List of EastEnders characters introduced in 2022

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera EastEnders in 2022, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's senior executive producer, Kate Oates, executive producer, Jon Sen, or his successor, Chris Clenshaw.^[1] The first character to be introduced is Nina Gupta (Hersha Verity) in February, who was introduced as the new GP. Lewis Butler (Aidan O'Callaghan), a man that Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) hires as the manager of her bar, was introduced in April, and Omar Lye-Fook debuted in July as Avery Baker, the brother of established character Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths). He was followed by his sons, Finley (Ashley Byam) and Felix (Matthew James Morrison). Nina's stepson, Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), was also introduced in July. Suki Panesar's (Balvinder Sopal) husband and the father of the Panesar children, Nish (Navin Chowdhry) made his debut in September. Additionally, multiple other characters have appeared throughout the year.

Doctor Nina Gupta, played by Hersha Verity, made her first appearance on 10 February and departed on 9 November. She is a doctor who tends to Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol) when he suffers food poisoning after eating a sandwich that he bought from Stacey's Baps. She reappears when Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) brings her mother Jean (Gillian Wright) to a doctors appointment when she is convinced that Jean is having a manic episode. After Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) buys a doctor's surgery, she hires Nina to run it alongside daughter Ash Panesar (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha).

Verity was keen to portray Nina since she liked her characterisation, specifically noting her "complete confidence, no fear of failure, goes after what she wants."^[2] Hinting at the future of her character, Verity told Digital Spy: "There is a lot more to her that is slowly starting to unfold. She has a few wants and goals of her own that go far beyond the surgery. So I am excited for that to unfold!"^[2] She was also intrigued by Nina's connection to the Panesar family. She opined that Ash is a great character due to being emotional and reactive while also being feisty and speaking her mind. Verity hoped that Nina would form a long-term friendship with Ash.^[2]

On being cast on the soap, she said: "There is nothing like this kind of experience, it's so iconic. Just a part of British culture, so it's exciting, but that can be quite nerve-wracking! When I was walking through the corridors and saw the pictures on the wall, I felt a real sense of history. It just felt like I was part of something very special. You are stepping into history. It is a really nice place to experience being an actor."^[2] Verity's father would not allow her to watch EastEnders as a child so she found it amusing to be cast on the soap. Walking onto the set for the first time was an exciting experience for her due to being early in her acting career; it led her to "just take a moment and [be] so grateful to have this experience".^[2]

Ranveer Gulati is the adoptive father of Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and husband of Nina Gupta (Hersha Verity) who first appears in Episode 6446 on 7 March. He was played by Anil Goutam. He is killed off by Ravi in Episode 6536, which aired on 10 August 2022. He makes further appearances after his character's death when his body was moved in Episode 6589, airing on 10 November 2022 and then three episodes on CCTV footage in Episode 6683 on 19 April 2023 and then in Episodes 6767 and 6768, airing between 13 and 14 September 2023. The first video appearance he was uncredited for.

Ranveer was a family friend of the Panesars who has entrusts Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol) to build him a house in Mumbai. He was married to Dr Nina Gupta, who ended up becoming Ravi's partner. When he attacks Kheerat's mother Suki (Balvinder Sopal) and tries to rape her in exchange for a business contract, she strikes him over the head with a clock. Ravi walks in and begins covering up the crime but Ranveer wakes up and begins attacking him. Ravi delivers the final blow to Ranveer's head, killing him, and later disposes of his body. Ranveer's body was found by a dog walker on 31 October 2022 and reported to the police, who then contact Ravi and Nina. When everyone else finds out, Kheerat accuses Ravi of killing Ranveer and threatens to go to police. Ravi tells him that Suki killed Kheerat. Kheerat later goes to prison, taking the blame for Ranveer's death.

After Ravi moves in with Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams), her mother, Denise Fox (Diane Parish), is furious. Denise discovers the CCTV footage of Ravi killing Ranveer on his laptop. She then tells Chelsea, Suki and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). It was later revealed that he also attempted to rape Ravi's ex-girlfriend Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy), and later paid her to abandon Ravi and their son Davinder "Nugget" Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury), threatening to have her killed if she ever returned. Unbeknownst to Ravi and Ranveer, Priya was pregnant by Ravi for a second time with Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) when Ranveer threatened her to leave. It was also revealed that he raped his PA Priti, who had told Ravi about it.

