EastEnders (series)

EastEnders is a British television soap opera produced by the BBC. Created by Doctor Who directing and acting alumni, Julia Smith and Tony Holland, the series centres on the residence of Albert Square, in the fictional London borough of Walford, and their daily lives and struggles that reflect many real world issues. The series has been a staple of BBC One's weeknight schedules since its launch on 19 February 1985, earning its status as a British television institution with the help of its iconic characters and storylines.
Being a BBC series, it should come as no surprise that its connections with Doctor Who are plentiful, both on screen and behind the scenes.
== Crossovers ==
The first official crossover between EastEnders and Doctor Who came in the 1991 Brief Encounter short story, Mistaken Identity, originally published in DWM 176. The story sees Gustave Lytton visit a pub near Walford Station, non-explicitly implied to be The Queen Victoria, where he notices that the barman, Den Watts, bears a strong resemblance to Kiston, this being a metafictional reference to Kiston and Den both being played by the same actor, Leslie Grantham.
Arguably the most notorious crossover between the two shows is the 1993 televised Children in Need charity special, Dimensions in Time. In this, the nominal 30th anniversary special of Doctor Who, traps the Doctor in a time loop localised within Walford, where he cycles through his various (still living) incarnations and companions. The special sees the appearances of many EastEnders characters from the time, including Sanjay and Gita Kapoor (Deepak Verma and Shobu Kapoor), Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), Kathy and Ian Beale (Gillian Taylforth and Adam Woodyatt), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Pat and Frank Butcher (Pam St. Clement and Mike Reid), Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton), and Phil and Grant Mitchell (Steve McFadden and Ross Kemp).
A more metafictional crossover occurred for a short scene in Army of Ghosts. During the new "ghost" craze sweeping the planet, the Tenth Doctor flicks through television channels until coming to an episode of EastEnders in which Peggy Mitchell (with Barbara Windsor reprising her role) is behind the bar at the Queen Victoria, telling a supposed ghostly manifestation of the deceased Den Watts to "get out of [her] pub!" The story of this completely fictional episode appears to be a humorous nod to Den's two on screen deaths, in which the character was infamously resurrected in 2004 after seemingly being killed off fifteen years earlier, before being killed off permanently the following year. Coincidentally, Den's killer in the show, his second wife , was played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, who made her debut in this very episode as Yvonne Hartman.
A subtle crossover occurred in the form of a set-piece during The Beast Below: the London street aboard the Starship UK contains a partial recreation of the Queen Victoria exterior. Only parts of it can seen on screen, but the whole was shown off in the companion Doctor Who Confidential episode, All About the Girl.
Two more crossovers occurred in 2011, the first of which was early in the year, during the opening National Television Awards sketch, Dermot and the Doctor. In the sketch, the Eleventh Doctor brings the TARDIS to various times and places as he struggles to get Dermot O'Leary to the awards ceremony. One of the places they end up is outside the laundrette on Albert Square, where Dot Cotton (played by June Brown) is smoking, and she tells Dermot that the Doctor is a frequent visitor to her laundrette.
A second crossover, though more ambiguous in its status as a crossover with EastEnders specifically, happened as part of that year's BBC One Christmas ident, Consider Yourself One Of Us... The ident sees various BBC stars indulging in a Christmas party whilst belting out the titular song. Appearing among the various stars are Doctor Whos then-current stars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan (potentially in character as the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond, respectively), and a Cyberman, and four stars from the soap, specifically Ricky Norwood, Shona McGarty, Shane Richie, and June Brown. Although none of the stars are necessarily playing their respective soap characters here, it is clear they are appearing in the ident as a promotion for the show, regardless.
The following year's Christmas ident, It's Showtime, which acted as a showcase for BBC One's Christmas programming for 2012 (including that year's Doctor Who Christmas Special), included a brief EastEnders-related scene, where Jessie Wallace, Rudolph Walker, Jo Joyner, and Jake Wood appeared on the set of the Queen Vic, seemingly acting as their respective characters, Kat Slater, Patrick Trueman, Tanya Cross, and Max Branning.
Later in 2015, another Christmas ident, the animated Sprout Boy meets a Galaxy of Stars, saw another appearance by Dot Cotton, this time as one of several BBC characters having Christmas dinner with Sprout Boy and the Twelfth Doctor.
== References in the DWU ==
The 1994 novel, First Frontier, made a nod to the aforementioned Dimensions in Time through a claim by the Seventh Doctor that he once had a dream in which all his old enemies chased him around the EastEnders set.
