The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2000, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by Matthew Robinson, or his successor, John Yorke. The first character to be introduced was Sandra di Marco (Clare Wilkie), the estranged wife of Beppe di Marco (Michael Greco). Laura Beale (Hannah Waterman), a love interest for Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) was introduced in February, whereas Rod Morris (Forbes Masson), the tutor of Nicky di Marco (Carly Hillman) was introduced for a guest stint. Fiona Morris (Ashley Jensen), Rod's wife, appeared in June. Barbara Owen (Sheila Hancock), Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) and Jackie Owen's (Race Davies) mother made her first appearance in July, and Jack Robbins (Chook Sibtain), Sandra's former lover, debuted in August.
The Slater family — Charlie Slater (Derek Martin), Mo Harris (Laila Morse), Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves), Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Little Mo Morgan (Kacey Ainsworth) and Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) were introduced in September. Kerry Skinner, the daughter of Eddie, Bex Fowler, the newborn daughter of Sonia Jackson (Natalie Cassidy) and Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou). Audrey Trueman (Corinne Skinner-Carter) and Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey) were introduced in November and December respectively as the start of a new black family, the Trueman's, while Trevor Morgan (Alex Ferns), the abusive husband of Little Mo, made his first appearance in late December.
Sandra di Marco
Sandra di Marco, played by Clare Wilkie, is the estranged wife of Beppe di Marco (Michael Greco), and mother of his son Joe (Jake Kyprianou). She had walked out on the family when Joe was just one year old.
Sandra reappears in Beppe and Joe's lives in 2000 when she tracks them down to Walford. She had left them because Beppe's family, and in particular his grandparents Bruno and Luisa (Leon Lissek and Stella Tanner), resented her for not being Italian. Sandra wanted to go back to work after having Joe, but the family would not allow it, and when Beppe started siding with his family on the issue, Sandra decided to leave him and her son. She later moved in with Beppe's police partner, Jack Robbins (Chook Sibtain). She left Jack to track down her son, and although she is met with hostility at first, she and Beppe soon grow closer and eventually rekindle their romance, much to the disgust of Beppe's family.
Beppe is still in love with Sandra and soon begins pressurising her to have more children. The suggestion is met with hostility and she flatly refuses. Soon after, Jack arrives in Albert Square looking for Sandra. It turns out that Sandra had left Jack, following a miscarriage that left her unable to have children. Sandra tries to deny her feelings for Jack, but eventually she admits that she is still in love with him and has only reconciled with Beppe so she can get custody of her son. She and Jack reignite their romance, and Sandra makes plans to flee Walford with Jack and Joe. However, Beppe catches them just as they are about to leave and when he realises what is going on, he attacks Jack, takes Joe back and denies Sandra any access. Sandra and Jack subsequently threaten to take Beppe to court for custody of Joe. Beppe retaliates by using his police contacts to plant drugs on Jack, getting him sacked from the force. The constant rowing is having a negative effect on Joe and he finds it difficult to choose between his warring parents. This culminates in him getting hit by a car when he disobeys his father and runs across the road to be with his mother. Joe is not seriously hurt, but the accident makes his parents rethink their behaviour. Beppe eventually allows Sandra visitation rights, and so she leaves Walford with Jack.
Laura Beale
Laura Beale, played by Hannah Waterman, is employed by local businessman Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) as a nanny for his children, Peter (Joseph Shade), Lucy (Casey Anne Rothery) and Steven Beale (Edward Savage). The two eventually become a couple, but when Laura announces that she wants a baby, Ian has a secret vasectomy. When Laura becomes pregnant, Ian throws her out, believing that the baby cannot be his. However, it is later revealed that Ian is the father of Laura's child after all. Laura was killed off on 30 April 2004 after falling down the stairs and breaking her neck, with her arch-enemy Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) being accused of murdering her.
Marie Evans
Marie Evans, played by Liz Sweet, is a named extra who has appeared in EastEnders since Episode 1915, which first aired on 28 February 2000. She is a waitress at the local café. She is first seen as a customer but later takes a job there. Marie takes care of the café when her various colleagues need to go another place. She joins the Book Club in 2010, following Tanya Branning's (Jo Joyner) departure and Jane Beale's (Laurie Brett) holiday to America. At one point, her employer Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) steals a home video of her giving birth to put his daughter Lucy Beale (Melissa Suffield) off having a baby.
She has most recently been seen with other named extras Winston (Ulric Browne) and Shrimpy (Ben Champniss) on 2 June 2022 when Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visited Walford in celebrations of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. She also attended the wedding of Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) on 25 December 2023.
Rod Morris
Rodney "Rod" Morris, played by Forbes Masson, is the tutor of Nicky di Marco (Carly Hillman) who had been contacted by her mother Rosa (Louise Jameson) to help Nicky study for her exams. Nicky becomes attracted to Rod and goes out of her way to make him notice her by doing her hair differently and wearing different outfits. On one of Rod's visits, he buys Nicky a copy of Five's album Invincible (which she had been saving up for) as a reward for her hard work. As time passes, Nicky's feelings for Rod begin to run deeper. Rod tells Nicky she has caught up enough and they can end the lessons. Nicky desperately tries to convince Rosa to have a word with Rod to get him to change his mind. Rod and his wife Fiona (Ashley Jensen) come to the di Marcos for dinner and it is obvious to Fiona that Nicky has a crush on her husband.