Roland Highway is the son of Stuart (Ricky Champ) and Rainie Highway (Tanya Franks), born on-screen via surrogate Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) in episode 6460 first originally broadcast on 30 March 2022. The character left along with Stuart and Rainie in episode 6513, originally broadcast on 25 August 2022.

Stuart and Rainie first look for a surrogate after given the idea that this may work and potentially create a future for the both of them – Bernadette hears this and offers to be their surrogate after her family are struggling financially. Bernadette's mother Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) and half-brother Keegan Baker (Zack Morris) are initially against the idea but are later convinced to accept the decision. Stuart and Rainie eventually accept Bernadette after much consideration but struggle to conceive anyhow: Bernadette is overweight and can not carry a pregnancy to full-term. Regardless of this, they still proceed with the surrogacy and are delighted when Bernadette finally is pregnant. Bernadette gives birth to Roland and initially decides to keep him; though eventually gives him to Rainie and Stuart after realising that she would never be Roland's true parent and he is loved by the two. Roland leaves Walford with Rainie after her marriage to Stuart breaks down, but they return and leave Walford with Stuart for a new life in North London.

Lewis Butler, played by Aidan O'Callaghan, made his first appearance on 11 April 2022. He was introduced as the new bar manager of the gay bar, the Prince Albert, after being hired by Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth). He chats up Callum Highway (Tony Clay), much to the annoyance of his husband Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden). The character and O'Callaghan's casting was announced on 6 April 2022 and it was confirmed that Lewis would appear in a storyline involving Callum and Ben, when he approves of Callum's new LGBTQ+ campaign at work despite Ben's objections.^[3] Lewis and Ben go on a night out, but Lewis is faced with homophobic abuse. On 23 April 2022, it was announced that Lewis would be involved in a male rape storyline in which the character rapes Ben. It was also revealed that EastEnders would be working with charities including Survivors UK, Survivors Manchester, and the Male Survivors Partnership to make sure that the storyline is covered as sensitively and accurately.^[4] It was confirmed on 17 August 2022 that O'Callaghan has left the soap with his final scenes airing that episode.^[5]

Avery Baker, played by Omar Lye-Fook, made his first appearance on 4 July 2022.^[6] Avery is the estranged brother of Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths) and will arrive with his sons Felix (Matthew James Morrison) and Finlay (Ashley Byam). Lye-Fook's casting and character were announced on 6 June 2022. Avery was described by Digital Spy's Justin Harp as having "a much different personality than his humble and caring brother".^[7] Avery is revealed to have a tense relationship with Mitch and Harp teased that it would potentially problems for him.^[7]

On joining EastEnders, Lye-Fook said: "I've been watching EastEnders since I was at school so it's such a surreal experience to now be part of the show". He also added: "I'm having so much fun and it's an honour to be working alongside this incredible cast".^[7] Executive producer Chris Clenshaw added: "The Baker Family bring a fresh, fierce, fun and exciting energy to the Square. Felix and Finlay are two very different firecrackers and, yes, these brothers fall out, take the mick and challenge each other, but none of that compares to their unswerving love and loyalty they have for one another. They may be charming young men, full of sass, swagger and strength but these brothers are Bakers and, like their father, Avery, have their own unique way of surviving. Omar, Matthew and Ashley all bring star quality to EastEnders and we're excited to see them bring Avery, Felix and Finlay to life. The Baker family are the just the start of some new faces landing in Walford later this year – so watch this space…"^[8] Shortly after his introduction, his sons revealed to Mitch that Avery has terminal cancer; Metro confirmed that the storyline would result in his death.^[9]

Ravi Gulati, played by Aaron Thiara, made his first appearance on 4 July 2022. Ravi was introduced as a cellmate of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and a former associate of Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol). Thiara's casting and character were also announced on the same day.^[10]

Finlay Baker, played by Ashley Byam, made his first appearance on 7 July 2022. Finlay is the adoptive son of Avery Baker (Omar Lye-Fook) and half-brother of Felix Baker (Matthew James Morrison). The character and Byam's casting was announced on 6 June 2022.^[7] On his casting on the soap, Byam said: "I'm very excited to be joining the Square. Like many people I grew up with EastEnders; it was almost like an unspoken family tradition. My mum and I sat there together watching so many incredible and iconic storylines. So to now be joining this classic British TV drama is an honour, and I'm truly grateful. I can't wait for everyone to meet Finlay and see what lies ahead for him".^[7] Of Finlay, Harp (Digital Spy) said that Finlay will "discover his charm will only get him so far in the square" and described Finlay and Felix as "brothers who always have each other's backs in difficult times. ^[7]

