EastEnders is a BBC soap opera that first aired on 19 February 1985.[1] The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 2017, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's executive producer Sean O'Connor or, from 27 November, his successor as executive consultant, John Yorke.[2][3] The first character to be introduced was Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), a friend of Shakil Kazemi (Shaheen Jafargholi), followed by Emerald Fox (Doña Croll), the mother of Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kim Fox-Hubbard (Tameka Empson). Madison Drake (Seraphina Beh), Alexandra D'Costa (Sydney Craven) and Travis Law-Hughes (Alex James-Phelps), three new teenage characters, were also introduced in January as well as their school teacher Mr Gethin Pryce (Cerith Flinn) and Hugo Browning (Simon Williams), the chairman of Weyland & Co. The following month, Preston Cooper (Martin Anzor), a student with whom Michelle Fowler (Jenna Russell) had an illegal relationship in the United States, and Konrad Topolski (Piotr Baumann), a love interest for Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), made their first appearances.
Josh Hemmings (Eddie Eyre), the son of James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde) and love interest for Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), and Tommy, a friend of Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick), both debuted in March. April sees the first appearance of Woody Woodward (Lee Ryan), a friend of the Carters'. Ted Murray (Christopher Timothy) and Joyce Murray (Maggie Steed), an elderly couple, made their first appearances in May. The following month, Tom Bailey (Daniel Casey), a love interest for Michelle, the Taylor family − comprising Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley), Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris), Riley Taylor (Tom Jacobs) and Chatham Taylor (Alfie Jacobs) − and Ingrid Solberg (Pernille Broch), a nanny hired by Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), were introduced. Felix Moore (George Maguire), a market trader, debuted in July. Hope Fowler, the daughter of Martin Fowler (James Bye) and Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner), was born in October. Aidan Maguire (Patrick Bergin) arrived in November, while Kandice Taylor (Hannah Spearritt), Karen's sister, and Abi Branning, the daughter of Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) and Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell), made their first appearance in December.
- ^ Hughes, Johnathon (28 September 2021). "How long has 'EastEnders' been running?". What to Watch. Future plc. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "EastEnders executive producer leaves programme after one year". BBC News. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
- ^ Kilkelly, Damiel (27 November 2017). "EastEnders enters a new era as John Yorke's storylines begin tonight". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 November 2017.