The 2001 novel, Instruments of Darkness, revealed that the Sixth Doctor's 2000-hailing companion, Evelyn Smythe, had been using her foreknowledge of 1990s EastEnders storylines to get some extra cash by betting on the correct outcomes.
In the 2004 novel, Synthespians™, EastEnders is revealed as being among the shows broadcast by Reef Station One in the New Earth Republic during the 101st century.
In the 2005 novel, The Gallifrey Chronicles, among the fatalities of the Vore invasion of Earth were said to be members of the show's cast.
Also in 2005, in the novel, The Monsters Inside, following her year away from modern day Earth, Rose Tyler caught up with the episodes of the show that she missed during that time. The Ninth Doctor, who was forced to watch along with her, later used a piece of his general knowledge of the show to his advantage, when Rose is tested by Lazlee Flowers on tangential warp offset, he subtly gave Rose the answer (45), by telling her to think of the address of Pauline, Martin, and Sonia Fowler, which was 45 Albert Square at the time.
In the 2006 episode, The Impossible Planet, the Tenth Doctor expresses his belief that one of the most unluckiest phrases that one could utter was, "This is going to be the best Christmas Walford has ever had", a reference to the show's typically, notoriously depressing Christmas specials.
The 2006 online game, Ghostwatch, released in conjunction with Army of Ghosts, contained a reference to the above-mentioned metafictional crossover to the series; Sophie watched the EastEnders episode featuring the ghost of Den Watts, and texted the titular Ghostwatch a message telling them that "Dirty Den" was back.
In the 2008 The Sarah Jane Adventures serial, The Mark of the Berserker, whilst under the influence of the Berserker pendant, Haresh Chandra obeys his daughter's command to [pretend to be] "Bianca off EastEnders", in which he screams the names of Ricky Butcher, Whitney Dean, and Pat Butcher in her trademark style.
In the 2011 TV story, Night Terrors, Rory Williams made mention of the Eleventh Doctor being in an EastEnders-like place.
According to The Brilliant Book 2012 short story, Just a Minute..., EastEnders existed in River Song's World, where William Shakespeare was a showrunner.
In the 2014 novel, The Blood Cell, Clara Oswald gets the students of her Coal Hill School art class to paint a placard with the slogan "SAVE THE DOCTOR" when the Twelfth Doctor is imprisoned, only for the students to get confused and instead paint "SAVE DOT COTTON". Clara has to explain who Dot is to the Governor, describing her as a "famous Cockney chimney".
In the 2016 Doctor Who Magazine strip, The Pestilent Heart, Jess Collins walks past the 33 bus to Walford.
The 2018 audio story, The Siege of Big Ben, saw Jackie Tyler learn that the show did not exist on Pete's World, to her disappointment.
Chantelle (formerly known as "Squeak") was established in the 2020 novel, At Childhood's End, as having become an actress who previously had a role on the soap.
The Fifteenth Doctor Audition Piece involves the Doctor attempting to guess what questions "Robin" has for him, one of which is "Who Shot Phil Mitchell?", a reference to .
== References to the DWU on EastEnders ==
An episode broadcast on 15 February 2008 was particularly noteworthy for featuring a Doctor Who convention as a backdrop to one of its storylines; accompanies her estranged husband, and avid Doctor Who fan, to the event, in hopes of a reconciliation with him. The event features explicit appearances of multiple Doctor Who elements in a fictional context, such as convention-goers dressed as past Doctors and Cybermen, props such as monster and alien costumes on display (such as those of the Daleks, the Ood, and more), a main entrance to the venue being through a TARDIS prop - complete with wheezing noises - and the theme tune also being audible. In one scene, Bradley tells Stacey about the TV serial, The Invasion, in which he mentions the "classic TV moment" of the Cybermen emerging from their cocoons, and the fact that it was the first incomplete serial to be released with full animated reconstructions of the missing episodes.
In an episode broadcast on 27 April 2010, and discuss the recent outing of , during which Ricky mentions "the one from Doctor Who. The big yank, the gay one [who is] into all the musicals", prompting a surprised Charlie to remark "Gays in Doctor Who?! Wouldn't have happened in my day". Derek Martin, who played Charlie, worked as a stuntman on classic Who, making the line a possible in-joke.
In an episode broadcast on 24 October 2022, after Finlay and Felix Baker move in with and Whitney Dean, Chelsea is taken aback by how many boxes the pair have brought with them, considering they previously lived in a cramped flat with their uncle Mitch and the Taylors, prompting Chelsea to ask Mitch, flippantly, if their flat is the TARDIS.
