EastEnders is a BBC soap opera that first aired on 19 February 1985. This is a list of characters who have debuted or are set to debut in 2026. All characters are introduced by the serial's executive producer, Ben Wadey.
The first character to appear in 2026 is Bea Pollard, portrayed by Ronni Ancona, who made her debut in January. Dawn Steele joined the soap in March, portraying Sandra Goodwin, the adoptive mother of Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan). In April, Ivy Knight-Mitchell was introduced; she is the daughter of Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) and George Knight (Colin Salmon). Bruce (Tyler Kinhorn), the probation officer for Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank), debuted in May, followed by gangster Russell Delaney (Anthony Skordi). Sheila Atkins (Sheila Ruskin), the grandmother of serial killer Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith), first appeared in June, as well as Ria Virdi (Aaria Sharma), the foster daughter of Suki (Balvinder Sopal) and Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace). In July, the arrivals of DC Craig Ingram (Matthew James-Bailey) and Clive Masters (Jason Durr) took place. August introduced Nicola Mitchell's extended family, the Hawkins. This introduction began with her sisters, Gemma (Patricia Potter) and Jodie (Anna Constable), along with their mother Rose (Marian McLoughlin). They were later joined by Gemma's husband, Ned (Jamie Bamber), and their son, Ryder Hawkins (Felix Uff). Additionally, Darnell Larson Jr (Christopher Colquhoun), the long-lost half-brother of Denise Fox (Diane Parish), and his daughter, Grace Larson (Krysstina Frempong), were also introduced. In addition to the aforementioned arrivals, several other characters appear throughout the year.
Bea Pollard
Bea Pollard, played by Ronni Ancona, made her first appearance on 7 January 2026. Of her casting, Ancona said, "I am honoured to have been invited to join the iconic institution that is EastEnders, and to go on this whirlwind of a journey with such an unpredictable, nuanced and complex character as Bea. I hope audiences have as much fun watching her as I have had bringing her to life". Bea is introduced as an old school acquaintance of established character Linda Carter (Kellie Bright); the pair meet at a school reunion and it is revealed that the pair have very different recollections of their experiences at school. It was also teased that Bea would settle into Walford and would end up being at "the heart of the drama" and leaving a "lasting impression" on the characters she encounters.
Throughout her tenure, Bea has been shown to be a mentally unhinged, desperate and vulnerable person who reshapes herself into different versions of herself to please others. One of her major storyline arcs has included becoming obsessed with Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) and attempting to steal her identity by moving in with her, getting the same job as her, taking out a credit card in her name and committing credit card fraud and dressing identically. She also endures a short-lived relationship with Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) until he discovers her crimes. Bea has been noted as a polarising character and has sparked discussion between viewers and critics about her intentions. The Metro has noted that some viewers love her, while some hate her, and she has dubbed "bizarre Bea", "Walford's weirdest" and "bonkers Bea". The character was the subject of viral posts in March 2025 when an anonymous person phoned into the Channel 5 chat show Vanessa impersonating Bea.
Sandra Goodwin
Sandra Goodwin, played by Dawn Steele, first appeared in Episode 7296, broadcast on 17 March 2026. She is the adoptive mother of Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan). Steele's casting was announced on 4 March 2026. Sandra arrives in Walford seeking answers about Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness), Josh's biological twin sister and her former foster daughter, after she sees on the news that Jasmine has killed her and Josh's biological father, Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey). When Sandra arrives in Walford, Josh follows her, unbeknownst his birth family are in the area.
Steele was contracted on a guest contract. Speaking on her casting, she said: "I was thrilled to be asked to play the role of Sandra who arrives and throws a spanner or two into the Square!". She was impressed by Sandra's characterisation and the storyline, hoping viewers would be "thrilled with another piece of the puzzle ahead of [Jasmine's] trial". Steele previously portrayed Ange Godard on fellow BBC series Holby City, which was filmed at BBC Elstree Centre; the same place where EastEnders is filmed. Of this, Steele said: "It was so great to go back to Elstree after the end of Holby City. Lots of the same crew (and a few cast!) are still there so it was joyful to see them all again. Everyone was so welcoming and I really enjoyed learning new ways of filming, it really is a well-oiled machine, and everyone works so hard."
Ivy Knight-Mitchell
Ivy Knight-Mitchell is the daughter of Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) and George Knight (Colin Salmon), introduced during Episode 7306, broadcast on 2 April 2026. Ivy's birth was written into the soap as a "harrowing storyline" since she is born prematurely. EastEnders sought advice from British infancy charity Bliss to present the storyline accurately and sensitively. The story sees Nicola and George "navigate an emotionally challenging and unexpected turn in their co-parenting journey". Due to complications with her birth, Ivy is delivered through Nicola undergoing an emergency caesarean.
Executive producer Wadey felt it important to show the challenges and concerns of neonatal care with a premature baby, as well as the impact it has on Ivy's family. Annelies Hopkins, information and support manager at Bliss, hoped the storyline would show what it means to have a baby prematurely. She explained: "As the UK's leading charity representing babies born premature or sick [...] we were grateful to be consulted on this important EastEnders storyline, which shines a light on the unexpected, distressing and often traumatic experience of having a baby in neonatal care."
