EastEnders is a BBC soap opera that first aired on 19 February 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 2024, in order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer, Chris Clenshaw. The first characters to be introduced are Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank) and Gloria Knight (Elizabeth Counsell), the adoptive parents of George Knight (Colin Salmon). Harold Martin (David Sterne), the husband of Aunt Sal (Anna Karen), and Logan (Liam Hatch), a bully who attacks Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega), appear in one episode each during January. Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell), a teenager who is supported by Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), joins the recurring cast in March. Her mother, Keeley Wainwright (Kirsty J Curtis), also appears in a guest capacity. Warren Finn (Neil Roberts), a barrister, appears in four episodes in April and September. Levi (Mark Akintimehin), a church elder, appears in multiple episodes across the year from April.
Junior Knight (Micah Balfour), the estranged son of George Knight, is introduced in May, followed by his wife Monique Knight (Busayo Ige) and son Xavier Knight (Chase Dean-Williams). Maya Houssain (Bharti Patel) was introduced in May for a story with Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman). In June, an extension of the Mitchell family – Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian), Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) and Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman) – made their debut. Brenda and Hugh Collins (Nichola McAuliffe and Michael Bertenshaw), the parents of Debbie Colwell (Jenny Meier), appear from July. The following month, Ayesha Siddhu (Laila Rouass), an old friend of Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), and Kobina Asare (Jonathan Nyati), the brother of George Knight, guest appear. Ninette Finch also debuted as Beryl, an extra. Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho), the brother of George and Kobina, also joins the regular cast. Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington), the former wife of Teddy Mitchell, was introduced in November. Additionally, multiple other characters were featured during the year.
Eddie Knight
Eddie Knight, played by Christopher Fairbank, first appears in episode 6831, originally broadcast on 1 January 2024. The character and Fairbank's casting details were announced on 10 December 2023. Eddie is introduced with his wife, Gloria Knight (Elizabeth Counsell), as the adoptive parents of established character George Knight (Colin Salmon). Fairbank and Counsell were contracted for a short stint. The characters' backstory states that Eddie and Gloria have not seen George for over a decade. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, explained that it would "[become] apparent why George has kept his distance".
The characters' arrival proves a surprise for George and they are introduced with a secret. Clenshaw teased that Eddie and Gloria would be "thrust into the heart of the drama" upon their introduction. Fairbank expressed his joy at joining the show and working with the cast. Clenshaw was excited about the casting of the "legendary and immensely talented" Fairbank and Counsell. Producers used the characters of Eddie, Gloria and George to explore the topic of baby farming. To ensure the story was portrayed sensitively and accurately, the show worked with experts and those with lived experiences of farming. Through the story, Eddie's "racist ideologies" are also examined and result in clashes with his family. Clenshaw opined that the story follows EastEnders tradition of "telling challenging yet truthful stories". He added that the story would challenge George "to question the identity his parents gave him from childhood as he discovers the true means by which he was adopted".
The character is killed-off on 4 June 2026 after suffering terminal lung cancer. He dies after choking to death on his medication, and George, sick of Eddie's racist abuse, refuses to help him.
Gloria Knight
Gloria Knight, played by Elizabeth Counsell, first appears in episode 6831, originally broadcast on 1 January 2024. The character and Counsell's casting details were announced on 10 December 2023. Gloria is introduced with her husband, Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank), as the adoptive parents of established character George Knight (Colin Salmon). Counsell and Fairbank were contracted for a short stint. The characters' backstory states that Gloria and Eddie have not seen George for over a decade. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, explained that it would "[become] apparent why George has kept his distance". Counsell expressed her joy at joining the show and working with the cast and crew. She was looking forward to working with Salmon again, having previously worked together almost thirty years prior. Clenshaw was excited about the casting of the "legendary and immensely talented" Counsell and Fairbank.
The characters' arrival proves a surprise for George and they are introduced with a secret. Clenshaw teased that Gloria and Eddie would be "thrust into the heart of the drama" upon their introduction. Producers used the characters of Gloria, Eddie and George to explore the topic of baby farming. To ensure the story was portrayed sensitively and accurately, the show worked with experts and those with lived experiences of farming. Clenshaw opined that the story follows EastEnders tradition of "telling challenging yet truthful stories". He added that the story would challenge George "to question the identity his parents gave him from childhood as he discovers the true means by which he was adopted". The character was written out of the series in episode 6890, originally broadcast on 11 April 2024. Gloria was killed off after suffering a heart attack, having reunited with George.
