not informing him of the miscarriage and later abuses her again when the pregnancy tests come back negative. After months of abuse during lockdown (which included being forced to spend two minutes under the water in the bath), Chantelle finally decides to divorce Gray and take the kids with her but something always got in her way. Gray's demanding behaviour worsens when he realises something suspicious is going on. He suspects she is having an affair with her friend and boss at her secondary job,

Kheerat Panesar The following is a list of characters introduced to the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2019, by order of first appearance. The characters are introduced by the show's executive consultant, John Yorke, or his successors, senior executive pr ...

(

) and he starts to watch them in the car. He also finds out she is divorcing him when a divorce lawyer advert pops up on his computer after Chantelle met up with one, according to a tracker app he installed on her phone. Just as Chantelle gets ready to leave for

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

with her children to start a new life, Gray appears and ruins her plan. Another escape opportunity comes for Chantelle when her parents offer her and the kids a trip to a B&B in

Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

and Chantelle agrees desperate to get away from Gray. However, Gray persuades Karen and Mitch to let the kids stay at home and have just Chantelle go. Devastated, Chantelle is miserable throughout the holiday and Mitch suspects that something is wrong so he asks her and she tells him it's because she misses her children. Mitch tells Chantelle he will go and get them but when he returns, the children aren't the only ones with him. Gray comes along too. Excited to see her children, Chantelle is again ready to leave with them, when Gray turns up and ruins her plans again. Earlier, Gray overheard Chantelle on the phone to Kheerat while in a Southend cafe, asking him to sneak into the house to get a memorial box of the Mia and Mackenzie's belongings (which Chantelle had problems fitting into the suitcase, so had left the box under the bed). Gray sets up the alarm in the house and when Kheerat breaks in, Gray is alerted on his phone and tells Chantelle that they need to go home because someone has broken in. Chantelle tells him she will stay with Mia and Mackenzie but he insists they all go home. Mitch realises something isn't right and tells Chantelle she does not have to go and that Gray can manage on his own but Gray glares at her and she decides to go with Gray and says a final goodbye to her parents as she realises she may not see them again. Chantelle and Gray arrive back home, which Kheerat has managed to flee. Chantelle tucks Mia and Mackenzie in for the night, not knowing it is the last time she will see them. Gray notices messages from Kheerat and starts threatening Chantelle, Mia and Mackenzie after she denies cheating, however she manages to calm him down and get him to go to bed. While he is gone, Chantelle calls Kheerat to ask for help, this being after Gray threatened her into leaving Kheerat a message saying she wants to stay with her husband. Upon hearing this, his phone battery dies, making it impossible for him to answer and she is caught by Gray. She yells at Gray, telling him she is not scared of his abusive ways anymore, is glad she miscarried his baby as she did not want to bring another child of an abuser into the world and that she does not love him and that if he doesn't let her leave with her children, she will scream until everyone hears. However this angers Gray more and he forcefully shoves Chantelle backwards into an open dishwasher, impaling her on knives and crockery, leaving her unable to move. As she lies there dying, a shocked Gray leaves the house to set up an alibi. He returns just as Chantelle succumbs to her injury, and then starts to set up her death as an accident using a toy car and smashing a glass bottle of milk he bought from a curious Suki Panesar ( Balvinder Sopal) after he pushed Chantelle.

Reception

Plummer was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the 2019 ''Inside Soap'' Awards but lost out to

Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...

(who plays

Evelyn Plummer ''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by series producer Kate Oates or her successo ...

in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

''). Plummer came second in the category for Best Soap Newcomer at the 2019 Digital Spy Reader Awards. Plummer won Best Actress at the 2020 ''Inside Soap'' Awards for her portrayal of Chantelle. At the 2020 Digital Spy Reader Awards, Plummer won Best Soap Actor (Female) and Chantelle's death was voted Most Devastating Death.

Gray Atkins

Gray Atkins, played by

, is introduced as the husband of

(

). The character and Smith's casting were announced on 11 March 2019. Gray is described as a "hard-working solicitor in London whose success took Chantelle away from Taylor Towers years earlier". Smith said of his casting, "I'm delighted to be joining the cast of ''EastEnders'' as I've always been a fan. I'm looking forward to seeing what Albert Square has in store for Gray." Gray made his first appearance on 29 March 2019. On 22 February 2022, it was announced that Gray would be leaving ''EastEnders'', and he departed on 10 March 2022. On 12 July 2019, it was revealed that Gray domestically abuses Chantelle, with ''EastEnders'' working closely with

in order to portray the issue sensitively and accurately. Smith said: "Chantelle and Gray's journey is about to take a huge turn for the audience. This storyline will depict how hidden from sight domestic abuse remains even today. To the unaware eye Gray appears to be a loving husband and a committed father; but his charm is a front for the power and control he exerts over Chantelle – an experience all too common to thousands of women up and down the country today. Domestic abuse, in all its forms is against the law and is shrouded in secrecy. I hope that by tackling such a sensitive subject matter we can raise awareness of the importance of changing societal values so that both women and men's rights to live free from abuse, invasion, disempowerment and intimidation are respected." On 6 September 2020, it was announced that Gray would kill Chantelle at the conclusion of the domestic abuse storyline, highlighting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence. Smith said: "We hope that Chantelle's story gives people the courage to speak out before it's too late and to know that there are services out there to help. Working with Women's Aid and Refuge has been invaluable in understanding the mindset of an abuser and the awful realities of abusive relationships. With such a tragic ending bound to be shocking for the audience, hopefully it serves as an important reminder of the devastation domestic abuse causes, especially at the moment. Working with Jessica has been wonderful, she'll be greatly missed and I am so thankful that we're part of such an important story together." Speaking on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'', Smith discussed the soap's deliberate move to announce the storyline ahead of time, to which he replied: "I think they were coming from the angle of... you know, what's gonna have the biggest impact? Obviously we could've left it as a surprise, but ultimately it could've been a massive trigger for a lot of survivors out there watching it. If there's anyone at home who's sitting next to someone who is potentially a perpetrator as well, that could be very scary and very dangerous, so I think it was definitely the safest thing for them to do." Smith also revealed that people have struggled to differentiate him from his character, explaining: "It got very loud on social media. People struggled for a while to differentiate me as an actor and the character Gray Atkins. There's still a lot of that, and potentially a lot more to come. But, to be honest, I’ve got my head around that. If it means people are talking about the storyline, calling the character out on his behaviour, and if it's getting people out of these domestic abuse relationships, then, you know, it's fine." Toby-Alexander Smith 2019