Executive producer Chris Clenshaw said of the family: "The Baker family bring a fresh, fierce, fun and exciting energy to the Square. Felix and Finlay are two very different firecrackers and, yes, these brothers fall out, take the mick and challenge each other, but none of that compares to their unswerving love and loyalty they have for one another. They may be charming young men, full of sass, swagger and strength but these brothers are Bakers and, like their father, Avery, have their own unique way of surviving. Omar, Matthew and Ashley all bring star quality to EastEnders and we're excited to see them bring Avery, Felix and Finlay to life. The Baker family are the just the start of some new faces landing in Walford later this year – so watch this space…"^[8]

Byam was axed from the show less than a year after his introduction. He made a previously unannounced departure from EastEnders on 28 June 2023, with Finlay's exit storyline involving being threatened to leave Walford by Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) after igniting a feud with Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota).^[11]

Felix Baker, played by Matthew James Morrison, made his first appearance on 7 July 2022. He is the son of Avery Baker (Omar Lye-Fook) and the half-brother of Finlay Baker (Ashley Byam). The character and Morrison's casting were announced on 6 June 2022.^[7] Felix is described as "quick with a witty retort" and will throw himself into life in Walford, but his quick-wit and frank honesty could get him into trouble.^[8] Of his relationship with his brother, the BBC said that "despite being the complete opposite of each other, Felix and Finlay present a united front and always have each other's backs".^[12] Executive producer Chris Clenshaw said of the family: "The Baker Family bring a fresh, fierce, fun and exciting energy to the Square. Felix and Finlay are two very different firecrackers and, yes, these brothers fall out, take the mick and challenge each other, but none of that compares to their unswerving love and loyalty they have for one another. They may be charming young men, full of sass, swagger and strength but these brothers are Bakers and, like their father, Avery, have their own unique way of surviving. Omar, Matthew and Ashley all bring star quality to EastEnders and we're excited to see them bring Avery, Felix and Finlay to life. The Baker family are the just the start of some new faces landing in Walford later this year – so watch this space…"^[8] Of his casting, Morrison said, "It's an honour to be a part of such a legendary show that I grew up watching. It hasn't quite sunk in yet, and I don't think it ever will. I'm having a ball getting to grips with Felix and cannot wait for you all to meet him!"^[7]

In June 2022, during Pride Month, it was revealed by the BBC that Felix is a drag queen whose alias is "Tara Masu". Morrison felt privileged to showcase drag to EastEnders viewers, as well as representing the LGBTQIA+ community, and he felt that it is "important for people to feel reflected on screen".^[13] Morrison had not done drag prior to the role and received mentoring from drag queen Vinegar Strokes. The decision to write Felix as a drag queen received praise from Lucas Young, a drag queen who goes by the name of Ms Classpergers. They felt that it was a significant move from the soap and wished that they had that representation on-screen during their youth.^[13]

Denzel Danes, played by Jaden Ladega, is the son of Howie Danes (Delroy Atkinson) and makes his first appearance in episode 6531, originally broadcast on 2 August 2022.^[14] For his role as Denzel, Ladega was longlisted for "Best Young Performer" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards.^[15][16]

Denzel befriends Davinder "Nugget" Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury), and they start bullying Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) after Denzel takes a picture of Amy's legs and posts it all over social media. Amy's stepsister Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) forces Denzel to delete the pictures. Denzel soon moves in with Howie and Chelsea's aunt Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) whilst his mother decides to stay in Ibiza. He soon begins a relationship with Amy much to the opposition of her father Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). In April 2023, Denzel and Kim are involved in a car accident when Kim crashes into the Argee Bhajee after being distracted by a text revealing her sister Denise's (Diane Parish) affair with Nugget's father Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara). In January 2024, Denzel is attacked by Walford High student Logan (Liam Hatch) and his friends, after Denzel stands up to him. Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) attempts to help Denzel but trips over and is videoed by everyone. Denzel is embarrassed and fights with Nugget after his sister, Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James), teases him about the incident. Because of this, Denzel decides to take up boxing and is mentored by George Knight (Colin Salmon). Denzel develops muscle dysmorphia and purchases steroids. His confidence grows and he starts flirting with other girls, which strains his relationship with Amy. She also becomes jealous of his friendship with fitness influencer Ebony (Annika Whiston) who Denzel collaborates with to make fitness videos. Denzel starts using steroids with Nugget but Nugget overdoses and Denzel confesses to Zack Hudson (James Farrar). Ravi reports Denzel to the police, but he is later released with a caution.

