A list of all EastEnders characters in order of first appearance. If a character has been portrayed by more than one actor, the current actor is listed.
Current characters
Note: Characters highlighted in bold are currently on a break.
Main
Recurring
| Character | Actor | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Tracey | Jane Slaughter | 1985-1986, 1988, 1990- |
| Winston | Ulric Browne | 1985- |
| Sarah | Sarah McGrath | 2000- |
| Jo | unknown actress | 2000- |
| Marie Evans | Liz Sweet | 2000- |
| Tom | James Harris | 2005- |
| Luke | Luke Duckett | 2008- |
| Clive | unknown actor | 2008- |
| Emin | Unknown actor | 2012, 2016-2017, 2021- |
| Shrimpy | Ben Champniss | 2014- |
| Naomi | Natasha Morgan | 2015- |
| Ze | Zulfi Malik | 2016- |
| Debbie | Tracey Chatterley | 2018- |
| Michael | unknown actor | 2022- |
| Rachelle | unknown actress | 2022- |
| Beryl | Unknown actress | 2024- |
| Poppy | unknown actress | 2025- |
Current families
Note: Only families who have more than one character currently appearing in the show are included. Duration includes all years in which at least one character from the family was present on the show.
| Family | Members | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Beale | Kathy, Ian, Cindy, Peter, Lauren, Louie, Jimmy | 1985- |
| Fowler | Vicki, Ross, Joel, Lily, Charli | 1985-2007, 2014- |
| Watts | Sharon, Vicki, Ross, Joel, Zack, Barney, Albie | 1985-1995, 2001-2006, 2012- |
| Williams | Cindy, Peter, Lauren, Louie, Jimmy, Gina, Anna | 1988-2010, 2013-2018, 2020-2022, 2023- |
| Mitchell | Phil, Billy, Honey, Janet, Will, Amy, Ricky, Lexi, Raymond, Callum, Albie, Charli, Teddy, Harry, Barney, Nicola | 1990- |
| Bates | Nigel, Julie | 1992-1998, 2008, 2024- |
| Branning | Lauren, Peter, Jack, Max, Penny, Oscar, Amy, Ricky, Louie, Annie, Charli, Jimmy | 1993- |
| Slater | Mo, Kat, Alfie, Zoe, Freddie, Jean, Lily, Tommy, Bert, Ernie, Charli | 2000- |
| Fox-Trueman | Anthony, Patrick, Yolande, Chelsea, Denise, Kim, Pearl, Raymond, Mica, Jordan, Howie, Denzel | 2000- |
| Moon | Alfie, Kat, Tommy, Bert, Ernie | 2002-2006, 2010-2016, 2018- |
| Carter | Linda, Johnny, Elaine, Ollie, Annie | 2006- |
| Panesar | Vinny, Suki, Eve, Ravi, Davinder, Priya, Avani | 2019- |
| Knight | Elaine, George, Anna, Gina, Junior, Kojo | 2023- |
Past characters
Main article: List of past EastEnders characters
Cast changes
Future characters
| Character | Actor | Arrival date |
|---|
Departing characters
| Character | Actor | Exit date | Current Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Knight | Micah Balfour | W/C 10 November 2025 | Regular |
| Freddie Slater | Bobby Brazier | 2025 | |
| Anna Knight | Molly Rainford | ||
| Joel Marshall | Max Murray |
Returning characters
| Character | Actor | Return date | Last seen | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Mitchell | Kim Medcalf | 2025 | 18 January 2024 |