Nicky finally makes a move on her tutor and he initially reciprocates, but then takes things too far and sexually assaults her. Nicky is found in tears by Rosa and her brother, Gianni (Marc Bannerman) stating that Rod had attacked her. Rod is then arrested, questioned and later bailed. Rod is attacked by a drunken Gianni who has come to avenge his sister. Gianni is then subsequently arrested and charged with GBH and drink-driving. Nicky later admits she was the one that kissed Rod and he reciprocated. The result is Rod admitting to not being able to control himself, and escaping a 15-year prison sentence.
Fiona Morris
Fiona Morris, played by Ashley Jensen, appears in five episodes, first broadcast in June 2000. She is the wife of Rod Morris (Forbes Masson).
Fiona first appears when her and Rod come to the di Marco's for dinner. She notices that Rod's pupil, Nicky di Marco (Carly Hillman), has a crush on him. She is seen again when Nicky's brother, Gianni di Marco (Marc Bannerman), comes to the Morrises' home and attacks Rod, whom Nicky has accused of sexually assaulting her. Fiona tries to fend Gianni off but is shoved to the floor in the process.
Several days later, Fiona appears in Albert Square and corners Nicky in an attempt to get her to drop her case against Rod, but is interrupted when a journalist enters the scene to ask Nicky about the events, prompting her to flee. Later, Nicky, Gianni and their mother, Rosa di Marco (Louise Jameson), arrive to confront Fiona after she labels Nicky a "tart"; the pair begin arguing and Fiona states that Nicky has been flirting with Rod for weeks and that Rod has been a teacher for the past 11 years and has never behaved inappropriately towards a student.
Barbara Owen
Barbara Owen, played by Sheila Hancock, is introduced as the mother of Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) and Jackie Owen (Race Davies). She first appears in July 2000 and appears again in March 2001, before making her final appearance in July 2001.
Barbara first appears when Steve, who is going through a drugs problem, visits her after discovering that she has terminal heart disease. Barbara is obsessed with the British royal family, though not so caring about her own children. Eight months later, Barbara attends Steve's wedding to Mel Healy (Tamzin Outhwaite), taking a shine to his nemesis Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), to the point of putting his photograph on her fireplace mantel.
Four months later, Steve visits Barbara when she is in a critical condition and confronts her about the abuse she'd showered on him when he was a child. She tries to defend her actions by saying her husband, Richard left her to bring up two children with no money. She refuses to let Steve call an ambulance and asks him to kiss her. He gives her a peck on the forehead but she asks for a kiss on the lips. When he leans forward, she grabs him and gives him an extremely passionate kiss, telling him he is an attractive man. Steve is disgusted and leaves. Barbara dies soon after. Mel is the only person in attendance at Barbara's funeral, while Steve is having sex with another woman.
When Steve dies in a car explosion eight months after Barbara's death, his ashes are dumped on Barbara's grave by Phil. Seventeen years after Barbara's death, Mel returns to Walford with her and Steve's son, Hunter Owen (Charlie Winter), who learns that Steve was a villain. Mel finds Hunter at Barbara's grave and she blames Barbara for the way Steve was, describing her as an "evil witch".
Jack Robbins
Jack Robbins, played by Chook Sibtain, is a former police colleague of Beppe di Marco (Michael Greco) and a former lover of Beppe's wife, Sandra (Clare Wilkie). Jack arrives in Albert Square to try to win Sandra back but she is insistent that she loves Beppe, having reconciled with him several months earlier. It turns out that Sandra had left Jack following a miscarriage that left her unable to have children.
Sandra tries to deny her feelings for Jack, but eventually she admits that she is still in love with him and has only reconciled with Beppe so she can get custody of her son, Joe (Jake Kyprianou). She and Jack reignite their romance and Sandra makes plans to flee Walford with Jack and Joe. However, Beppe catches them just as they are about to leave and when he realises what is going on he attacks Jack, takes Joe back and denies Sandra any access. Sandra and Jack subsequently threaten to take Beppe to court for custody of Joe. Beppe retaliates by using his police contacts to plant drugs on Jack, getting him sacked from the force. Jack later reveals that the charges did not stick. Beppe eventually allows Sandra visitation rights and so Jack and her leave Walford in March 2001.
Charlie Slater
Charlie Slater, played by Derek Martin, arrives in Walford with his mother-in-law Mo Harris (Laila Morse), daughters Lynne (Elaine Lordan), Kat (Jessie Wallace), Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth), and Zoe (Michelle Ryan), plus Lynne's boyfriend, Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves). "An easy-going family man", Charlie has also been described as the "rock that keeps the Slater family together". In 2010, the character was axed by new executive producer Bryan Kirkwood as part of a plan to "breathe new life into the show". Charlie made guest returns in 2011 and 2013, before making a final guest stint in January 2016, when the character was killed off after suffering a heart attack.
Mo Harris