Gray first appeared in early 2019 when he arrives at Albert Square with his wife Chantelle and their two children, Mack and Mia, to start anew together. He is known to be a hard-working solicitor who seemingly appears devoted to his wife and their children. However, it soon emerges that Gray is a violent man who domestically abuses Chantelle on certain amount of occasions; the follow-up of such incident implies that he rape her after forcing her to go upstairs with him to bed. Soon enough he befriends local resident

(

) and they start a romantic friendship togwther; Gray later legally represents Whitney after she killed her stalker, Leo King (Tom Wells) in self defence. By 2020, Gray's prolonging abuse towards Chantelle has reached boiling point. She eventually decides to leave with their children and her secret crush,

(

), in an attempt to escape her ordeal; however, Gray discovers her plan and confronts Chantelle on the night she is supposed to leave. Chantelle stands up to Gray and demands that he let her leave, but Gray refuses and ends up showing her onto a knife-packed dishwasher in a fit of rage. Chantelle is fatally impaled from the impact and she dies from blood loss after Gray, despite his fault, chooses to watch her succumb to her injuries rather than provide help; Gray then stages the scene to make Chantelle's death appear that she died in a horrific accident. Over the next few days, an upset Gray struggles with his guilt and briefly considers turning himself into the police for his crimes. He even comes close to killing himself and his kids by attempting to fill his flat with gas fumes with his lighter, but is stopped by fellow neighbour

Shirley Carter Shirley Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Linda Henry. She first appeared on 7 December 2006, during episodes set in Dorset. This is Henry's second role in ''EastEnders'', as she previously played ...

(

Linda Henry Linda Varilis (''née'' Henry; born 24 August 1959) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV drama '' Bad Girls'' and Shirley Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she has played since 2006. S ...

) when she sees him struggling to cope; Shirley manages to convince Gray to move forward with his life and support his kids in Chantelle's honour. He later grows even closer with Whitney when she becomes his child minder. Shirley later stays with Gray and is joined by her sister Tina Carter (

Luisa Bradshaw-White Luisa Bradshaw-White (born 9 December 1974) is a former English actress, known for playing Tina Carter in '' EastEnders'' and for her previous roles on '' Bad Girls'', '' Holby City'' and ''This Life''. She has also made appearances in televisi ...

), who grows suspicious of Gray’s behaviour. When she is accused of attacking

Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the drama's longest-serving main character and, following the departure of Pauline Fowler ( Wendy Richard) in 2006, became the only one ...

(

Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', which he played between 1985 and 2022. Early life and education Woodyatt was born on 28 June 1968 in W ...

) at

, Gray briefly volunteers to legally represent her. However, when she starts telling other people about his aggressive behaviour, Gray deliberately puts Tina in the frame by stopping a pizza delivery man from going to the police with an alibi. He packs Tina’s stuff and tells her she needs to run, but her growing suspicions towards him causes Tina to learn that Gray had abused and killed Chantelle. She attempts to leave and expose him to the Square, but Gray stops her and strangles her to death. He then dumps her body and tells Shirley, along with her son

(

), that Tina has gone on the run. When Shirley grows suspicious of Gray over the circumstances behind Tina’s whereabouts, he pays a homeless woman to shoplift and pretend to be Tina. In 2021, Gray becomes increasingly obsessed with Whitney and is jealous when she forms a relationship with her boyfriend

Kush Kazemi The following are characters who first appeared, or returned, in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2014 listed by order of first appearance. All new characters in 2014 were introduced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, executive producer. ...

(

Davood Ghadami Davood Ghadami ( fa, داوود قدمی; born 7 August 1982) is an English actor. Following his appearances in ''Taggart'' in 2010, he appeared in the BBC medical programmes ''Doctors'' and ''Casualty'' in recurring roles. In 2014, he began po ...

); his envy grows as Whitney later becomes engaged to Kush. Soon enough, Gray gets involved in Kush's situation with the square's reigning hardman/criminal kingpin

(

) and his son

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, ...

(

) - as Kush had helped the Mitchells and Shirley perpetuate a car robbery several months ago. Kush grasses up the Mitchells in exchange for his freedom and plans to run away with Whitney, but Gray confronts Kush at the train station about stealing Whitney away from him. Gray accuses Kush of ruining Whitney's life and the pair end up having a scuffle, which results in Gray on the tracks. Kush frantically pulls Gray up to safety just in time, but then Gray thereupon pushes Kush in front of the oncoming train - killing him as a result. Gray then flees the station and looks as have gotten away with murder again once Kush's death becomes public knowledge by the next day. Whitney assumes Phil and Ben had Kush killed for grassing them up, and accidentally runs over Phil's romantic partner

Kat Slater Kathleen "Kat" Slater (also Moon) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She is also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the sec ...

(

Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Kat Slater on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2000. Her role as Kat won her the Nationa ...

) with Gray’s car in an attempt to attack Phil and Ben for their supposed actions. Gray is able to avoid getting Whitney into trouble, but later cuts ties with her in a furious outburst. Months later, Gray starts a relationship with Whitney's friend

Chelsea Fox Chelsea Fox (also Atkins) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Tiana Benjamin from 2006 to 2010, and then Zaraah Abrahams from 2020 onwards. Benjamin was cast in the role and she left her role in the '' Harr ...

(

Zaraah Abrahams Zaraah Clover Abrahams (born 7 January 1987) is an English actress and voiceover artist. She is known for her roles as Magda in '' Girls in Love'' from 2003 to 2005, Michaela White in the BBC school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' from 20 ...

