List of EastEnders characters introduced in 2016

Sophie Dodd, played by Poppy Rush, appears in seven episodes between 4 and 19 January 2016 and four episodes between 27 April and 2 May 2016. Sophie is the best friend of Kyle Slater (Riley Carter Millington), and along with Ricksy Hicks (Joel Phillimore) and another friend, they arrive in Walford when Kyle decides to meet his half-sister Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner). While Kyle is meeting her, Sophie and Ricksy discuss their friendship with Kyle, and it is revealed that she has stood by him while during an event in his life (later revealed to be his transition from female to male). After Kyle meets Stacey, he tells Sophie that she is a bit weird, and Sophie says she is proud of him and asks if he has told her his secret; he says he does not want her to know. They go to The Queen Victoria pub, and Sophie and Ricksy wait there while Kyle visits Stacey again, and when they order food, it is too salty because it has been sabotaged by Babe Smith (Annette Badland). They leave later when Kyle says things with Stacey were complicated. Eventually, Kyle moves in with Stacey and gets a job at Ian Beale's (Adam Woodyatt) restaurant. Sophie comes to Walford to support Kyle when the restaurant hosts the Pride of Walford Awards. She meets Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) and they both end up waitressing at the restaurant. Through Kyle and Sophie's conversation, it is revealed that they used to date when Kyle was Sarah. Sophie encourages Tina to get drunk at the event, and when Tina humiliates her girlfriend Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), she confides in Sophie, who kisses Tina. She apologises but then Tina kisses her back. Sophie then texts Tina but Tina ignores her, so Sophie goes to Tina's home and tells Sonia what has happened. Rush's performance was praised by her mother, Coronation Street actress Debbie Rush, on Twitter. While Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap observed, "Kyle's mate Soph is a fast mover isn't she? Not many Walford newbies manage to bag themselves a job and a one-night stand in the space of a single episode. Respect!" ==Delia Forde==

Dr Delia Forde, played by Carolyn Pickles, appears in four episodes between 22 January and 22 February 2016. On the day that Stacey is due for a medical review, she tells Dr Forde about a nightmare she had, but Dr Forde says this is probably just down to anxiety. At the review, Dr Forde gives Stacey the option of continuing her treatment at home and staying in hospital voluntarily. Stacey decides to stay. Martin tries to break Stacey out of the hospital, so Dr Forde tries to stop this, and after he tells her that Stacey tried to harm herself, she insists he goes home. She then talks to Stacey about what happened, and convinces her that she is a good person despite the bad things that have happened in her life. Stacey is then transferred to another hospital. In the character's final episode, she states that "there isn't the money to look after these women properly", referring to budget cuts to mental health services in the UK. Viewers praised this on Twitter, claiming that EastEnders had helped raise awareness of this issue. ==Tim Reynolds==

Timothy "Tim" Reynolds, played by comedian Charlie Baker, appears in five episodes between 2 February and 4 May 2016. He shows her some photos and a locket belonging to Danielle, upsetting Ronnie. He apologises, and when she says he needs to grieve his brother, he says she is the only person who understands and tries to kiss her, but she pulls away. Following his first appearance, Baker confirmed on his Twitter account that Tim would make further appearances over the next few months. Digital Spy said, "there is something a little unnerving about [Tim]", called him "Tim Nice-But-Dim", said his interest in Ronnie is "weird", adding that Ronnie should not trust him. ==Thelma Bragg==