Davinder "Nugget" Gulati, played by Juhaim Rasul Choudhury,^[17] is the son of Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy), as well as being the adoptive grandson of Ranveer Gulati (Anil Goutam), who befriends Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega). He joins in with Denzel when he begins bullying Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd), and continues to do so when Denzel begins a relationship with her.

After Ravi has Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Singh Deol) attacked in prison, Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) reveals the truth about Ravi killing his adoptive grandfather Ranveer (Anil Goutam). Nugget later goes missing and is reported to the police by the family, to which they search hours for until he calls Suki for money and to reveal that he's safe, unbeknownst that he is staying with his mother Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) and sister Avani (Aaliyah James). They later find Nugget and Priya introduces herself to the family and later reveals the true paternity of Avani, to which they eventually move in. Nugget later shows acceptance of Suki after she comes out as a lesbian and reveals her affair with Eve Unwin (Heather Peace). Nugget becomes jealous of Denzel when his confidence and fitness improve due to taking steroids. Struggling to keep up with workouts and boxing training, Nugget develops muscle dysmorphia and starts using steroids alongside Denzel. Feeling left out when Denzel deserts him to flirt with girls, Nugget tries to kiss Amy, who rebuffs him. Nugget then lies to Denzel, claiming Amy tried to kiss him, which ends Denzel and Amy's relationship. Nugget's steroid use leads to an overdose, during which he witnesses Priya and his grandfather Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) kissing. Although Nugget recovers, his kidneys are not functioning properly, and he is told he might need dialysis.

In September 2023, it was announced by EastEnders via Instagram that character Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) would go through a storyline that introduces along Nugget's mother and a secret sister neither Nugget or Ravi had an idea about.^[18]

Eric Mitchell, portrayed by George Russo,^[19] first appears in a flashback episode set in February 1979.^[19] Eric is the deceased husband of Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor/Jaime Winstone) and father of Phil (Steve McFadden/Daniel Delaney), Grant (Ross Kemp/Teddy Jay) and Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf/Laila Murphy). In the episode, Eric learns that Phil has gotten a job at a garage and is furious. He leaves Peggy at home with Sam and forces Phil and Grant to join him in an armed robbery at a warehouse alongside his cousin Stevie Mitchell (Dean Roberts) and Stephen's sons: Charlie Mitchell (Charlie Heptinstall) and Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick/George Greenland). ^[20] Peggy objects to this but Eric assaults her. They are later caught by a Security Guard, Malcolm Keeble (Christopher Pizzey), who is the father of DCI Samantha Keeble (Alison Newman). Billy falls from a ladder whilst trying to steal a VHS package and Eric orders everyone to leave and desert him. However, Phil and Grant decide to remain to save Billy, and Phil holds the policeman at gunpoint. Eric intervenes and takes the gun from Phil, shooting the policeman to death. When Phil confronts him over this, he plans to beat him. Peggy tries to stop Eric from attacking Phil and threatens him with a knife. Eric later hits Phil who eventually overpowers him and beats him. This spells the end of Eric's abuse of Phil, though he continues abusing Peggy until she calls the police on Eric for his abuse and he is arrested. Eric later developed prostate cancer and died from the disease in 1985. ^[20] Eric has been mentioned several times in the show before appearing in the flashback episode.

Peggy (Jo Warne; later Barbara Windsor) married Eric because she was pregnant with their son Phil (Steve McFadden). Eric grew to be a keen boxer and he soon ended up working for his gangland boss, Johnny Allen (Billy Murray). This impacted the marriage as Johnny constantly taunted Eric, making him do demeaning jobs because Eric was a better boxer than him. Eric fell in love with a glamorous woman called Maureen Loftus and planned to elope with her, but he changed his mind at the last minute – unable to desert his family, who he grew to resent. Eric took his anger out on Peggy and was often violent towards her and Phil.^[20] The abuse eventually ended when Peggy told the police that Eric was involved in a Post office robbery and he was sent to prison. Peggy considered leaving when her sons, Phil and Grant (Ross Kemp) were teenagers, and once even tried to seduce Johnny, but he turned her down. It was then Eric had cheated on Peggy with Claudette Hubbard (Ellen Thomas), who he also intended to run away with, but he changed his mind again – leading to Claudette hating the entire family. Soon afterwards, Peggy turned to Eric's older brother Archie (Larry Lamb) for comfort because he was there for Peggy when Eric began to abuse her. She tried to save her marriage by having another child in 1975 – her only daughter Samantha (Danniella Westbrook; Kim Medcalf). Her relationship with Eric improved, but only temporarily, and when Kevin Masters (Colin McCormack) employed Peggy to work at his minicab firm, they ended up having a secret affair. When Eric developed prostate cancer, Peggy gave up work to care for him until he eventually died in 1985. Following Eric's death, Kevin acquainted himself with Peggy once more and her children grew to harbour resentment towards him.