). Later on he gets reacquainted with his estranged boss Laura Awoyinka (Sarah Paul), who seems to dislike Gray and she even warns Chelsea about him later on. When Gray learns what Laura is doing, he retaliates by sending her messages under the pseudonym Jasper. He later gets a police caution for public indecency with Chelsea and, due to this along with the online messages, he gets fired from the solicitor firm. Chelsea also dumps him after he rages at her for inadvertently buying Chantelle's ring from a pawn shop. Weeks later, Gray informs Shirley and Mick that he saw Tina being bundled onto a bus. He texts Shirley from a burner phone, pretending to be Tina and telling her to send him £10k - as he is in financial ruin after losing his job. When Phil gets arrested for the attack on Ian later on, Gray visits Ben and offers to represent Phil. The Mitchells agree to Gray's help and he manages to get Phil released, much to Shirley's outrage as she assumes that Phil is responsible for Tina's situation; she later confronts Gray for helping the Mitchells before going on to attack Phil with a baseball bat when wanting answers about Tina. Sometime later, Gray woos Chelsea into reconciling with him and they later get engaged. But then Whitney finds a secret online forum that Chantelle made against her husband over his abusive nature, which causes Whitney to conclude that Gray had been abusing Chantelle for months before he ended up killing her on the night of her death. She tells Kheerat on this and they plan to stop Chelsea from marrying Gray, but this fails and the pair get married; however, Chelsea later discovers the forum that causes her to know what Gray did to Chantelle. In 2022, Chelsea's plan to escape Gray fails when she gets pregnant with their child and she gives birth; the child is named Jordan and she agrees to let Gray help raise her baby, but assures Whitney that she still intends to bring him to justice for what happened to Chantelle. Later on in March that year, Kheerat attempts to get a confession from Gray over Chantelle. But he fails when Gray attacks Kheerat; they fight and Kheerat knocks Gray unconscious before going on the run. A few days later, Tina's body is discovered and both Shirley and Mick are devastated when the police inform them of the tragedy. When Whitney learns about Tina's death, she speculates that Gray killed her and informs both Mick and Shirley of her theory; the two agree over this not only due to their own suspicions on Gray, but also when Whitney explains her other theory that Gray had abused and killed Chantelle. It is then Chantelle's parents, Karen Taylor (

) and

(

), learn about Tina's death and all the accusations against Gray. The couple each have different responses as Karen instantly believes Gray, whereas Mitch knows he is guilty when Whitney tells him the truth about Chantelle. Upon learning that Tina's body has been found and that her death is confirmed, Gray begins to fear that his arrest is inevitable; he plans to escape with his children and Chelsea along with Jordan. He is able to trick Karen into believing his innocence and keeping Jordan hidden at her house. But when Chelsea confronts him that night, Gray admits to killing Chantelle. She seemingly decides to run away with him anyways, but then Gray realizes that Chelsea has recorded her confession to the police. He promptly attacks Chelsea and nearly chokes her to death, but she fends him off and he flees when the police break into his house. Gray goes to collect his children from Karen, but her growing suspicions leads him to admit what he did to Chantelle. She disowns Gray, as do his children, and he is forced to abandon them when Karen alerts the police of his presence. Gray then runs into The Vic, where both Shirley and Mick attack him in revenge for Tina's murder. Shirley attempts to strangle Gray to death when Mick stops her, insisting that Gray needs to face justice for his crimes. Gray uses the opportunity to distract the two, knocking Shirley unconscious and forcing Mick to let him flee in order to help his mother. Moments later, Gray is spotted by Whitney. She chases him to a railway bridge and they end up having a verbal confrontation when she confronts him. Gray attempts to dismiss Whitney's views on his character by insulting her, but she ignores him with persistence that he will go to prison for killing both Chantelle and Tina. Not wanting to go to prison, though, Gray attempts suicide. Whitney stops him and is determined not to see him take the easy way out. Gray attempts to goad Whitney into letting him go by confessing to Kush's murder. Whitney is horrified, but is unfazed as she struggles to keep hold of Gray when he threatens to take her to her death with him. Whitney nearly loses her grip, but then Mitch intervenes and helps Whitney force Gray up to safety; Mitch thereupon grabs Gray and looks angrily determined to hurt him to avenge Chantelle's death, but instead allows the police to apprehend him. In the end, Gray is finally arrested for his crimes and he is taken into a police car and sent to prison.

Reception

Smith was shortlisted for Best Villain at the 2020 ''Inside Soap'' Awards but lost out to

Ian Bartholomew Ian Bartholomew (born 23 August 1954) is a British actor and musician from Portsmouth, England who has worked widely in both theatre and television. In March 2018, Bartholomew joined the cast of ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', as Geoff ...

(who plays

Geoff Metcalfe '' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by series producer Kate Oates or her successo ...

in ''

''). Smith won Best Villain at the 2021 Version Soap Awards for his portrayal of Gray.

Mia Atkins

Mia Atkins, played by Mahalia Malcolm, is the daughter of

(

) and

(

). The character and casting were announced on 11 March 2019. Mia made her first appearance on 12 April. Mia's parents married after a whirlwind romance when they found out they were expecting her. They had little contact with the Taylor family until arriving in Walford in 2019 when Chantelle is offered a job at

's (

) hair salon. Mia and Mackenzie enjoy spending time with their grandmother Karen Taylor (

) and are delighted when their father buys No. 1

so they can be closer to their family. Shortly after this Mia meets her grandfather

(

) for the first time when he wrongly assumes Gray is harassing Chantelle at

. Mia and Mackenzie have no idea that Gray is abusing Chantelle and after returning home from a family holiday to

, they are devastated to find out that Chantelle has died. Unbeknownst to them, Chantelle was killed during an altercation with Gray. Mia and Mackenzie move in with Karen at

's (

) insistence after she uncovers Gray's plot to kill himself and the children.

Mackenzie Atkins

Mackenzie Atkins, played by Isaac Lemonius, is the son of

(

) and

(

). The character and casting were announced on 11 March 2019. Mackenzie made his first appearance on 12 April.

Daniel Cook

Daniel Cook, played by

, is a love interest of

Jean Slater Jean Slater (also Walters) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by Gillian Wright. Her first appearance is in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2004. Having only been introduce ...

(

Gillian Wright Gillian Wright (born 5 May 1960) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Jean Slater on the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2004, for which she has won a number of awards. She was a teacher and theatre directo ...

). The character and Edmondson's casting were announced on 9 May 2019. He began appearing on 25 June 2019. Daniel is first seen at Walford General, being difficult with the nurses, as witnessed by

(

) and her daughter,

Stacey Fowler Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a fe ...

(

Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' (2004–2010, 2014–present), for which she has won over thirty awards, including four ...

