List of EastEnders characters introduced in 2026

EastEnders is a BBC soap opera that first aired on 19 February 1985.^[1] This is a list of characters that have or will debut in 2026. The first character to debut in 2026 was Bea Pollard, played by Ronni Ancona, who made her first appearance in January.

Bea Pollard, played by Ronni Ancona, made her first appearance on 7 January 2026.^[2][3] The character and casting was announced on 6 December 2025, with it being reported that Ancona had already begun filming on the soap.^[2] Of her casting, Ancona said, "I am honoured to have been invited to join the iconic institution that is EastEnders, and to go on this whirlwind of a journey with such an unpredictable, nuanced and complex character as Bea. I hope audiences have as much fun watching her as I have had bringing her to life".^[4] Ben Wadey, EastEnders's executive producer, was "delighted" to welcome the "esteemed" Ancona onto the soap and called Bea "mysterious".^[2] Ancona had previously mimicked other EastEnders characters, including Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) and Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor), on the sketch show The Big Impression.^[5] Bea is introduced as an old school acquaintance of established character Linda Carter (Kellie Bright); the pair meet at a school reunion and it is revealed that the pair have very different recollections of their experiences at school.^[2] It was also teased that Bea would settle into Walford and would end up being at "the heart of the drama" and leaving a "lasting impression" on the characters she encounters.^[6] It was also reported that Bea would be a "a force to be reckoned with".^[7]

Nikki Onafuye from the Daily Mirror speculated that Ancona's casting would send fans of the soap "into a frenzy".^[8]