Stephen "Stevie" Mitchell is the father of Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick/George Greenland) and Charlie Mitchell (Charlie Heptinstall) and cousin of Eric Mitchell (George Russo), who appeared in Episode 6550, in which he was played by Dean Roberts through flashbacks.^[19] He and his wife, Janet, put their children into a home when they were very young, but regained contact with them by 1979 when the flashback episode is set. It was announced on 28 December 2023 that Stephen would be reintroduced in the present day and would be portrayed by Alan Ford,^[21] though Ford's casting was initially revealed on 18 November 2023.^[22]

Ahead of playing Stevie, Roberts said: "I didn't really know too much about Stephen, I had to learn a lot about his character based on other people's opinions and I had done a lot of research on Billy when he first entered the show. It's interesting what Peggy says about him – that she's not too fond of that branch of the family. He seems to have a better relationship with his cousin Eric, they are like partners in crime. I see him as a very selfish character, a product of his era.".^[23] He added: "He's not a good father, we know that he put both his kids in a home. I don't know if he carries any guilt about that, I did try to bear that in mind. I put a lot of thought into him. I thought the back story was very interesting – I think Stephen is quite envious of Eric and Peggy's family dynamic."^[23]

In January 2024, Stephen now Stevie, is seen at Aunt Sal's (Anna Karen) funeral where he meets his relative Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden). Phil bans Stevie from attending the wake, and threatens him to stay away from the Mitchell's because of his poor treatment to Billy. Stevie returns against Phil's wishes and tries to make amends with Billy. Billy cannot forgive Stevie for his favoritism towards his older brother Charlie and for telling Billy that he had wished that he had died instead of Charlie. Stevie bonds with his grandchildren Janet (Grace) and Will (Freddie Phillips) and great-great granddaughter Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown) which Billy initially objects to. Stevie flirts with Mo Harris (Laila Morse) and they begin a relationship. When Will is catfished and blackmailed by Kyle Fletcher (Freddie Hastwel) who threatens to expose his nudes, Stevie and Mo sell stolen toasters to raise money but are shut down by Will's mother Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) who forces them to give the money away to a charity fundraiser in honor of his great-granddaughter Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold). The charity money is stolen and Stevie is blamed and ostracized. Stevie confronts Will who he believes has stolen the money, and tries to convince him to return it. Will pushes him and Stevie falls unconscious, resulting in him being hospitalised. It is revealed that Stevie has another son Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) who he has hidden from his family. Stevie is forced to reveal Teddy's identity to the Mitchells, and explains that Teddy was conceived during a short affair with a woman named Connie. During a family argument, Will exonerates Stevie by revealing that he had taken the money to pay off Kyle. Billy and Teddy throw Stevie a birthday party, and Stevie has a conversation with Teddy about Billy's mother Val, which Phil overhears. Phil discovers from Ritchie Scott (Sian Webber) that Val has been dead for several years and tells Billy. Stevie reveals that his affair with Connie drove Val to commit suicide and that he couldn't cope as a single parent, so put Billy in foster care as a temporary solution, but struggled to reclaim him. Billy struggles to forgive Stevie for concealing Val's death from him, so Stevie decides to leave Walford. As a final act of revenge, Stevie steals Phil's car keys and sells Phil's car with Mo, and leaves the money for Billy. After an emotional farewell with his family and Mo, Stevie leaves in the back of a taxi.

