The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2006, by order of first appearance. 2006 was a year when many families joined EastEnders. First, Deano Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), his sister Carly Wicks (Kellie Shirley) and father Kevin Wicks (Phil Daniels) joined. Then, the Fox family appeared, with the characters of Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Chelsea Fox (Tiana Benjamin/Zaraah Abrahams) and Libby Fox (Belinda Owusu) as members. The Branning family was extended with Max Branning (Jake Wood), Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner), Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) and Lauren Branning (Madeline Duggan/Jacqueline Jossa) all joining. Also, May Wright (Amanda Drew), Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) and Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), the biological mother of Deano and Carly, all joined the show. Also, Owen Turner (Lee Ross), Denise's abusive ex-husband, and his mother Liz (Kate Williams) both arrived in this year.