). He later approaches Jean and attempts to initiate a conversation, but accidentally makes an offensive comment which causes Jean to slap him. Stacey later confronts him about making Jean angry. Daniel continues to be seen each time Jean visits the hospital and they start to grow close. In September 2019, Daniel reveals that his cancer has returned and is now terminal, and Jean promises to care for him. As her feelings for Daniel begin to blossom, and she gets excited about introducing him to Stacey, Jean receives a call from Daniel's neighbour saying that Daniel has died, having been discovered at his home. Jean attends his memorial alongside

(

), but it is revealed that Daniel faked his own death because he felt that he was getting too emotionally involved with Jean and did not want to put her through the pain of watching him die slowly. Two months later, Kush visits the hospital to give some magazines on Jean's behalf and bumps into Daniel. He persuades him to come back to Walford and tell Jean the truth but he refuses. Kush gives up and says goodbye. On Christmas Day, Daniel returns to Walford contemplating telling Jean the truth when he discovers the Panesar brothers demanding back rent money from the Slaters in exchange for them not being evicted from their house. He quickly pays for the rent himself and re-introduces himself to Jean, who is furious at him for faking his death. She asks him for an explanation as to why he did it; he admits that it is because he was falling in love with her and knowing she was falling for him as well, he did not want her to go through the pain of saying goodbye to him on his deathbed. Touched, she kisses him passionately and assures him she will help him live out the rest of his time as fulfilling as possible. Daniel and Jean prank funeral directors Rainie Branning (

) and

Stuart Highway Stuart Highway is a major Australia, Australian highway. It runs from Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta in South Australia; a distance of . Its northern and sou ...

(

) into thinking he is dying and wants a lavish funeral, guilt tripping them into giving them a ride in a horse driven carriage. However, when Daniel laters discovers he has weeks to live, he arranges a real funeral with Rainie. When Daniel's condition worsens, he refuses going into a hospice, and promises Jean that he will hold onto his life until she is cancer free. Jean goes to an appointment accompanied by

Mo Harris Mo Harris (also known as "Big Mo") is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', who made her first appearance on 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo is also played by Lorraine Stanley in the 2004 soap "bubble" ''Pat ...

(

Laila Morse Maureen Oldman (born 1 August 1945), known professionally as Laila Morse, is an English actress. Her roles include Janet in the drama film ''Nil by Mouth (film), Nil by Mouth'' (1997) and Mo Harris in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. ...

), and finds out her cancer has gone. When Daniel asks about the appointment, she tells him that they have not got her results yet. However, Mo reveals that Jean is cancer free. The pair sit on a bench together, and he sends her away to get a hot chocolate; when she returns, Daniel has died.

Jonno Highway

Jonno Highway, played by Richard Graham, is the father of

(

) and

Callum Highway Callum is a Scottish Gaelic name that commemorates the Latin name Columba, meaning 'dove'. Callum was popular among early Christians because the dove was a symbol of purity, peace and the Holy Spirit. St. Columba was one of the most influential ...

(

). Jonno began appearing as a guest on 1 July 2019. Jonno is first seen after being contacted by his son Callum's fiancée,

(

). He has a disagreement with Ben Mitchell (

) over

gay pride LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to sham ...

and is confronted by his father,

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...

(

). It is revealed that Jonno was not a good father to Callum or Stuart and would be violent towards Stuart. He reveals that he has changed and attempts to reconcile with his family. Jonno confronts Ben in the toilets and expresses his disgust with homosexuals, causing a fight between him and Ben. Jonno's true colours are exposed and Stuart threatens him out of Walford. Jonno returns two months later, wanting to find out how Callum's wedding went. When he discovers that the wedding was called off he confronts Callum about it, and Callum comes out as gay to his father. Disgusted, Jonno accuses Ben of turning him into "one of them", earning himself a punch from Phil in return.

Sheree Trueman

Sheree Trueman, played by Suzette Llewellyn, is the third wife of

(

). The character and Llewellyn's casting were announced on 18 June 2019. Sheree made her first appearance on 2 August 2019. On 30 September 2021 Sheree made an unannounced exit from the show. Sheree arrives in Walford with Patrick after his return from

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

where they reveal that they are now married. It is explained that Sheree has known Patrick for a long time.

(

), finds herself unable to trust her, and is left concerned for Patrick's wellbeing whilst being annoyed by her antics at their salon. After

Ted Murray The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2017, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer Sean O'Connor or, from 27 November, his succ ...

(

Christopher Timothy Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

) accidentally kisses Sheree in

, Sheree arranges for Ted to meet her mother

(Anni Domingo). This results in Ted deciding to leave Walford with her but, as they are leaving, Sheree reveals to Denise that Wanda had previously faced questions from the police over the death of her last husband. Denise's worries increase with the discovery of a voicemail from Ted appearing to show him panicking, and she confronts Sheree about her mother. Sheree dismisses the allegations of her mother harming Ted, who is later revealed to be fine, but Denise remains convinced that something isn't right with her and remains adamant to find out what. Denise overhears Sheree on the phone to a man named

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...

(Stevie Basaula), and assumes that she is cheating on Patrick. Denise confronts her and tells her to leave. However, when Isaac turns up in Walford, it is revealed that he is Sheree's son.

Shyanna

Shyanna, played by

Anita Harris Anita Madeleine Harris (born 3 June 1942) is an English actress, singer and entertainer. Harris sang with the Cliff Adams Singers for three years from 1961 and had a number of chart hits during the 1960s. She appeared in the ''Carry On'' film ...

, appears on 26 August 2019. The character and Harris's casting were announced on 9 August 2019. Shyanna is a psychic who Bailey Baker (Kara-Leah Fernandes) contacts to feel closer to her deceased mother,

(Anjela Lauren Smith). Although Bailey's half-siblings,

(

) and

( Zack Morris), tell Bailey that psychics do not exist and it is a con, Bailey still wants to try. Shyanna explains that Dinah can only speak through her and says that Dinah is sorry for how she died and is free of her struggles. Shyanna says that Bailey has found a new family and spent a lot of time alone with Dinah before that. Bailey asks what Dinah's favourite colour was, to which Shyanna says blue. Bailey says Dinah hated the colour blue and says she made lucky guesses based on what she had found out about Bailey. Bailey says it was a waste of her time and leaves. Shyanna then asks Chantelle for payment and tells her that her home has a "vibe" that Chantelle cannot fight alone and if she does, things will get "very dark". Shyanna then leaves.