In an episode broadcast on 20 January 2023, Stacey Slater recalls when she aborted Bradley Branning's baby back in 2006, remarking that the child would have been 16 years old now, "A little mini Bradley, excited about the new Doctor Who".
In an episode broadcast on 22 May 2023, Bobby Beale and Freddie Slater prepare for a pub quiz at the Queen Vic by brushing up on their general knowledge. Whilst working at the fish and chip shop, Bobby begins listing off actors who played the Doctor in chronological order, from William Hartnell to Tom Baker, before Freddie stops him, saying that he asked "Doctor Who?", not "Doctor Never Heard of 'Em". Sure enough, in the following day's episode (23 May), one of the questions in the quiz is "In 2005, who took over as the ninth Doctor Who?"
In the episode broadcast on 29 December 2023, the Queen Vic holds an end-of-year pub quiz, where Doctor Who is once again the subject of a question. Quizmaster Elaine Peacock asks; "Now, Doctor Who is the longest-running sci-fi programme in the world. What anniversary did it celebrate this year?"
== Connections ==
=== Crew ===
Doctor Whos connections to EastEnders are so great that they stretch right back to the two minds who created the soap, Julia Smith and Tony Holland; Smith directed the 1960s television serials, The Smugglers, and The Underwater Menace, being the second ever female director of a Who serial for the former.
Holland, meanwhile, acted on screen in The Savages, playing the Third Assistant.
David Ashton, who played Kendron in Timelash, was one of the show's earliest writers, writing for various storylines throughout the 1980s.
Colin Brake, a writer of various DWU novels, wrote for the series from 1992 to 1995.
Prolific Doctor Who pundit Andrew Collins wrote for the show from 2000 to 2002.
Michael Begley, who acted on screen as Mulligan in The Curse of the Black Spot and "All Ears" Alan Hogan in Fugitive of the Judoon, wrote for the show from 2010 to 2013, and then again from 2019 to 2020. He also had a minor on screen role in a 2013 episode, as a market inspector.
Johnny Candon, who wrote the Missy audio story, War Seed, was a writer for the series from 2018 to 2020.
=== Cast ===
: Highlighted rows indicate an actor who is currently appearing in the series as their listed character
==== 1980s ====
Actor 	DWU role(s) 	EastEnders role 	EastEnders duration 	Notes
Michael Attwell 	Isbur, Eregous Bates 	Kenny Beale 	1988 	
Ishia Bennison 	Frey Saxton 	Guizin Osman 	1985-1989 	
William Boyde 	Subject One 	 	1986–1989, 1992, 2017 	
June Brown 	Lady Eleanor, Dot Cotton, herself 	 	1985–1993, 1997–2020 	
Michael Cashman 	Andrew Bilton 	 	1986–1989, 2016, 2022 	
Michelle Collins 	Winnie Tyler, Kathryn McDonnell 	 	1988–1990, 1992–1998, 2023–present 	
Letitia Dean 	Sharon Watts 	 	1985-1995, 2001-2006, 2012-present 	
Peter Dean 	Sevateem 	 	1985–1993 	
Amerjit Deu 	See list 	Dr Singh 	1986-1987 	
Anita Dobson 	Eileen Klint, Mrs Flood 	 	1985-1988 	
Edna Dore 	Maeve Griffiths 	 	1988-1990 	
Leonard Fenton 	Casmus 	 	1985–1997, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2018−2019	Dr. Legg was mentioned in Dimensions in Time, but did not appear.
Leslie Grantham 	Kiston 	 	1985–1989, 2003–2005 	
John Hallam 	Light 	Barnsey Barnes 	1988-1990 	
Jane How 	Rebec 	Jan Hammond 	1986–1987, 2002–2003 	
Richard Ireson 	Clockwork soldier, Axus 	Reg Sparrow 	1987-1988 	
Oscar James 	Saracen warrior (TV: The Crusade) 	 	1985-187 	
Ronny Jhutti 	Danny Bartock 	Sohail Karim 	1988-1990 	
Gareth Potter 	Shaun Jones 	 	1986 	
Gary Powell 	Dev Ashton 	 	1989-1990 	
Peter Purves 	Steven Taylor 	Martin Hunter 	1987 	
Mike Reid 	Frank Butcher, uncredited roles (See list)	 	1987–2000, 2002, 2005 	
Wendy Richard 	Pauline Fowler, herself 	 	1985-2006 	
Pamela Salem 	See list 	 	1988-1989 	
Leslie Schofield 	Leroy, Calib 	Brian Wicks 	1988-1989 	Schofield later returned to the show in 1997 in the role of Jeff Healy.
