Howard Saddler

EastEnders is a BBC soap opera that first aired on 19 February 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 2023, in order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer, Chris Clenshaw. The first character to be introduced is Brett Nelson (Fabrizio Santino), a man from Zack Hudson's (James Farrar) past; he appears in January. Emma Harding...

EastEnders is a BBC soap opera that first aired on 19 February 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 2023, in order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer, Chris Clenshaw. The first character to be introduced is Brett Nelson (Fabrizio Santino), a man from Zack Hudson's (James Farrar) past; he appears in January. Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit), the estranged mother of Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold), and Jed (Bradley Jaden), a lodger for Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), also first appear in January. Jo Cotton (Vicki Michelle), the estranged wife of Tom "Rocky" Cotton (Brian Conley), and guest characters Shiv (Peter Caulfield) and Troy (Chris Evangelou) debut in March. Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis), the former teacher of Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier), first appears in April. The Knight family – consisting of patriarch George Knight (Colin Salmon), his two daughters Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) and Anna Knight (Molly Rainford), and Tyson, their pet Chihuahua – are introduced in June. Jasper Parrott, Rocky's pet parrot, and DS Miles (Samantha Seager), a detective sergeant investigating Suki Panesar's (Balvinder Sopal) fall, also debut in June. Caz Johnston (Bryony Afferson), a woman from Eve Unwin's (Heather Peace) backstory, appears in August. September features the introductions of Charli Slater, the newborn daughter of Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) and Ricky Branning (Frankie Day), and Nadine Keller (Jazzy Phoenix), a love interest for Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick). The following month, Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy), the former partner of Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), and their daughter, Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James), joined the cast. Pastor Clayton (Howard Saddler) made his first appearance in December. Additionally, multiple other characters were featured during the year. Brett Nelson Brett Nelson, played by Fabrizio Santino, first appears in episode 6625, originally broadcast on 9 January 2023. The character and Santino's casting details were announced on 29 December 2022. Brett is introduced as someone from Zack Hudson's (James Farrar) past. He is described as "enigmatic". Producers used the characters of Brett and Zack to explore the issue of HIV and worked with the charity Terrence Higgins Trust to develop the story. Having previously tackled the issue in the 1990s using the character of Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), EastEnders aims to highlight the developments in HIV research in the last 30 years. The shared backstory between Brett and Zack states that the latter contracted HIV from Brett after they shared needles from steroid injections. The character makes his final appearance in episode 6631, originally broadcast on 19 January 2023. Emma Harding Emma Harding, played by Patsy Kensit, first appears in episode 6635, originally broadcast on 25 January 2023. The character and Kensit's casting details were first reported on 5 November 2022, with further details announced on 20 December 2022. Emma is introduced as the estranged mother of established character Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold), who is terminally ill with a brain tumour. Kensit was contracted for a "short stint" and began filming in November 2022. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, thought Emma shared some similarities with Lola, including "a striking resemblance; successful, the capacity to hold her own [...] and she's a fighter". He noted that Emma is also "softly spoken and measured", unlike Lola. The character's backstory states that she left Lola and her father, Dan, when Lola was three years old. Clenshaw explained that Emma wants to reconcile with her daughter, having felt guilty since she left. Kensit expressed her joy at appearing in the soap and praised the show's cast and production team. Clenshaw called Kensit the "perfect fit" for the character of Emma, who he described as "a long-awaited character that we know very little about". He added, "Patsy's portrayal is bound to set off fireworks in Walford and cause havoc for the Mitchell household." The character appears across two months, departing in episode 6672, originally broadcast on 30 March 2023. Her exit was described as "heartwrenching" by Justin Harp of Digital Spy. Kensit made a cameo appearance as Emma in episode 6722, originally broadcast on 27 June 2023, following Harold's departure. In the narrative, an upset Emma delivers flowers to Lola's funeral. Kensit's second return was reported on 22 July 2023 by Laura Armstrong of the Daily Mirror. A show publicist explained that the actress had impressed producers and was surprised to be invited back. She had already begun filming her return. Emma returns in the episode broadcast on 11 September 2023. Lola's grandfather, Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick), tracks Emma down after Lola expresses a wish to meet her mother before she dies. Emma admits that she is always thinking about Lola, but declines an invite to her wedding that day. Despite this, she visits Walford, where Lola lives, and watches her and her husband, Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick), from afar. Emma books an appointment at Fox & Hair salon, where Lola works, under the name Nicole; they bond but Emma does not reveal her identity. She is then upset to learn that Lola is terminally ill through watching her online vlogs. When Lola tells Emma about her daughter, Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown), being bullied, Emma visits the school and threatens the bully. Emma anonymously delivers an envelope of money to Lola, who is concerned about the delivery. When Emma books another appointment with Lola and tips her cash, Lola becomes suspicious and accuses Emma of delivering money. As Emma explains that she is trying to help Lola, Billy and Jay