Ash Panesar

Ashneet “Ash” Panesar (also Kaur) played by Gurlaine Kaur Garcha, made her first appearance on 29 August 2019. Ash is introduced as the bisexual Sikh girlfriend of

(

), with whom she has been in a relationship with for over a year. Ash's identity was kept a secret due to Iqra being entered into an arranged marriage with a man. In August 2019, Iqra introduces Ash to

Arshad Arshad is an Arabic male given name and a surname. It means "the right path". Notable people with the name include: Given name *Arshad Ali (disambiguation), several people * Arshad Ayub (born 1958), Indian cricketer *Arshad Hasan, executive direc ...

(

) and

(Indira Joshi), where she explains that Ash is a doctor. When the pair are in the club, Iqra introduces Ash as a friend which bothers Ash. When she brings up her annoyance with it, Iqra pulls her into a kiss in front of the Walford residents. In October 2019, it is revealed that Ash is the sister of Kheerat (

), Jags (Amar Adatia) and

(Shiv Jalota). Vinny tells Ash that their mother is dying from cancer, to which she refuses to visit her. It is then revealed that when she was 19, Ash had an abortion which caused her to fall out with her mother and Kheerat. As part of a "wife swap" event, Ash stays with

(

) for a few days. During her time there, she notices that Honey has an

eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating d ...

, and encourages to get professional help. She later witnesses Honey throw Adam out, who is revealed to have known about her eating disorder but didn't care. Ash stops Iqra from getting involved, and the pair cheer for Honey for standing up for herself when she confronts Adam. When Kheerat, Jags and Vinny move into a house in Walford, Kheerat tries to make amends with Ash. He apologises for disagreeing with her abortion, but when she introduces him to Iqra, he disapproves of Ash dating a Muslim. On her casting, Garcha said "I am thrilled to be a part of the Panesar family! Punjabi families are full of character, really loving and caring so I'm excited to be involved in portraying that to the nation. I do think there is a shortage for representation of Punjabi families especially on TV so it's amazing to be a member of Walford's first Punjabi family." Initially only hired as a guest star during the summer of 2019, Garcha's contract was upgraded for her to become a series regular. Garcha expressed her delight to play a bisexual character, stating: "It is nice to know when someone can relate to your role and storyline. It is very rewarding as an actor when you feel like you're helping people and then giving them a sense of comfort, so they know they are not alone". Garcha stated that her most memorable part of starting filming on ''EastEnders'' was her scene in

, describing it as a "famous landmark that is part of our television culture. She added that Ash's future storylines are "very exciting", with "lots of drama". In an interview with ''

Inside Soap ''Inside Soap'' is a weekly magazine published in the United Kingdom, released every Tuesday. It covers current and future storylines in soap operas in the United Kingdom, including '' Coronation Street'', ''Doctors'', ''EastEnders'', ''Emmerdal ...

'', Garcha recalled talking to her Taekwondo instructor about her character. Garca told them that when she was auditioning for the role, she felt that she can relate to Ash, since she is "strong, kind, has her head screwed on, and knows what she wants". She also stated that Ash "isn't afraid to speak her mind". Garcha also noted Ash's "toxic" relationship with mother Suki, stating that when "Ash is happy, Suki's not happy", and despite Ash thinking Suki is evil, she teased that "Ash more like Suki than she wants to admit". When asked what she would want for Ash in the future, Garcha stated that she "love for Ash to keep unravelling".

Leo King

Leo King, played by Tom Wells, makes his first appearance on 3 September 2019. He was unnamed until episode 5990 on 9 September 2019. Details of the character and storyline were also announced on the same day. Leo is the son of paedophile Tony King (

), who abused

(

) as a child. Wells expressed his delight in joining the cast, adding, "I'm really excited to be joining the ''EastEnders'' team and seeing what's in store for Leo". Wells also commented that "He's definitely a man not to be trusted". Executive producer

also added "Bianca's return sparks a gripping new story with the arrival of Leo King – a dark and misguided figure who has grown up with the stigma of being the son of a convicted paedophile. We are thrilled to welcome Tom to the Square, knowing he will bring depth and complexity to the role of Leo, a man who believes his father has been wronged and who will also go to great lengths to prove it". The character was killed-off in February 2020; his departure had not been announced beforehand. On-screen, Whitney stabs Leo in self defence after he tries attacking her with a knife. Leo first appears as a guest at Whitney's wedding to

(Tony Clay). He talks to Whitney's stepsister,

Tiffany Butcher Tiffany Butcher-Baker (also Dean and Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Maisie Smith. Tiffany is the daughter of established characters Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen), ...

(

Maisie Smith Maisie Louise Collender Smith (born 9 July 2001) is an English actress and singer. She appeared in the feature film ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2008) and played the regular role of Tiffany Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2008 ...

), and proceeds into pecking her cheek, which is witnessed by Tiffany's mother

Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted t ...

(

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is an English actress and DJ, known for her roles as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), and Bianca Jackson in the BB ...

). Bianca warns Leo to stay away. However, Leo arrives in Walford and begins menacing Bianca. It is revealed that he is the son of Bianca's ex-boyfriend Tony and believes that Whitney had lied about Tony sexually abusing her. He threatens Bianca about money his grandmother had left him and threatens to hurt both Whitney and Tiffany if he does not receive the money. Whitney returns to Walford and announces that she been talking to a new man. The man is revealed to be Leo and he picks her up in his car. Leo and Whitney's fling continues, however Whitney introduces him to Tiffany whom he had kissed during Whitney's wedding. Tiffany reveals his identity, but Whitney continues to meet with him. Whilst in E20, Whitney confides with Leo about her past relationships and he tries to push for more information about her relationship with his father, but he fails to get it. Soon afterwards Whitney tells him that she is not after a relationship. In an attempt to drive Whitney and Callum apart, Leo finds a video of Callum doing nothing when his friend attempts to rape an unconscious girl at a party. Leo confronts Whitney on a balcony, and when

(

) sees them, he goes to help Whitney, but accidentally pushes Leo over the balcony. While in hospital, Whitney visits him in the hope that he will not press charges against Kush. He finds a notebook in her bag, detailing all of their interactions. Leo makes Whitney go into the pub and tell everyone that Tony was innocent, and leaves. He begins hiding in Whitney's loft, spying on her from a hole in the ceiling. When she is alone, he confronts her, and the pair fight, ending in Whitney stabbing him in self defence. His dead body is left on her kitchen floor.

