User:AnemoneProjectors/List of EastEnders cast members

The following existing pages should redirect to this article, if it is created: EastEnders Cast, List of EastEnders Cast Members, List of EastEnders Cast.

EastEnders is a long-running British soap opera, first broadcast on BBC One on 19 February 1985. Since then, there have been many characters who have been portrayed by a large number of actors. Some characters have been played by more than one actor, usually in the case of child characters but occasionally for adults too. Todd Carty was brought in to play Mark Fowler after the previous actor, David Scarboro, committed suicide in 1988.[1] Danniella Westbrook originally played Sam Mitchell between 1990 and 2000, but was eventually axed due to a controversy over her private life,[2] and was recast in 2002 with the role going to Kim Medcalf.[3] However, Westbrook reprised the role in 2009 and 2016.[4][5] Some actors have also portrayed more than one character, such as Linda Henry and Diane Parish. Ellen Thomas has played four different characters:[6] Pearl Chadwick in 1990, Estella Hulton in 2002, Grace Olubunmi from 2010 to 2011, and Claudette Hubbard from 2015 to 2016. The longest-serving cast member is Adam Woodyatt, who has played Ian Beale since the show's first episode without ever leaving the cast. Bill Treacher was the first actor to be cast in the show, having been considered by its creators, Julia Smith and Tony Holland, for the role of Arthur Fowler from its conception.

Occasionally, a celebrity not known for his or her acting will appear in EastEnders. Robbie Williams made a cameo appearance in a scene set in The Queen Victoria public house where he was seen in the background talking on the telephone,[7] and Mayor of London Boris Johnson appeared as himself in October 2009.[8] The previous Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, accused the BBC of political bias for allowing Johnson to appear in the programme.[9] Before the Spice Girls, Emma Bunton was cast as a troubled youth in the soap.[10] Big Brother 7's Nikki Grahame once had a background role in the show.[11] Blue Peter presenter Peter Purves also appeared in 1987 as Martin Hunter, a patronising television reporter.[10] David Walliams played a friend of Alfie Moon in 2003.

  1. ^ "Carty's 30 years on TV". BBC News Online. 4 July 2002. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  2. ^ "EastEnder Danniella axed again". BBC News Online. 18 January 2000. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  3. ^ "Ender musicals for soap's Kim". The Sun. 10 October 2001. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  4. ^ Green, Kris (1 May 2009). "EXCLUSIVE: Walford exec teases about Sam's return". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Danniella Westbrook 2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Bowie-Sell, Daisy (24 October 2016). "Ellen Thomas: 'You have to go to America for leading roles these days' -". What's on Stage. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Which stars have made cameo appearances?". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 18 December 2005. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  8. ^ "Boris makes EastEnders appearance". BBC News Online. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  9. ^ "Boris's EastEnders cameo 'biased'" (Video). BBC News Online. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cameo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Nikki's stint in Walford". EastEnders. BBC Online. Retrieved 15 July 2006.