Pam St. Clement 	Pat Butcher 	 	1986–2012, 2016 	
Jonathan Stratt 	Taxi driver 	Brad Williams 	1986-1989 	
Ron Tarr 	Slave (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) 	Big Ron 	1985-1997 	Tarr also played Big Ron in an unbroadcast scene in Dimensions in Time.
Gillian Taylforth	Kathy Beale 	 	1985-2000, 2015-present 	
Jason Watkins 	Webley, White Guardian, Barok 	Gerry Fairweather	1987-1988 	
Anna Wing 	Anatta 	 	1985-1988 	
Adam Woodyatt 	Ian Beale 	 	1985-present 	
Arnold Yarrow 	Bellal 	Benny Bloom 	1988-1989 	
Matilda Ziegler 	Chatura Sharma 	 	1987-1989 	
==== 1990s ====
Actor 	DWU role(s) 	EastEnders role 	EastEnders duration 	Notes
Holly Atkins 	Heidi Stafford 	Carrie Swann 	1998-1999 	
Richard Beale 	Refusian, Bat Masterson, Minister of Ecology 	Jackie Stone 	1990-1991 	
Gemma Bissix 	Aglae 	 	1993-1998, 2008 	
Tony Caunter 	Thatcher, Colony, Jackson 	 	1994-2003 	
Stephen Churchett 	Bill 	Marcus Christie 	1990–1991, 1993, 1996–2004, 2014–2015	
Karl Collins 	Shaun Temple 	Craven 	1992 	
Mary Conlon 	Celia Dunthorpe, Hilary 	Eibhlin O'Donnell 	1991 	
Lindsey Coulson 	Val Cane 	 	1993–1997, 1999, 2010–2015 	
Brian Croucher 	Borg, Kurt, Cotton 	 	1995-1997 	
Daniela Denby-Ashe	Mary 	Sarah Hills 	1995-1999 	
Janet Dibley 	Pavo 	 	1997-1998, 2016 	
Shirley Dixon 	Skagra's ship 	Audrey Wittingham 	1993 	
Nicola Duffett 	Bronwen Jones 	 	1993-1995 	
Russell Floyd 	Gerry Lenz, Rilke 	Michael Rose 	1996-1999 	
Mona Hammond 	Rita-Anne Smith 	 	1994-1997, 2010 	
Amanda Holden 	Herself 	Carmen 	1994 	
Louise Jameson 	Leela 	 	1998-2000 	Jameson previously appeared on the EastEnders set as Leela in Dimensions in Time.
Shobu Kapoor 	Gita Kapoor, scared woman, Sai Chopra 	 	1993-1998 	
Ross Kemp 	Grant Mitchell 	 	1990–1999, 2005–2006, 2016 	
Edmund Kente 	Mr Scoones 	George Lawler 	1990-1991 	
Francis Magee 	Stuart, Karter 	Liam Tyler 	1993-1995 	
Joseph Marcell 	John 	Adrian Bell 	1992 	
Petra Markham 	Safiya, Annie 	Rose Chapman 	1993 	
Jacquetta May 	N/A 	Rachel Kominski 	1991-1993 	May wrote the Torchwood episode, Random Shoes.
Steve McFadden 	Phil Mitchell 	 	1990-2003, 2005-present 	
Michael Melia 	Terileptil leader 	Eddie Royle 	1990-1991 	
Colin McCormack 	Commander 	Kevin Masters 	1991 	
Jonny Lee Miller 	Fruit-bearing child (TV: Kinda) 	Jonathan Hewitt 	1992 	
Tamzin Outhwaite 	Alice Ferrin, Morton 	 	1998-2002, 2018-2019 	
Francois Pandolfo 	Quintus 	Enrico di Clemente	1999 	
John Pickard 	Thomas Brewster 	Kevin 	1993-1996 	
Elizabeth Power 	Londonner (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians) 	 	1992-1993 	
Ian Reddington 	Chief clown, Nobody No-One 	 	1992-1994 	
Leslie Schofield 	Leroy, Calib 	Jeff Healy 	1997-2000 	Schofield previously played Brian Wicks in the 1980s.
Adele Silva 	Squeak 	Beth 	1991 	
Nicola Stapleton 	Mandy Salter 	 	1992-1994, 2011-2012 	
Roberta Taylor 	Berengaria, Angela Wisher, Louisa von der Eck	 	1997-2000 	
Ellen Thomas 	Clockwork Droid, Carmen 	Pearl Chadwick 	1990 	This is the first of four roles that Thomas has played in the series.