Thelma Bragg, played by Lorraine Stanley, appears in eight episodes between 8 February and 27 April 2016. Linzi's friend Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield) tells Thelma that Linzi is in a relationship with an older man, so Thelma goes to The Queen Victoria, demanding to know who it is, as Linzi is 14. Bex says it is Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick). Thelma attends court when Jay pleads guilty and is sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work and must sign the Sex Offender Register for five years. Afterwards, Thelma collects Linzi and tells Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) and Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) what happened in court. Ofcom received complaints after the scene where Thelma refers to Jay as a "ginger nonce". A viewer objected to Thelma's choice of words stating that it was a "discriminatory reference to hair colour." The actress Lorraine Stanley went on to play Karen Taylor a year later, in a regular role. ==Linzi Bragg== Star "Linzi" Bragg, played by Amy-Leigh Hickman, appears in 16 episodes between 8 February to 21 March 2017. The character is credited as Linzi in 2016 and Star in 2017. Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) bumps into Linzi outside The Queen Victoria pub, and then follows her into the café. She tells him she is waiting to take someone home, and he buys her a milkshake. A few days later, Jay and Linzi meet for a date, but Jay is unable to get them a table at a restaurant, so he decorates the garage where he works and they have a date there. They share a kiss but when she leaves abruptly, he assumes she does not want a second date. However, she later visits him at home where they are found kissing by Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid) and his girlfriend Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald). Linzi suggests they all go on holiday to Ibiza in the summer. Jay tells Linzi that Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) tried to kiss him so Linzi warns Louise to stay away from Jay. Star leaves in tears and later runs away from Thelma. Jay is arrested when Thelma calls the police. Of her casting, Hickman said, "Never in a million years did I think something like this would happen to me, it has literally changed my life. The hardest thing was keeping the secret. When I found out that I had the part I just wanted to shout it out and tell everyone, but it was made even harder because I was in Swansea performing in Jermin Productions' pantomime and I couldn't even tell my cast mates. It was extremely hard trying to explain to my friends why I was back and fore to London every week. I had to tell them I was auditioning for a different project. But I knew they would understand when they found out the real reason. Everyone was really happy for me, it's such a huge opportunity. I am loving every second of it, it's such an eye opener and learning curve." On 2 February 2016, it was revealed that Linzi would be a love interest for Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick), with a show source saying, "As soon as they see each other, there's clearly a spark between them. They get on really well." It was speculated that Linzi would be linked to a storyline that had been previously announced for Jay, that was billed as one of the biggest storylines of 2016. The Metro said in April 2016 that "Jay and Linzi have cemented themselves as Walford's latest answer to Posh and Becks" but noticed that viewers had been speculating "that Linzi isn't as sweet and innocent as she seems." ==JJ Johnson==

Jamie "JJ" Johnson, played by Zayden Kareem, appears in 14 episodes between 11 February and 4 April 2016. Amelle visits Denise and JJ, but he refuses to come out from under the table. Denise learns JJ is called Jamie and she talks to him, he says Jordan told him that Amelle left because she found him "hard work" and he is only hiding because he is scared of putting Amelle off him. Denise persuades him to see his mother, and when Hilary talks about increased contact, Denise decides JJ should live with Amelle. Wade said of Jordan's relationship with JJ: "Jordan hasn't been able to be the kind of dad he wants to be, but at the same time he doesn't want to give JJ the same relationship Jordan has had with [his own father] Lucas. The heart is there and he's trying to do the very best he can with what he's got." ==Linford Short==

Linford Short, played by Leon Lopez, is a foster son of Claudette Hubbard (Ellen Thomas). The character is first mentioned in the show in the episode broadcast on 11 December 2015, and Lopez's casting in the role was announced on 14 January 2016, when it was said that he would appear in "a handful of scenes" that Lopez had already started filming. He appears in seven episodes in total, with 5 May 2016 being his last. On joining EastEnders, Lopez said, "I'm so excited to be working on EastEnders and still can't believe it! It really is a dream come true." Linford arrives in Walford, telling Claudette he is there for the first birthday party of his foster brother Vincent Hubbard's (Richard Blackwood) daughter Pearl Fox-Hubbard (Arayah), but then reveals that he and Vincent have entered Claudette into the Pride of Walford Awards for her fostering, and she is a finalist. Whilst Linford and Andy talk in the café, Linford reveals that he is attracted to Jack's partner, Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack), and Andy teases him about it with Jack nearly overhearing. This is Linford's last appearance. Four months later, Claudette goes to stay with Linford to cope with her problems in Walford. ==Andy Flynn==

