EastEnders is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Within eight months of the show's original launch, it had reached the number one spot in BARB's television ratings, and has consistently remained among the top-rated series in Britain. Four EastEnders episodes are listed in the all-time top 10 most-watched programmes in the UK, including the number one spot, when over 30 million watched the 1986 Christmas Day episode. EastEnders has been important in the history of British television drama, tackling many subjects that are considered to be controversial or taboo in British culture, and portraying a social life previously unseen on UK mainstream television.
Wendy Richard was a British actress, known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 2006.
Charlie Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Derek Martin. Charlie's first appearance is in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2000. He was played by Jason McGregor in flashbacks broadcast in 2001 and Richie Daysh in a 2018 flashback. He also makes a cameo appearance in the second series of the spin-off EastEnders: E20.
Derek Martin is a retired English actor. Beginning his career as a stuntman, he moved into acting and played many roles on UK television. One of his most widely known roles is Charlie Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2000 to 2011, with brief appearances in 2013 and 2016.
Lacey Amelia Turner is an English actress. With a career spanning two decades, she made her acting debut in the television soap opera EastEnders, in which she rose to prominence and has garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a character she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014.
Tanya Cross is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jo Joyner. She made her first appearance on 27 June 2006. Joyner left the show temporarily on 25 December 2009 for maternity leave. After a guest appearance, Tanya eventually returned on 27 September 2010. On 1 April 2013, it was announced that Joyner would be departing the role and she made her final appearance on 28 June 2013. Tanya returned in February 2015 for two episodes as part of the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. She later reprised the role again in 2017 for four episodes, appearing between 25 December 2017 and 16 February 2018.
Lorraine Marie Stanley is an English actress, known for playing Kelly in the 2006 film London to Brighton and Karen Taylor in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2017–2024).
Anthony Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Matt Lapinskas. He was introduced on 25 July 2011, as an extension to the Moon family. The son of Eddie Moon, half brother of Michael Moon and brother of Tyler Moon, his storylines have focused on the friendship between him and Tyler, and his relationships with Poppy Meadow, Jodie Gold, Amira Masood and Alice Branning.
Derek Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Terence Beesley in 1996 and then Jamie Foreman from 2011 to 2012. Derek is the eldest child of Jim Branning and Reenie Branning. He first appears in episode 1282, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 29 April 1996, for his sister April Branning's wedding and departed on 2 May. The character returned as a regular in the episode broadcast on 24 November 2011, played by Foreman. In October 2012, it was announced that Foreman would be leaving EastEnders in December 2012 as part of a Christmas storyline. On 20 December 2012, it is revealed that Derek was the person who Kat Moon had an affair with. The character died of a heart attack in the episode broadcast on 25 December 2012.
Ray Dixon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Chucky Venn. Ray is an ex-partner of character Bianca Butcher and the father of her son Morgan Butcher. He made his first on screen appearance on 10 January 2012. His storylines have involved meeting and getting to know Morgan, a relationship with Kim Fox and starting a youth mentoring scheme. On 16 April 2013 it was announced that Venn had been written out of the show, and departed on 28 May 2013. He appeared in 107 episodes.
Joey Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by David Witts. Introduced on 22 June 2012 by producer Bryan Kirkwood, Joey is the estranged son of established character Derek Branning and the brother of Alice Branning. Joey was featured in storylines such as a problematic relationship with his father due to his absence in his life, and a sexual relationship with his first cousin Lauren Branning. Joey and Lauren's relationship was one of the prominent storylines featured throughout 2012 and 2013. He also had relationships with Lucy Beale, Whitney Dean and Janine Butcher.
Alice Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jasmyn Banks. Alice is the daughter of Derek Branning. She made her first appearance on 10 May 2012. The character and casting was announced on 14 April 2012 with executive producer Lorraine Newman stating that Alice will allow the audience to see a softer side to Derek. Banks also stated that Alice will allow viewers to see a "lovely" side to Derek. The Daily Mirror praised the character for revealing herself as Derek's daughter on her first appearance, comparing her to Danielle Jones after she kept her identity to her mother Ronnie Mitchell a secret for months and then dying minutes after revealing herself. Another critic from the Daily Mirror said that Alice has had a "colossal impact" on Derek. In September 2013, it was announced that Banks would be leaving the show as part of Michael Moon's exit storyline. She departed on 24 December 2013, after being wrongly arrested for Michael's murder.
Jasmyn Grace Banks is an English actress. She may be best known for her 19 month run (2012–13) portraying the character Alice Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
In July 2012, a storyline began in the British soap opera EastEnders in which the character Kat Moon, played by Jessie Wallace, embarks on an affair behind her husband Alfie Moon's back, with an unknown person. The suspects named were Ray Dixon, Michael Moon, Max Branning, Derek Branning and Jack Branning. Ray was the first suspect to be eliminated, on 7 August, followed by Michael on 14 September. The mystery man was revealed as Derek in the 20 December episode. Richie dubbed the storyline "Who's Been Sleeping with Kat?", while critics referred to it is "the who-copped-off-with-Kat saga", "Who Banged Kat?", "Who Shagged Kat?" and the "Kat Mystery Lover storyline".
AJ Ahmed is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Phaldut Sharma. The character made his first on-screen appearance in episode 4458, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2012. Sharma filmed his final scenes before Christmas 2013 and the character's final episode was broadcast on 10 January 2014, being episode 4783.
Lorraine Newman is a British scriptwriter, television producer, and the executive producer of the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2012 to 2013. Newman, who has worked on EastEnders for "nearly 20 years", received the role of executive producer when her predecessor stepped down in 2012. Newman was also the executive producer of Babs, a BBC biopic about Dame Barbara Windsor.
Carl White is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Daniel Coonan. He first appears in the 4660th episode, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2013. Carl is the ex-boyfriend of Kirsty Branning, and his storylines include tracking down cash owed to him by Derek Branning – which Ian Beale has used to open a restaurant; trying to win Kirsty back; a relationship with Roxy Mitchell ; his feuds with Roxy's cousin Phil and Derek's brother Max ; blackmailing Ian for money; and developing a conflict with Roxy's sister Ronnie that ultimately results in his downfall. He became the show's main antagonist up until his death on 1 January 2014. The character was axed in September 2013 and departed in the episode first broadcast in the UK on 1 January 2014, a joint broadcast of episodes 4775 and 4776, after being killed by Ronnie.
Mimi Keene is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Cindy Williams on the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2013–2015), Ruby Matthews on the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education (2019–2023), and Nathalie in the film After Everything (2023).