Bruce Bruce, portrayed by Tyler Kinghorn, is the probation officer of Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank), who appeared in two episodes airing 7 and 11 May 2026. He appeared as Nicola Mitchell (Doddington) allowed him to stay with her and his adopted son George (Salmon), whose biological father Eddie murdered. Bruce visited Nicola ahead of Eddie moving in. On 15 May 2026, Kinghorn announced his departure from the soap on his Instagram. He posted a series of screenshots of his time on Albert Square with the caption: "Had a wonderful time and experience playing Bruce on my TV Debut, on BBC ONE and looking forward to what the future holds."
Russell Delaney
Russell Delaney, portrayed by Anthony Skordi, is the crime boss of Mark Fowler Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) mentioned indirectly multiple times the prior year with connections to established characters Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara). Skordi's casting was announced on 12 May 2026 and was described as a "ruthless crime boss" by Michael Adams from Radio Times. He also described Russell to be "plaguing Mark off-screen for months". Delaney first appeared on 13 May 2026 after having his cronies bundle Mark into a car. Regarding Delaney's casting, Adams revealed: "Soap fans will meet Russell later this week, and he'll reappear again prior to Nigel Bates's (Paul Bradley) funeral, as news reaches Albert Square that Mark has seemingly vanished into thin air."
Russell first appears after being contacted by Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), who Russell knew in the 1990s alongside his siblings Phil (Steve McFadden) and Sam (Kim Medcalf), due to his son Mark (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) previously working Russell and now owes him £100k. Grant attempts to get Mark more time but his attitude angers Russell, who punches Grant for previously sleeping with his wife Joanne. Grant punches Russell to the floor and makes it clear Mark won't anything just as Phil interrupts, leading Russell to double Mark's debt and threatening to kill Mark if he doesn't pay on time. The next day, Russell breaks into the house of Mark's sister Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) and threatens her, informing Vicki about Mark's troubles and warning her he has a week to pay him.
Sheila Atkins
Sheila Atkins, portrayed by Sheila Ruskin, is the grandmother of Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) who first appeared in episode 7350, broadcast on 18 June 2026. Ruskin's casting was announced on 9 June and her character would appear as part of Gray's return storyline. Sheila meets up with Gray's ex-wife, Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) and her half-sister Libby (Belinda Owusu) after the former admits that Sheila has sent Chelsea many cheques that she has never cashed for their son, Jordan Fox (Jahsaiah Williams), who has recently undergone life-saving surgery on his spine after a road accident. Adams from Radio Times reported: "After some support from Libby, Chelsea bravely meets with Sheila and is relieved to hear that she's no longer in touch with Gray." He continued: "Sheila offers to help Jordan financially, and although Chelsea initially accepts the cash, she's left guilt-ridden and returns it."
Ria Virdi
Ria Virdi, portrayed by Aaria Sharma, is introduced as the foster daughter of Suki (Balvinder Sopal) and Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace) who first appeared in episode 7354, broadcast on 25 June 2026. She first appears when Suki and Eve's adopting agent Robin Dawson (Alistair Cope) brings her to meet them. Sharma's casting was announced via an Instagram post on 18 June 2026 by her talent agency TTA Kids with the caption: "Welcome to Albert Square Aaria!"
An EastEnders insider told Digital Spy: "It looks like Suki and Eve's dream is finally coming true, as young girl Ria is placed in their care! After a dramatic week, packed with twists and turns, the couple get the chance to be mums together at last." They continued: "Things don't go entirely smoothly to begin with, but Suki and Eve are putting on a united front and are totally focused on building their new family."
Cleo Marshall
Cleo Marshall, portrayed by Mazz Murray, is the ex-wife of Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) and the mother of Joel Marshall (Max Murray). She arrived in Albert Square on 16 July 2026 after Joel was released from a young offenders institute, where he has served a six-month sentence for violently attacking his stepmother, Vicki Fowler (Haig). Mazz's casting was announced two days prior, and she is the real-life aunt of Max Murray, who portrays Joel Marshall. As Cleo arrives and Joel is released, Ross and Vicki return from honeymoon with the shock of the news that Joel can't live with her despite previous arrangements. This puts a strain on Ross and Vicki's relationship. Adams from Radio Times revealed that this would be a guest role and Mazz would only appear in two episodes.
Speaking about her casting, Mazz said: "It was so wonderful to be part of these EastEnders episodes as we delve into Joel's familial past, and my experience was made all the better working alongside my talented, gorgeous nephew Max. And also, my childhood school friend Alex Walkinshaw playing [Ross] my ex-husband!"
Craig Ingram
Craig Ingram, portrayed by Matthew James-Bailey, is a former detective constable who first appeared on 20 July 2026. He first appears when assigned to help Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) out when his superiors suspect that he is struggling to balance his workload with supporting his partner, Denise Fox (Diane Parish), through her cancer battle. James-Bailey's casting was announced on 11 July 2026 and it was confirmed that his character would be part of a major police storyline. James-Bailey is known for his previous soap role as series regular Ethan Williams in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks between 2021 and 2024.