Charlie Mitchell is the deceased brother of Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick/George Greenland) and father of Jamie Mitchell (Jack Ryder), who appears in Episode 6550 and is played by Charlie Heptinstall.^[24] Apart from the flashback episode set in 1979, Charlie has never been seen.^[23] Ahead of the flashback episode, Heptinstall suggested that his character would be similar to his brother, Billy: "As a Mitchell, he shares traits with his brother, he's always there and loyal to the family. He still goes and does naughty things, but he is more free, not seriously clued into what's really happening. Charlie would walk into the room with family drama and see some food on the table and be like "Oh ok, let's eat.""^[23]

It has been revealed that he met Lynne in 1979 and married her in 1982 when he had Jamie with her before she died four years later. Charlie died from a heart condition in 1998, leaving Billy as Jamie's legal guardian, shortly before Billy's arrival in Walford.^[23] However, due to Billy's abuse towards Jamie, Charlie's cousin Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) becomes Jamie's guardian as he is his godfather. However, Jamie was killed on Christmas Day 2002, when he was accidentally run over by Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou).^[23] Charlie also died no knowing that his father Stevie Mitchell (Alan Ford) is still alive, or that he has a half-brother, Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian).^[25]

Nish Panesar, played by Navin Chowdhry, is the estranged husband of Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) and the father of Kheerat (Jaz Deol), Jags (Amar Adatia), Vinny (Shiv Jalota) and Ash (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha). Chowdhry's casting as Nish was announced on 28 August 2022 and it was confirmed that he had already begun filming at the time. He arrives in Walford following a 20-year stretch in prison for murder. Prior to their time on EastEnders, Nish mentally abused and controlled Suki throughout their marriage.^[26] Nish arrives determined to repair his family relationships, including his marriage to Suki. Nish was described as a charming and charasmatic character, but they confirmed that viewers would quickly notice that he is "ice-cold, manipulative and driven by a need for power and respect".^[27]

On his casting, Chowdhry said that since he had never worked on a soap prior to EastEnders, the experience was all new for him. However, he loved the storylines given to him upon his debut. He particularly vented an interest in his onscreen family and liked that "there's so much happening at all times" in the Panesar unit.^[27] He found Nish to be an interesting and unconventional character, which he said would bring drama and mayhem". He opined that under his bad persona, there is a good man, but confirmed that Nish would cause "turmoil" for the Panesars.^[27] Executive producer Chris Clenshaw echoed Chowdhry's excitement the character, since Nish had been referenced numerous times prior to his arrival on the series. Clenshaw continued: "The spectre of Nish Panesar is finally here, and it's been a pleasure welcoming Navin to the cast, and take to the role so effortlessly. He brings something to the character that none of us could've predicted – his dynamic on and off-screen, and we're excited to see where his character develops as the story grows."^[27]

Reiss Colwell, played by Jonny Freeman, is the great-nephew of Dot Branning (June Brown) and a love interest for Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy). He made his first appearance on the episode broadcast on 12 December 2022. Freeman's casting was announced on 22 November 2022.^[28] Of his casting, Freeman said, "I am delighted to be joining the cast of EastEnders, especially as part of the iconic Dot Branning's extended family. Everybody has been so welcoming and I'm very lucky to have been working so closely with the lovely Natalie Cassidy who is not only a fantastic actress but a delightful person; she has very kindly helped me navigate my first few weeks. I hope I can do Reiss justice. He is kind but socially awkward and seeing how he manages, or doesn't manage, his early exchanges with Sonia and her nearest and dearest has been quite interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing how both audiences and the residents of Walford respond to him."^[28]

Reiss arrives in Walford for Dot's funeral. He meets Dot's step-granddaughter, Sonia, and reveals that his family became estranged from Dot because of her marriage to Charlie Cotton (Christopher Hancock). He later has sex with Sonia after the wake. Reiss and Sonia begin a relationship and it later transpires that Reiss is still married to his wife Debbie Colwell (Jenny Meier), who has been in an irreversible coma following a severe stroke for many years. Sonia forgives him and they decide to try for a baby via IVF since Reiss cannot conceive naturally. Reiss starts working as an accountant for Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) at Taylor's Autos and they become friends. Sonia is unaware that Reiss is using Debbie's life savings to fund the treatment and he keeps this a secret. Reiss has a feud with Sonia's half-sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) who constantly teases Reiss. She follows him to Debbie's care home and overhears him admitting to using Debbie's money for IVF. She forces him to confess to Sonia but Sonia supports Reiss, and they agree to continue using Debbie's money since Reiss has legal control of her finances. When Reiss's debt becomes unmanageable, he resorts to conning Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) by tricking her into investing so he can steal her money, but is caught by Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden). Reiss then murders Debbie by smothering her with a pillow to avoid paying for her care home expenses.