Andy Flynn (real name Gareth Jones), played by Jack Derges, Jack tells Andy that Martin and his fiancée Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) are having money problems, so Andy helps Martin find work away from Walford. The next day, Andy invites himself into Stacey's home; her half-brother Kyle Slater (Riley Carter Millington) wonders about his intentions, though Stacey seems not to mind. Andy manages to get the keys to Ronnie's house where he looks on Ronnie's laptop; when she quizzes him about it he explains he is looking at care homes for his father. Martin, Stacey, Kyle and Belinda return them to the flats, breaking in as they do so. Jack then installs CCTV, meaning Andy can no longer squat there. Stacey allows him to stay in their flat for a few days. Andy finds Kyle looking at his file of newspaper articles, including a photo of Andy and Ronnie's dead daughter, Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace), together. Andy flirts with Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) when he first meets her, and he asked her on a date but she punches him when he goes to kiss her; she admits to feeling imprisoned by her former boyfriend Dean Wicks's (Matt Di Angelo) attempted rape, so he tells her she is free of him as he is in prison, and they kiss. Ronnie encourages Roxy to date Andy and she agrees. As she texts Andy, he is with his father, Andy Jones (Aneirin Hughes), also Danielle's adoptive father, and tells him he is getting closer to Ronnie. Due to overcrowding at Stacey's flat, Andy decides to squat in Jack's new flats but Jack and Ronnie catch him using the shower. only to be interrupted by Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) saying that Roxy's daughter Amy Mitchell (Abbie Knowles) is missing. Andy finds her, and apologises to Ronnie, saying he just wanted time to explain, and she allows him to stay. After finding a train ticket intending for Telford, which is where Danielle was from, Ronnie realises who Andy is. She confronts him about his true identity and being her stalker, and he angrily accuses her of causing Danielle's death. She explains that she was unaware of Danielle's true identity until shortly before her death; they talk about her fondly. Jack, who has been told Andy's true identity, finds them both and punches Andy. Roxy confronts Andy as she believes he had used her to get to Ronnie. Although he explains that he was genuinely interested in Roxy, she coldly tells him to leave, only for Ronnie to go after him as she believes he is still struggling to grieve for Danielle's death. Development and reception The Metro called him "the 'fit' builder pal of Linford", saying that they initially thought he was "background filler" but since he had been given more lines and befriended Ronnie, they speculated that he could be Ronnie's stalker. Andy is revealed to be the stalker in the 6 May 2016 episode. Reasons were then speculated as to why Andy would stalk Ronnie, including that he is the secret son of Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace), has connections to Carl White (Daniel Coonan), Charlie Cotton (Declan Bennett) or Fatboy (Ricky Norwood), or that he is connected to Ronnie's daughter Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace). Andy confirms himself to be Danielle's brother in the 23 May 2016 episode, and he is shown to be the son of Danielle's adoptive father Andy Jones (Aneirin Hughes) in the 6 June 2016 episode. Following this, it was speculated if Andy was in fact the same person as Gareth Jones, the previously known brother of Danielle, and it was said that Andy would "get more sinister" and there would be twists to the storyline. Sophie Dainty from Digital Spy called Andy "Enigmatic, intriguing and really quite creepy" and said viewers were "gripped with his mysterious intentions". She opined that she was enjoying his storyline but did not want Ronnie to come to harm or Roxy to be heartbroken, so hoped "Andy's game is rumbled sooner rather than later". Andy's final appearance in EastEnders is on 8 August 2016 at the conclusion of the storyline he was created for. ==Alison Slater==

Alison Slater, played by Denise Welch, is the mother of transgender character Kyle Slater (Riley Carter Millington). She appeared in episode 5276, first broadcast on 3 May 2016. Speaking of Alison's reunion with her estranged son, Welch said, "I think he's hopeful Alison will return and open her arms to Kyle but it's just not as simple as that. I don't think Alison really knows what to expect. She knows what's happened and the choices Kyle has made, but when Alison last saw him, he was Sarah. I think she's very nervous about seeing him. This is a big deal for both of them." Although only appearing in one episode, Welsh said she would "never say never" to appearing again, and as long as Kyle is in the series, there will be an opportunity for Alison to be. Welch dyed her hair for the role, which was her own choice instead of a wig, because "it's a little bit of a different thing". ==Shakil Kazemi==