Wanda Baptiste

Wanda Baptiste, played by Anni Domingo, is the mother of

( Suzette Llewellyn). Upon Wanda's arrival, Sheree arranges a date between her

(

). Wanda later announces that she has booked a ticket to go travelling for a year, and has a spare ticket, to which Ted agrees to accompany her. When the pair are gone, Sheree reveals that Wanda's ex-husband died under mysterious pretences, concerning

(

Charlie "Tubbs" Savage

Charlie "Tubbs" Savage, played by Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, is an associate of Ben Mitchell (

). Tubbs is a loan shark who shared a cell with Ben when he was imprisoned for the murder of

Heather Trott Heather Trott (also Peterson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Cheryl Fergison. She made her first appearance on 26 June 2007. The character was introduced as a guest character, but later became a regula ...

(

Cheryl Fergison Cheryl Fergison (born 27 August 1965) is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Heather Trott in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' a role in which she starred in from 2007 until 2012. Career After training at Rose Bruford ...

). When Ben sees Tubbs loaning Karen Taylor (

) money, Ben asks Tubbs to keep him informed as his sister,

(

), is engaged to Karen's eldest son,

( Danny Walters). Tubbs, alongside Martin Fowler ( James Bye), raid the house of a woman who owes money. Tubbs and Martin realize that they have been set up and Martin brutally attacks one of the men. Tubbs and Ben are arrested when Martin confesses to

Jack Branning Jack Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Scott Maslen. He made his first appearance on 29 October 2007. He is the youngest child of Jim (John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graham) and the brother ...

(

Scott Maslen Scott Alexander Maslen (born 25 June 1971) is an English actor and model, best known for his portrayal as DS Phil Hunter in ITV's ''The Bill'' and Jack Branning on the BBC's flagship soap ''EastEnders'' since 2007. He also took part in the 2010 ...

) that they have been operating in illegal activities. As revenge, Ben orders Tubbs and his gang to torment Martin and they dangle him over a railway bridge. When Ben's boyfriend

(Tony Clay) decides to become a police officer, Ben quits organised crime, and hands over the business to Tubbs, who rehires Martin.

Jags Panesar

Jags Panesar,New Asian Post, 22 August 2019 — Sikh family introduced in BBC One's long-running series ‘Eastenders’
(Accessed 19 February 2020) played by Amar Adatia, made his first appearance on 4 October 2019. He is the second eldest of the three Panesar brothers, the others being Kheerat (

) and

(Shiv Jalota). The family is described as a British Asian family of

Punjabi Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...

heritage. The character and Adatia's casting were announced on 21 August 2019. Jags is described as someone who "has always struggled in the shadow of his older brother and despite his best intentions, nothing ever seems to go to plan for try-hard Jags leaving Kheerat and the rest of the family constantly unimpressed." Producer

said of the family "The Panesar family are set arrive this autumn and will bring their own unique blend of charm and chaos onto the Square. A British Asian family of Punjabi Sikh heritage, Kheerat, Jags and Vinny are three very different brothers who turn up in Walford looking to settle a score – however, fate quickly takes a hand and they find themselves staying for good. We're thrilled to be introducing this vibrant new family to Walford and to be sharing their stories." Of his casting, Adatia said, "My younger self would never have believed I'd be on ''EastEnders''. It's pretty amazing to be part of one of the most iconic television shows alongside some of the best actors in the business. I really am so grateful." On 26 September 2020, it was announced that Adatia would be departing from his role as Jags as part of a "dark storyline". Adatia made his final appearance in an episode broadcast on 9 October 2020. The character was killed off-screen on 24 June 2021. Jags and Kheerat first arrive in Walford to confront Ben Mitchell (

) after he steals Kheerat's car. They threaten him with retaliation unless the car is returned to them. When Ben fails to deliver, Jags kidnaps

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 ...

), though he is berated by Kheerat for this and later lets her go after Ben comes to meet them and promises to repay them. A few weeks later, the brothers arrive on the Square in search of their sister

(Gurlaine Kaur Garcha). While there, Jags notices

(

) stood at a bus stop, and tells Kheerat that he used to have a crush on her at school, and that they went on a date. The Panesars later move to Walford and are eventually joined by their mother Suki ( Balvinder Sopal). When Suki is revealed to have lied about having cancer, Jags is the first of the family to forgive her. Jags gets close to and eventually enters a secret relationship with

(

), though he fears Suki's reaction and decides against going public. In September 2020, Vinny attacks Martin Fowler ( James Bye) in a botched staged robbery, and Jags helps to clear up the evidence. After challenging his family's treatment of their tenants, Jags goes public about his relationship with Habiba. Enraged, Suki hands Jags' bloody jeans into the police, accusing him of attacking Martin. Jags is wrongfully arrested and reluctantly agrees to plead guilty for the crime. He is sentenced to 4 years in prison. Months later, the Panesars learn that Jags has gotten on the wrong side of a gang in prison, and Kheerat makes an agreement with Ben to arrange protection for him. However, Ben later calls off the protection in an act of rage, and the Panesars learn shortly afterwards that Jags has been killed in an attack in his cell.

Kheerat Panesar

Kheerat Panesar, played by Jaz Singh Deol, made his first appearance on 4 October 2019. He is the eldest of three brothers, the others being Jags (Amar Adatia) and

(Shiv Jalota). The family is described as a British Asian family of

heritage. The character and Deol's casting were announced on 21 August 2019. Kheerat is described as a "successful businessman who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it" and that he "uses his persuasiveness and charm to his advantage in every situation" Producer

said of the family "The Panesar family are set arrive this autumn and will bring their own unique blend of charm and chaos onto the Square. A British Asian family of Punjabi Sikh heritage, Kheerat, Jags and Vinny are three very different brothers who turn up in Walford looking to settle a score – however, fate quickly takes a hand and they find themselves staying for good. We're thrilled to be introducing this vibrant new family to Walford and to be sharing their stories." Of his casting, Deol said, "I'm very proud and excited to be joining such an iconic show and bringing to life a character that is a reflection of the cultural background that I and many others come from in today's modern Britain. I can't wait to get started and for viewers to meet the Panesars." Deol made an unannounced departure from the show on 10 November 2022, when Kheerat confessed to murder. Kheerat and Jags first arrive in Walford to confront Ben Mitchell (

) after he steals Kheerat's car. They threaten retaliation unless the car is returned. When Ben fails to deliver, Jags kidnaps

(

), but Kheerat berates him for this and later agrees to let her go after Ben promises to repay them. Kheerat threatens Ben and Lola's daughter

Lexi Pearce The following are characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2012 listed by order of first appearance. New characters were introduced by Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer. He stepped down from the role in April. ...