Harold Martin
Harold Martin, played by David Sterne, first appears in episode 6839, originally broadcast on 15 January 2024. The character and Sterne's casting details were announced on 8 January 2024. Harold is introduced as the husband of established character Aunt Sal (Anna Karen), the aunt of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf). Aunt Sal appeared on the show sporadically across 21 years with Harold being referenced throughout her appearances but never appearing. Sterne was contracted for a short guest stint. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, expressed his joy at casting Sterne and described the character as "elusive".
Producers introduced Harold to the show as part of a set of episodes portraying Aunt Sal's funeral. The character of Aunt Sal was killed-off, off-screen, following the real life death of Karen in February 2022. Clenshaw opined that it was "imperative that we gave Aunt Sal the send-off she deserved". Sterne enjoyed playing the character of Harold and recognised that the character was "important in the context of the show". He added, "The writing was brilliant, so he was a joy to play."
Logan
Logan, played by Liam Hatch, appears in episode 6847, originally broadcast on 29 January 2024. The character was announced on 24 January 2024. Logan is introduced as a school bully who has a fight with Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega). Hatch used his own personal experiences of school to prepare for the role of Logan, but recognised that society had changed since he was at school. In light of this, the actor aimed to "modernise [himself] in a way" through his mannerisms and body language. Hatch's casting received criticism from viewers of the show as he is 10 years older than his character. The actor found the comments amusing and admitted that his friends had contacted him to check how he was feeling. Nadia Khomami, writing for The Guardian, opined that Logan had become "the most talked about bully of the week". Dan Seddon from Digital Spy described the character as someone "making Denzel Danes' life a misery on screen".
Logan first appears when he cuts the queue at McKlunky's fast food restaurant and insults Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd), who leaves, upset. Amy's boyfriend, Denzel Danes, sees Logan and confronts him in the market. Denzel receives support from the market traders, so Logan leaves. That night, Logan and his friends corner Denzel in a back alley and attack him, filming the attack. Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) finds the gang attacking Denzel and runs to intervene, but falls over; they begin filming her and laughing. Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) sees the attack and threatens them with a metal pipe, so they all run away.
Britney Wainwright
Britney Wainwright, played by Lola Campbell, first appears in episode 6867, originally broadcast on 4 March 2024. The character and Campbell's casting details were announced on 26 February 2024. Britney is introduced as a neglected child who bonds with established character Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). McGarty likened Britney to a younger version of Whitney, which she said Whitney recognises. Britney is introduced during two special episodes of the show. The episodes were set across five weeks in Milton Keynes and feature the return of Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). Filming took place from January 2024 with some on-location filming captured in paparazzi photography.
Writers devised the character of Britney as part of McGarty's exit from the series. Chris Clenshaw, the show's executive producer, was excited for Campbell to join the cast and teased that Whitney would be "thrust into the heart of the drama" with Britney's arrival. The character's backstory states that she and her brother, Taylor Wainwright (Mason Godfrey), are being neglected by their mother, Keeley Wainwright (Kirsty J Curtis), who is battling with addiction. Britney and Taylor live on the same estate as Bianca and are being supported by her. McGarty observed that Whitney feels "incredibly sorry" for Britney when they meet and resolves to "take her under her wing". Britney has not been attending school at all since the COVID-19 pandemic, which annoys Whitney. Keeley is later arrested, leaving Britney alone. Whitney then decides that she and her partner Zack Hudson (James Farrar) will foster her. McGarty told Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap that Whitney begins to make Britney "her main priority" instead of Zack and her unborn baby, which she opined was "quite sad".
Keeley Wainwright
Keeley Wainwright, played by Kirsty J Curtis, first appears in episode 6867, originally broadcast on 4 March 2024. The character and Curtis' casting details were announced on 26 February 2024. Keeley is introduced as the mother of Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell) and Taylor Wainwright (Mason Godfrey). She is characterised as a neglectful mother who is battling addiction. The character initially appears in two special episodes of the show, which were set across five weeks in Milton Keynes and include the return of Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). Filming took place from January 2024 with some on-location filming captured in paparazzi photography.
Keeley is neglectful towards her children and leaves them locked outside in the rain. Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) confronts her about this and offers to help, but she rejects her support. Keeley later finds Britney and Whitney talking and takes Britney away; Britney explains that she is running an errand for her mother. When Whitney finds drugs on Britney, she confronts Keeley and is followed by her partner, Zack Hudson (James Farrar), and mother, Bianca Jackson. Keeley insults Bianca and taunts her about her recent breakup with Terry Spraggan (Terry Alderton), claiming that she had sex with Terry. In retaliation, Bianca throws a brick through Keeley's window as Britney arrives. Keeley blames Britney and drags her by her hair until Whitney stops it. The following day, Keeley is arrested for drug possession. After she is released, Whitney visits her and barges into her house. She berates Keeley for the state of the house and her upbringing of Britney, so Keeley tells Whitney to take her.