Shakil Kazemi, played by Shaheen Jafargholi, is the son of Carmel Kazemi (Bonnie Langford) and youngest brother of Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami). A regular character, he made his first appearance in the episode broadcast on 4 May 2016. It was announced in April 2018 that Jafargholi would be departing the soap, with his character killed off in a teen gang culture stabbing storyline, which began on 21 May 2018. Shakil's final scenes aired on 25 May 2018. portrayed Shakil Kazemi from 2016 to 2018. Shakil arrives in Walford to tell Carmel that her former husband, Umar Kazemi (Selva Rasalingam), wants to meet her. However, he does not arrive and Kush realises that Shakil is lying, so he admits to Carmel that he made it up to try to reunite his parents. Carmel shouts at him to leave, but Shakil reveals he is no longer welcome at home so Carmel allows him to stay, saying he should enrol in Walford High School. He is against this until he sees his potential schoolmates, Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) and Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield). Shakil thinks Bex is no longer interested so she cancels lunch with Martin to see him; when Martin finds them together, Bex is happy when Shakil calls her his girlfriend. Shakil is eventually invited to have lunch with Bex, Martin, and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), but tension rises between him and Martin during a game of charades where Shakil insults Martin and makes a sexual comment about his wife Stacey. While Sonia remains frustrated at Martin's hostile behaviour, she also disciplines Shakil for his rudeness, and the two eventually make up. Shakil later tells Bex that he wants to lose his virginity with her before his 16th birthday, which worries Bex and she admits she is not ready to have sex. Shakil helps Bex and Louise out of the bus and Louise tells Bex that Shakil has saved her life. Shakil and Bex make amends but decide to stay as friends. When Madison Drake (Seraphina Beh) and Alexandra D'Costa (Sydney Craven) bully Bex during the showcase, Shakil exposes it through the soundboard. Shakil's feelings for Bex resurface but he finds out that she has feelings for their school teacher Gethin Pryce (Cerith Flinn). As a result, Gethin resigns from his job and Louise tells Shakil everything. Bex ignores them out of embarrassment and humiliation. Shakil is further disappointed when Louise tells him that he is immature but this leads them to kiss. Bex catches them and Louise reassures her that she and Shakil have no feelings for each other. Shakil disapproves of Carmel's relationship with Max Branning (Jake Wood), so chooses to stay with his father temporarily. Shakil is told by a teacher that he has been invited to a music summer school because of his talent for creating electronic music, and though he initially refuses to attend, he later agrees to apply. He and Bex grow closer again and attempt to re start their relationship again. However, Shakil discovers Keegan has stolen a gang member's bicycle and insists he return it, showing Keegan images of him on social media with the bicycle, and telling him that the gang are looking for him. When Keegan is in the toilets, Shakil tries to secretly return the bicycle. Keegan realises he has gone and sees the gang, one of whom stabs him in the neck in an alleyway, Shakil emerges, and has been stabbed in the back. Shakil tries to find help whilst wounded, but eventually collapses into a bush in the Albert Square gardens whilst Keegan is rushed to hospital by Mick Carter (Danny Dyer). Shakil is later found and also taken to hospital in critical condition. Despite efforts to rescue him, he is later pronounced dead after hospital staff are unable to resuscitate him, devastating Kush and Carmel. It was reported that Shakil arrives in Walford to try and reunite his divorced parents, but soon finds a romance of his own. Of his casting, Jafargholi said, "I'm so excited to be joining the show. I've been a fan since I was a little kid so to now be a part of something so iconic is an honour. I'm also really excited to be working with a legend such as Bonnie Langford. I'm having so much fun playing her son and can't wait for people to finally meet Shaki." In March 2018, it was announced that Keegan and Shakil would be involved in a "hard hitting" knife crime storyline that "will place the Kazemis and Taylors at the heart of the show" following Keegan and Shakil being attacked in "tragic scenes" that sees their lives turned "upside down." The storyline will explore the "wide-reaching ramifications of knife crime for those for all those involved." Real-life families of knife crime victims played mourners at Shakil's funeral in the episode aired on 6 July 2018. ==Neville Peacock==

Neville Peacock is played by Gary Webster and appears in three episodes from 9 to 12 May 2016 and another on 14 June 2016. Neville is first seen when he arrives home with his wife Belinda Peacock (Carli Norris) one night. Belinda sees Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) in their garden with his son Johnny Carter (Ted Reilly). They are returning Neville and Belinda's koi carp that Mick's father Buster Briggs (Karl Howman) had stolen. The BBC said of the character, "Neville has always seen himself and his wife as a cut above the rest of the Slater clan believing them to be a picture of respectability. But what really goes on behind closed doors in this couple's prim and suburban relationship? Belinda is a Slater after all, so it can't all be white picket fences..." said of his role: "Filming these scenes was a lot of fun and it was great to work with Carli, and some other Walford residents who I can't reveal just yet! But I will say viewers won't want to miss it." ==Jenny Rawlinson==