(Isabella Brown) as they are leaving. A few weeks later, the Panesar brothers arrive on the Square in search of their sister

(Gurlaine Kaur Garcha). Kheerat reveals that Ash had an abortion years ago, disapproving of her actions and accusing her of "murdering her own baby". When Kheerat, Jags and Vinny move into a flat belonging to

(

), Kheerat attempts to make amends with Ash. He apologises for disagreeing with her abortion, but upon discovering Ash's girlfriend,

(

), is a Muslim, he expresses more disapproval with Ash. He falls in love with old acquaintance

(

Jessica Kate Plummer Jessica Kate Plummer (born 16 September 1992) is an English actress and singer. From 2013 to 2015, she was a member of the British girl group Neon Jungle, with whom she released an album that peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart. She is ...

) after employing her at the Panesar call centre, unaware she is trapped in an abusive marriage to

(

). They plan to run away together but Kheerat is devastated to learn that she has died in a tragic accident. He later has a

one-night stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

with

Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a fe ...

(

) after they spend a night drinking and confiding in each other about their relationship woes. After Vinny attacks Martin Fowler ( James Bye) and it is revealed that Jags is in a secret relationship with

(

) and no longer wants to be involved in the family business, Kheerat is dismayed to learn that his mother Suki Panesar ( Balvinder Sopal) has arranged for Jags to be arrested for Vinny's crime. Habiba leaves Walford to be nearer to Jags in prison and when Kheerat discovers she is pregnant he decides to pay for her flat and towards the upkeep of the baby out of guilt for what his mother has done. At the same time Kheerat enters a relationship with

Sharon Watts Sharon Watts (also Rickman, Mitchell and Beale) is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Letitia Dean. Sharon is one of ''EastEnders'' original characters conceptualised by creators Tony Holland and Juli ...

(

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and again ...

). They decide to keep their romance a secret due to the fact that Sharon's former stepson Ben is being paid by Kheerat to ensure Jags has protection in prison. However, when Ben catches them together he decides to call off Jags' protection and Kheerat is later devastated to learn that Jags has been killed in a prison fight.

Vinny Panesar

Parvindar “Vinny” Panesar, played by Shiv Jalota, made his first appearance on 29 October 2019. He is the youngest of the Panesar brothers, the others being Kheerat (

) and Jags (Amar Adatia). The family is described as a British Asian family of

heritage. The character and Jalota's casting were announced on 21 August 2019. Vinny is described as "the golden boy of the family; he's sweet, bright and has been indulged since the day he was born. However people shouldn't be fooled by Vinny's innocent exterior, he's no angel and it's safe to say trouble is often close by." Producer

said of the family "The Panesar family are set arrive this autumn and will bring their own unique blend of charm and chaos onto the Square. A British Asian family of Punjabi Sikh heritage, Kheerat, Jags and Vinny are three very different brothers who turn up in Walford looking to settle a score – however, fate quickly takes a hand and they find themselves staying for good. We're thrilled to be introducing this vibrant new family to Walford and to be sharing their stories." Of his casting, Jalota said, "It still hasn't sunk in that I'm going to be on ''EastEnders''. As a young boy, I remember being introduced to the Masood family and thinking there are people like me on television. To be part of that next generation of people representing my identity is a blessing. I couldn't be more excited." Vinny arrives on the Square with his brothers in search of their sister

(Gurlaine Kaur Garcha). Vinny eventually tracks her down, and reveals to her that their mother is dying of cancer. Ash refuses to visit because of how she was treated by her and Vinny expresses upset at Ash cutting him out of her life when she left home.

Michaela Turnbull

Michaela Turnbull, played by

Fiona Allen Fiona Allen (born 13 March 1965) is an English comedian and actress, most known for her work on Channel 4's ''Smack the Pony'' between 1999 and 2003. Career Allen has appeared in many sketch shows, including ''We Know Where You Live'' (Channel ...

, first appears in episode 6037, originally broadcast on 9 December 2019. Michaela is the mother of Leo King (Tom Wells), and the ex-wife of Tony King (

). Michaela arrives in Walford after finding out that Leo has been staying there, and when she finds out that he has been in contact with

(

), who her ex-husband groomed, she tries to force him to go home with her. However, Leo slams her to the ground and hits her with his briefcase. After Leo asks Whitney for the truth, he realises that Tony did abuse Whitney. He releases Michaela from the boot of her car and says she was right about Tony and should have believed her, but Michaela calls him "sick" and drives away. When she learns that Leo has died, she takes Whitney hostage. Michaela reveals to her that she knew about Tony grooming her, but did nothing to stop him. Paul Simper of ''

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 ...

'' wrote: "The irony is that Michaela should be Whitney's saviour. It's high time she put the sisterhood first and ended both families’ circles of abuse once and for all."

DI Steve Thompson

Detective Inspector Steve Thompson, played by Philip Wright, first appears in episode 6045, originally broadcast on 23 December 2019. Uncredited during his first appearance, he makes his first credited appearance in episode 6063, originally broadcast on 16 January 2020. DI Thompson is first seen as a colleague of

's (

), when they witness

(

) attacking Leo King (Tom Wells) and break up the fight. The following month, Thompson questions Karen Taylor (

(

) and Ben Mitchell (

) about the disappearance of

( Danny Walters). Karen says she is not worried about her son, while Phil reveals that Keanu had an affair with Phil's wife,

Sharon Mitchell Sharon Mitchell is an American sexologist and former pornographic film actor and director. In 1998, she founded the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM), which tested over 1,000 adult film performers per month before a 2011 data ...

(

), and got her pregnant and Ben says they were in the pub when Keanu disappeared. He later arrests Phil and Ben for Keanu's murder and presents Phil with evidence at the police station. DI Thompson later speaks with Sharon about the whereabouts of her son,

Dennis Rickman Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nigel Harman. He made his first appearance on 14 April 2003 at the funeral of his late mother, Paula, before going on to become one of the show's central ...