enter and reveal that Emma is Lola's mother. Although Lola is initially against speaking to Emma, she relents when Emma explains that Dan was an abusive alcoholic who hospitalised her when he threw boiling water over her. She adds that Dan then took Lola away and lied that Emma had abandoned her; Lola does not believe her but changes her mind when Emma shows her the scars from the incident. Emma tries to rebuild her relationship with Lola, but Billy and Jay are suspicious of her intentions. Lola struggles with Emma's overbearing behaviour and asks for some space. Before leaving, Emma gives Lexi a locket with her phone number in. A few weeks later, Lexi calls Emma to inform her of Lola's deterioration. Whilst initially angry that Emma gave her phone number to Lexi, Lola soon reconciles with Emma, who becomes wary of Jay. At Peggy's bar, Emma spots Jay and another woman talking and assumes they are having an affair; she tells Lola, who throws Jay out. After speaking to Jay's former girlfriend, Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton), Emma realises that she was wrong and apologises. Emma, Lola and Lexi then spend Mother's Day together, which upsets Lexi, who wanted to spend the day alone with Lola. Emma supports Lola, Jay and Lexi when they arrange a charity fundraiser, but she is devastated when Lola learns that her tumour is incurable and she has six months to live. Emma confides in Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) that she believes Lola is better off without her. Emma then tells Lola that she has been offered a job in America. Lola is furious with Emma for considering leaving her again and tells her that she never wants to see her again. Two months later, Lola dies. Emma arrives at her funeral with a large bouquet of flowers, but becomes overwhelmed and leaves. Emma returns three months later, after it is revealed that Lexi has been texting her for weeks, confiding in her after being bullied at secondary school. She meets with Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), Lexi's father, and warns him about Lexi's bullying. Ben angrily orders Emma to leave but his husband, Callum Highway (Tony Clay), agrees to meet up with Emma to discuss Lexi. After having a drink at Peggy's, Emma has sex with Ben's father, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), who is about to marry Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace). Emma tries to blackmail Phil into arranging regular contact for her and Lexi, but he threatens her instead. Emma soon leaves again and is forced by Phil to discontinue contact with Lexi. Jed Jed, played by Bradley Jaden, first appears in episode 6638, originally broadcast on 31 January 2023. The character and Jaden's casting details were announced on 24 January 2023. Jed is introduced as a lodger for Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) at number 25 Albert Square. He is billed as a "free spirit" who charms Sonia. Lewis Knight from the Radio Times suggested that Jed may be involved in a love triangle with Sonia and Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman). The character departs in episode 6644, originally broadcast on 10 February 2023, when he is evicted. Shiv Shiv (credited as Shifty Shiv), played by Peter Caulfield, first appears in episode 6667, originally broadcast on 22 March 2023. The character and Caulfield's casting details were announced on 14 March 2023. Shiv is introduced as a "shifty" loan shark who loans money to Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner). He is billed as "nasty" and a "villainous character". The character is created as part of a story exploring the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on families. Turner explained that Stacey is scared of Shiv because "he's not a normal thug, he's a creepy thug." The character makes his final appearance in episode 6678, originally broadcast on 11 April 2023. Troy Troy, played by Chris Evangelou, first appears in episode 6669, originally broadcast on 27 March 2023. Evangelou's casting was publicised in a social media post by co-star Max Bowden on 22 March 2023. Details about the character were then announced on 27 March 2023. Troy is introduced as a boxer at the Boxing Den gym, a new set on the show. Evangelou is a former professional boxer and was cast in a guest role. The character appears in a story with Ben Mitchell, portrayed by Bowden, as Ben takes up boxing at the gym. Bowden enjoyed working with Evangelou on the story. Evangelou was excited to be cast in the soap and felt "grateful for this opportunity". Jo Cotton Jo Cotton, played by Vicki Michelle, first appears in episode 6671, originally broadcast on 29 March 2023. Michelle's casting in the soap was reported on 4 February 2023. Details about her character were announced by executive producer Chris Clenshaw during an interview on Loose Women on 24 February 2023. The character had been referenced in episode 6596, first broadcast on 23 November 2022. Jo is introduced as the estranged wife of established character Tom "Rocky" Cotton (Brian Conley), who is engaged to Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth). Jo is characterised as "brash, quick-witted, and extremely glamorous" by Clenshaw. The character's backstory states that Jo and Rocky have been married for 25 years. Producers kept most details about the backstory embargoed. Michelle was contracted to appear in two episodes and began filming in February. The character departs in episode 6672, originally broadcast on 30 March 2023. Appearing on Lorraine, Michelle told host Lorraine Kelly that she wanted the role to be developed into a regular position. Michelle's return was reported in June 2023 as part of her character's story with Rocky. Jo's return also assisted in the introduction of Rocky's pet parrot Jasper. Michelle confirmed that she would return for episodes 6713 and 6714, originally broadcast on 12 and 13 June 2023, respectively. Michelle returned again in July 2023 for four episodes centring around Rocky and Kathy's wedding. Lewis Knight from the Radio Times predicted that the character would return again to "cause more trouble". As part of Jo's introduction, she is contacted by Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) and arrives at Kathy's house. Conley explained that Rocky is "devastated" by Jo's arrival and "watches on in horror" as Jo meets Kathy. He added that "all hell is going to break loose" through Jo's introduction. Michelle e