Jenny Rawlinson, played by Amy Marston, appears in two episodes on 11 and 12 July 2016. and it was reported that she would cause tension for Paul's paternal grandparents, Pam Coker (Lin Blakley) and Les Coker (Roger Sloman) and that Paul may not know who she is. Jenny arrives in Walford and watches Pam, Paul and Les arrive after Les is discharged from hospital following a heart attack. Later, she watches Paul in The Queen Victoria pub, and later still, she visits Pam at her home, saying she is there about her son, Paul. Pam immediately ejects her from the house and tells her never to come back, slamming the door on her. The next day, she visits Paul who is working at Pam's flower stall and immediately cries, but says it is because her friend has just come out of hospital. Paul says his grandfather has as well, so Jenny asks about his family and she is shocked to discover Paul's father, Laurie, is dead and that Pam has told him his mother never wanted him. She purchases flowers from Paul and takes them to Pam for Les. Pam says she is not welcome, but Jenny says she has changed her life and no longer wants people to control her life, including Pam. She begs Pam to let her see Paul and gives Pam her telephone number. Pam then realises that Jenny has spoken to Paul already, and when Les comes in, Pam tells Jenny to take her flowers and leave, as Paul does not need her. Les then suffers a small chest pain and Pam blames Jenny for causing stress. Jenny insists she would never mean to harm Les as he was always kind to her. Paul then arrives and demands to know who Jenny is, and assumes she is the person who has been blackmailing Les and Pam over Les's cross-dressing, though he is wrong. Paul angrily tells her to leave, threatening to call the police, but after Jenny leaves, Pam worries she will still return. Paul is later killed in a homophobic attack, never knowing that Jenny is his mother, and Jenny does not attend his funeral. ==Simon Atmore==

Simon Atmore, played by Tom Palmer, appears in six episodes between 25 July and 7 October 2016 and he appeared in one episode on 20 July 2021. Simon is first seen greeting a friend who was arrested on suspicion of Paul Coker's (Jonny Labey) murder, outside the police station after the suspect attends a police identification line-up. Paul's boyfriend Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid), who has failed to identify the suspect in the line-up, recognises Simon as one of Paul's attackers, so Johnny Carter (Ted Reilly) photographs his car's number plate as he drives away. Simon returns with the rest of the gang who killed Paul, Frankie Byrne (Leon Tennant), Neil Crossley (Chris Waller) and Tom Eden (Tom Holloway) and they kidnap Ben and Jay and lock Ben's father Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) under the stairs in his house. Simon and Frankie search the rest of the Mitchell's house, but they do not find Louise and she and Ben's cousin Courtney Mitchell (Alice Nokes) as they are hiding in a wardrobe. Simon and his gang drive Ben and Jay in their van to an industrial estate. Jay tricks Simon into opening the van doors by claiming that Ben has collapsed. They attempt to escape with Ben shoving Simon but Simon grabs Jay by the ankle and they easily overpower him and Ben. Simon offers to let Ben and Jay go if Ben agrees to stay quiet about what he saw on the night of Paul's death but Ben defiantly refuses and calls him a coward, telling him that he make sure the gang will all go to prison for what they did to Paul. Simon arms himself with a metal pole and threatens to kill Ben, telling the other gang members to take Ben to an empty warehouse for him to do so. Before they can do this, Ben's uncle Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and cousin Mark Fowler (Ned Porteous) arrive in an attempt to rescue them and Simon and the gang flee the scene. After being arrested following the abduction attempt, Simon attends a bail hearing in court. The judge denies bail to Simon and orders him to be remanded in custody to await trial. Simon protests his innocence, angering Paul's grandfather Les Coker (Roger Sloman) who calls him a liar. After Paul's grandmother Pam Coker (Lin Blakley) has a meeting with Simon's mother Diane Atmore (Hazel Ellerby), Diane asks Simon to plead guilty and he does so, pleading guilty to Paul's murder and kidnapping Ben and Jay. Five years later, Pam calls Ben (now Max Bowden) to inform him that Simon has appealed to have his conviction overturned and has been released from prison. Ben, incensed with rage, wants revenge on Simon and asks his husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay) to get Simon's address. Callum is reluctant but agrees to use his police connection under the condition that Ben does not attack Simon. However, Ben goes back on his word and plans to attack Simon. Callum appeals to Ben's father, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) to talk Ben out of revenge. Phil refuses at first but is able to get Ben to drop his attack, much to Callum's relief. However, Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol), still grieving the loss of his brother Jags Panesar (Amar Adatia), takes it upon himself to seek revenge on Ben's behalf and pretends to be someone offering Simon a job and arranges a meeting then brutally beats him up. Kheerat then tells a horrified Ben and Callum what he did. Several weeks later, Kheerat is arrested on suspicion of Simon's assault. However, Simon is unable to positively identify Kheerat and he is bailed pending further enquiry. Jack Rattenbury of the Daily Star described Simon as an "openly racist thug". Laura-Jane Tyler from Inside Soap called Simon and his friends "very dangerous people", "bad guys", "wicked men", "evildoers", "merciless human beings", "violent brutes" and "villains", and said Simon showed no remorse for his "unspeakable actions", calling it a "horrendous hate crime". ==Mark Fowler==