(

Bleu Landau Bleu Louie Landau (born 5 April 2005) is an English actor, known for his role as Dennis Rickman Jnr in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from September 2015 to February 2020. In 2017 he starred in Guy Richie's film ''King Arthur: Legend of the ...

), who she believes Phil has taken abroad. Ben tries to speak to Thompson, who rebuffs him and warns him that although they are unaware of Phil's whereabouts, they are watching Ben. When Phil hands himself into the police for the causing a boat crash on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

, DI Thompson questions him about this and his involvement with Keanu. He clashes with Phil's lawyer,

Ritchie Scott The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the UK BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2005, by order of first appearance. Johnny Allen Johnny Allen, played by Billy Murray, first appears in January 2005, and is the father of ...

(

Sian Webber Sîan Webber (born 1959) is a British actress. She is known the recurring role of Ritchie Scott in BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', which she first played in 2005, returning regularly to the role up to and including 2022. Career Webber has ap ...

), when she pauses the interview. Sharon changes the statement she made about Phil, so to his fury, DI Thompson has to release Phil. Thompson appears at the scene of Vinny Panesar's (Shiv Jalota) illegal rave with other police officers when a brick is thrown at the window of a police car. He notices Keegan Butcher-Baker ( Zack Morris) and

Tiffany Butcher-Baker Tiffany Butcher-Baker (also Dean and Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Maisie Smith. Tiffany is the daughter of established characters Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen), ...

(

) leaving the scene and arrests Keegan for

criminal damage Property damage (or cf. criminal damage in England and Wales) is damage or destruction of Real property, real or tangible Personal property, personal property, caused by negligence, Willful violation, willful destruction, or Act of God, act of na ...

and obstruction. He then threatens to arrest Tiffany too. At the station, Jack speaks to him about Keegan's arrest. DI Thompson reads Keegan's previous convictions and explains the situation to Jack, but lies that Keegan threw the brick, insulted him and resisted arrest. Later, Jack speaks to DI Thompson while he is having a cigarette. Jack explains that he viewed the

body camera A body camera, bodycam, body worn video (BWV), body-worn camera, or wearable camera is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system. Body cameras have a range of uses and designs, of which the best-known use is as a part of poli ...

footage from the arrest and is unsure whether Keegan is responsible, which annoys DI Thompson as he sees this as Jack not trusting him. DI Thompson questions Keegan, presenting to him the footage; Keegan threatens to report DI Thompson for the injuries sustained to him during the arrest, but he claims that it is a result of Keegan resisting arrest. Keegan is then released on bail. After footage of the arrest, featuring DI Thompson, is recovered, Jack shows it to Keegan and Tiffany. At the police station, Thompson warns Callum, now a police constable, about an arrest he made earlier that day; he tells him that the man he arrested has claimed that Callum used excessive force and has gone to A&E to be assessed. He then instructs Callum to search through some CCTV footage of a warehouse as part of his operation to arrest criminal

(

). Callum spots a blurred image of Ben on the footage which DI Thompson says he will have enhanced and Callum tries to avoid this. Thompson and Jack interview Danny after he is found with a bag of money in his car boot. Danny claims that he has been set up, but refuses to say who did it. Later that day, Thompson arrests Ben on suspicion of armed robbery at the warehouse; Ben refuses to answer his questions. During the arrest, Thompson spots Callum at Ben's house and later, he confronts Callum, quickly realising that he is Ben's partner. Thompson reminds Callum that relationships with convicted criminals should be declared, so blackmails him into helping him to convict Phil in return for his silence and Ben's freedom. Thompson pressures Callum into making a decision. When Callum declines the deal, he warns him that Ben would not do the same for him, so he should reconsider his decision. Ritchie asks for Ben to be released, but Thompson claims that he is giving them an opportunity to prove Ben's innocence, while he awaits Callum's decision. Ben is later released after Callum agrees to Thompson's deal to convict Phil. He later meets with Callum to congratulate him on his decision and convince him that he made the right choice. Thompson and Callum meet again after Phil offers Callum information about his future deals. After Phil asks Callum to perform a police check, Callum informs Thompson, who states that that is not enough evidence to imprison Phil for years. Thompson tells Callum that the team was impressed with how he dealt with a road traffic collision and reminds him that he has opportunity to find evidence on Phil, before asking him to place a recorder in Phil's repair garage, The Arches. Thompson later gives Callum a wire to wear for recording incriminating conversations with Phil. Callum meets him again to withdraw from the operation; Thompson reveals that the operation is not legal, before threatening to expose Callum for assaulting Danny if he reveals the operation. Callum speaks to Thompson about requesting information on

Ellie Nixon The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2020, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's senior executive producer, Kate Oates, and the executive pr ...

(

Mica Paris Michelle Antoinette Wallen (born 27 April 1969), known professionally as Mica Paris (), is an English singer, presenter and actress. Paris was born in Islington in North London, but moved to Brockley, South London, when she was nine. She rel ...

); Thompson explains that Ellie used a fake surname and is a known criminal. Callum asks for information on Ellie to give to Phil, claiming that he will help their operation in the long term. Later, DI Thompson meets with Jack, who informs him that Phil kidnapped and attacked him ten months earlier. Jack never reported the crime, so he asks Thompson to claim that he wrote the report, but it went missing. Thompson is hesitant as he is worried about his illegal operation, so Jack decides to do it without his support. After DI Thompson is caught threatening Callum, he is punched by

(

). Later, Stuart follows Thompson and confronts him. When Thompson taunts Stuart about Callum, he punches him, knocking him out. Believing he has killed Thompson, Stuart moves him to the undertakers and places him in a coffin. After failing to check on him in the days afterwards, Stuart learns that Thompson was seen at a disciplinary hearing and realises he had survived and escaped the coffin. Stuart is later taken in for questioning, with Thompson threatening to charge him for attempted murder unless Callum pushes further in his efforts to take down Phil. A panicked Callum tells Jack about the situation. Jack blackmails Thompson into giving up his pursuit of Phil unless he wants his dodgy dealings revealed. After Thompson hands over all of his evidence, Jack persuades him to retire from the police.

Other characters

References

{{EastEnders characters, year, state=expanded

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

*EastEnders