Mark Fowler, played by Ned Porteous in 2016 and Stephen Aaron-Sipple from 2026 onwards, is the son of Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully/Jenna Russell). He appears in 13 episodes between 11 August and 9 September 2016. On 17 January 2026, it was announced that Mark would be returning to the show, with the role recast to Stephen Aaron-Sipple. Prior to this official announcement, Aaron-Sipple appeared as Mark in the show as part of a flash-forward episode on 1 January 2026, but was credited as "Man". Mark is born off-screen in 1996 after his parents have a one-night stand. Michelle only tells her brother, Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), who the father is, before emigrating to the United States. Michelle is unable to attend the funeral of her father, Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher), when she gives birth to Mark. In 2016, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) contacts Mark after finding a letter in his wife's Sharon Mitchell's (Letitia Dean) handbag, who is Michelle's best friend, from Michelle addressed to his and Grant's mother Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor), who has since died, about Mark. Sharon and Martin Fowler (James Bye), Mark's uncle, worry about Grant learning the truth and convince Phil not to tell him, and Michelle has told Mark that Phil is lying because he is an alcoholic who hates her. However, Mark arrives at Martin's flat. Mark goes to see Phil and asks if what he said about Tim not being his real father is true, but Phil has agreed with Sharon to not reveal the truth, so he denies even speaking to Mark. Mark decides to stay in Walford to get to know his family. Mark is quick to join the market with Phil's ex-wife Kathy Sullivan (Gillian Taylforth), who is the aunt of Michelle, Mark and Martin, and makes fast friends with Shakil Kazemi (Shaheen Jafargholi), whom seems envious of Mark's popularity with women. Mark takes a liking to Courtney Mitchell (Alice Nokes), not knowing she's his half-sister, and both admit that they like each other. Their cousin Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) tells Sharon about them, prompting her and Michelle's cousin, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), to find them. When Courtney is a victim of a break-in, Mark comforts her, but is then confronted by Grant who assumes Mark is attacking her. Grant learns that Mark is Michelle's son and shares passing comments of his dislike of her; Mark shares that the feeling is mutual. ==Frankie Byrne, Neil Crossley and Tom Eden==

Frankie Byrne, played by Leon Tennant, Neil Crossley, played by Chris Waller, and Tom Eden, played by Tom Holloway, each appear in four episodes between 5 September and 7 October 2016. Frankie, Neil and Tom are members of the gang who attacked Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid) and killed his boyfriend Paul Coker (Jonny Labey) in a homophobic assault. Along with the other gang member, Simon Atmore (Tom Palmer), they kidnap Ben and Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick). Off screen, Frankie enters their house with Simon and they attack Ben's father Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) when he attempts to help them, locking him under the stairs. They then search the rest of the house. They do not find Ben's half-sister Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) and cousin Courtney Mitchell (Alice Nokes) as they are hiding in a wardrobe. As they flee the scene in their van, Frankie asks Simon why they had to hurt Phil and kidnap Jay as well as they had only been intending to abduct Ben, and asks what they intend to do next as a result. He also worries that they have been seen leaving. The gang drive Ben and Jay to an industrial estate, and Frankie speculates whether Jay is Ben's new boyfriend. When Jay bangs on the inside of the van, Frankie worries that something has gone wrong. Jay claims that Ben has collapsed so the gang open the van doors, and Ben and Jay attempt to escape. Jay punches Frankie but Tom tackles Ben, injuring his shoulder and they are easily overpowered. Ben begs them to let Jay go as their argument is with him but Tom and Neil put Jay back in the van. Frankie stops Simon from attacking Ben after he taunts Simon. Frankie is shocked when Simon suggests killing Ben, claiming that he thought they were only going to scare him into keeping quiet. Frankie is reluctant to go through with it and insists that Paul's death was an accident, but Simon tells him a judge would not see it that way. Phil's brother Grant (Ross Kemp) and his son Mark Fowler (Ned Porteous) then arrive in a rescue attempt and the gang flee the scene. After being arrested off-screen following the abduction attempt, the gang appear at a bail hearing in court. The judge denies bail to Frankie, Tom and Neil and orders them to be remanded in custody to await trial. Frankie, Tom and Neil plead guilty to all the charges against them, for Paul's murder and kidnapping Ben and Jay. Frankie, Neil, Tom and Simon are then later sentenced each to a minimum term of 30 years in prison, off screen. Jack Rattenbury of the Daily Star described them as "openly racist thugs". Laura-Jane Tyler from Inside Soap called them "very dangerous people", "bad guys", "wicked men", "evildoers", "merciless human beings", "violent brutes" and "villains", who committed a "horrendous hate crime". ==Geraldine Clough==

Geraldine Clough, played by Gwyneth Strong, first appears on 16 September 2016. Geraldine is the leader of a female darts team from The Feathers pub who go to The Queen Victoria pub for a tournament against The Vic's team led by landlady Linda Carter (Kellie Bright). Geraldine goads Linda before the game starts. Geraldine refuses to allow Linda's husband Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) to referee the match and suggests allowing the next customer to come into the pub to be the referee. Geraldine sends a text message on her mobile phone and a man enters the pub and is chosen to be referee and Geraldine winks at him, indicating that the match is rigged and she is cheating. Linda throws the last dart and The Vic's team loses the game. Geraldine is smug and leaves with her team and it is only afterwards that Linda, Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) and Babe Smith (Annette Badland) discover that The Feathers' team cheated. The next day, Kathy and Geraldine meet in the café and Geraldine reveals that after Kathy left, all the other auditionees agreed with Kathy and that the Christmas show would instead be a production of A Christmas Carol, and Geraldine puts Kathy in charge of directing it. However, when Belinda Peacock (Carli Norris) sees how upset Geraldine is, Kathy is forced to let Geraldine continue as director. Geraldine also reveals that her former husband insisted he never wanted children and waited until Geraldine was too old to have any, then left her for a barmaid and got her pregnant, leaving Geraldine childless. Geraldine later gives Kathy a copy of the script she has written for the Christmas play. Kathy is unimpressed but Geraldine ignores her concerns. She also refuses to let Kathy and Abi work backstage, instead forcing them to audition for parts. Niomi Harris of OK! described Geraldine as "the tough-talking, hard-nosed rival darts leader that rubs landlady Linda up the wrong way." ==Moose==

Wayne "Moose" Parker, played by Sam Gittins, appears in three episodes between 14 October and 4 November 2016, one on 20 March 2017, and more in November 2017. Moose is an old army friend of Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard), who arrives at The Queen Victoria pub for Lee's stag party. He accidentally sprays Lee's fiancée Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) with a fire extinguisher, and later flirts with her, calling Lee a loser and implying to Whitney that he has a large penis because a moose is "bigger than a donkey". When Lee is offered a job, Moose says he will plan a celebration. Moose visits Whitney in Walford six months later. His arrival causes tension for Whitney's new boyfriend, Woody. When Moose makes a sarcastic comment about Whitney, Woody attacks him. The next day, Whitney confronts Moose and tells him she knows his real name is Wayne and makes fun of it. Finally getting the message that Whitney is not interested in him, Moose leaves Walford. Laura-Jane Tyler of Inside Soap called Moose "Lee's cheeky mate" and speculated that Whitney would cheat on Lee with Moose. ==Dave==

}} Dave (also briefly called Ethel and Ethel Esquire) is a stray cat taken in by Dot Branning (June Brown), who first appears in October 2016, where he is seen sniffing around the bins in Albert Square. After a while, Dot sees the cat when she is putting rubbish into her bin and initially shoos him away. However, the cat starts meowing on her window sill. He enters Martin Fowler (James Bye) and Stacey Fowler's (Lacey Turner) house where he licks their Christmas turkey, forcing them to throw it out. He then returns to Dot's doorstep, following her retirement party, so Dot takes the cat in. Dave escapes from Dot's house, but is found and returned by Dot's stepson, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). ==Osman "Oz" Bolat==

Osman "Oz" Bolat, played by Noah Maxwell-Clarke, first appears on 7 November 2016. Oz is a colleague of Lee Carter's (Danny-Boy Hatchard) at the call centre where Lee works. As Lee struggles with making sales, a confident Oz goads him, telling Lee that he had taken bets with their colleagues as to whether Lee would come back into work after previously calling in sick. Lee squares up to Oz when he makes a derogatory comment about Lee's wife Whitney Carter (Shona McGarty) after seeing Lee's photo of her, causing their supervisor, Haroon Zaman (Silas Carson) to intervene and break up the fight. The next day at work, Oz listens as Lee makes a sale to an elderly woman, and afterwards, he tells Lee that the woman would probably lose money due to having to leave her current energy contract and pay for a new one, and jokes that she might die from shock when she realises this. After Lee passes his probationary review, Oz catches Lee crying in a lift as he is leaving, and laughs at him. Oz attempts to take a photo of Lee on his mobile phone and calls him a "crybaby girl". Lee angrily shouts at Oz that at least he had a heart, friends, family and a wife, but Oz tells Lee he would not have any of them if they knew how spineless Lee is, claiming that he never expected Lee to steal from his family, and that Whitney would leave him when she meets a "real man". David Brown of Radio Times described Oz as a "slick call centre alpha male", a "loathsome figure", "conceited and complacent", a "bully boy" and "smug", and listed five reasons to hate the character. ==Fred Cole==

DC Fred Cole, played by Victor Gardener, appears in two episodes on 19 and 25 December 2016 and two on 15 and 16 May 2017. He questions Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) as a witness and she asks him to go easy on Jack as he is still grieving for his wife Ronnie Branning (Samantha Womack). Two years later, he arrests Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) for various crimes after Martin Fowler (James Bye) reports him. John James Anisiobi of the Daily Mirror described DC Cole as "a silver haired handsome man with a knack for solving crimes". ==Karen Beckworth==

Karen Beckworth, played by Sally Rogers, appears in two episodes on 29 and 30 December 2016. She is a parking attendant, who sees Lee Carter (Danny Hatchard) losing his temper with a payment machine. Lee shouts at Karen, claiming that he will be sacked from his job if he is late due to the machine not working, which scares her. Lee is shocked by her reaction and apologises, assuring Karen that he would not hurt her. Karen then helps Lee to get a parking ticket from the machine and reassures him that everyone has bad days. Justin Harp from Digital Spy called Karen Lee's "guardian angel". Duncan Lindsay from the Metro praised the storyline, saying, "The performances in the exchange between Lee Carter and Karen Beckworth were highly charged", and "Sally Rogers, who first appeared as an apparently insignificant parking officer in the previous episode, also moved us incredible amounts as Karen stepped up for Lee and effectively saved his life, driven, it later transpired, by the tragedy of a young man in her own life." Lindsay added that the "scenes were difficult to watch", but said that "complemented heavily by strong writing, amazing support from the Samaritans and outstanding performances by Danny-Boy and Sally, EastEnders have got us all talking about an issue that seriously needs [to be] discussed." Shaun Kitchener from the Sunday Express called Karen's second episode "heartbreaking". ==Others==