Barbara Windsor 	Peggy Mitchell 	 	1994–2010, 2013–2016 	
==== 2000s ====
Actor 	DWU role(s) 	EastEnders role 	EastEnders duration 	Notes
Zahra Ahmadi 	Missy (Nightmare in Silver) 	 	2007-2008 	Fellow DWU alumni Rakhee Thakrar took over the role of Shabnam in 2014.
Kacey Ainsworth 	Jill Kerr 	 	2000-2006 	
Daniel Anthony 	Clyde Langer 	 	2004 	
Marcia Ashton 	Karna 	Doris Moisey 	2002-2003 	
Eloise Barnes 	Annabel Arden 	Hannah Reynolds 	2009 	
Lynda Baron 	Captain Wrack, Val 	 	2006, 2008–2009, 2016 	
Gary Beadle 	Paul Langer 	 	2001-2004 	
Daisy Beaumont 	Maisie Pitt 	Selina Branning 	2008 	
Hywel Bennett 	Rynian 	Jack Dalton 	2003 	
Tony Boncza 	Scriven 	Ashley Jennings 	2008 	
Tracy Brabin 	The Queen 	Roxy Drake 	2001 	
Patricia Brake 	Nan 	Deirdre Foster 	2004 	
Ray Brooks 	David, Third Drax 	 	2005-2007 	
Robert Cavanah 	President Gilbert 	Tommy Grant 	2004 	
Jamie Cho 	Colonel Chan 	Aikido Instructor 	2005 	
Judy Cornwell 	Maddy 	Queenie Trott 	2007-2008 	
Lauren Crace 	Jemima 	 	2008-2009 	
Dona Croll 	Matron Casp 	Joy Lucas 	2006 	
Pamela Cundell 	N/A 	Nora Swann 	2005-2006 	
Phil Daniels 	Geoffrey Plum 	 	2006-2008 	
Leena Dhingra 	Miss Chandrakala, Nani Umbreen. 	Manju Patel 	2007 	
Matt di Angelo 	Fitz Kreiner 	 	2006-2008, 2014-2016, 2023-present 	
Shaun Dooley 	Epzo 	Reverend Tom Stuart 	2001-2002 	
Amanda Drew 	Mouri 	 	2006-2008 	
Madeline Duggan 	Sash 	 	2006-2010 	
Sharon Duncan-Brewster	Margaret Cain 	Trina Johnson 	2009 	
Tom Ellis 	Thomas Milligan 	Oliver Cousins 	2006 	
Christopher Ellison 	Morian 	Len Harker 	2007 	
Nabil Elouahabi 	Esteban Aribi 	Tariq Larousi 	2003-2005 	
Cheryl Fergison 	Mrs Lloyd 	 	2007-2012, 2016 	
Meryl Fernandes 	Female student 	 	2009-2012 	
Alex Ferns 	Mr Parks 	 	2000-2002 	
Don Gilet 	Lance Bennett 	 	2008–2010, 2016, 2020–2021, 2024 	
Matt Green 	BBC reporter 	Gordon Lewis 	2005 	
Roger Griffiths 	Kess 	Detective Inspector Christopher Riddick	2004-2005 	Griffiths later returned to the show in 2018 in the role of Mitch Baker.
Ricky Groves 	Markus Creevy 	 	2000-2009 	
Shobna Gulati 	Najia Khan 	Ameena Badawi 	2000 	
Jill Halfpenny 	David's mam 	 	2002-2005 	
Sheila Hancock 	Helen A 	Barbara Owen 	2000-2001 	
Melvyn Hayes 	Wilkin 	Michael Rawlins 	2005 	
Nicky Henson 	Pieter Stubbe, Dick Turpin, Gregson Grenville	Jack Edwards 	2006 	
Dave Hill 	Nessican 	Bert Atkinson 	2006-2007, 2017 	
Ram John Holder 	Joseph Roberts 	Cedric Lucas 	2006 	
Tim Hudson 	Tar-Modowk Leader 	Brendan Hughs 	2007 	
Gareth Hunt 	Arak 	Ritchie Stringer 	2001 	
Raji James 	Rajesh Singh 	Ash Ferreira 	2003-2005 	
Rory Jennings 	Tommy Connolly 	Craig Dixon 	2007 	
Jo Joyner 	Lynda Moss, Fenicein, Tanya Cross 	 	2006–2013, 2015, 2017–2018 	
Michael Keating 	Goudry 	Reverend George Stevens 	2005-2013, 2015-2017 	
Paul Keating 	Isaac George 	James Mackie 	2009 	
Ashley Kumar 	See list 	Todd Taylor 	2009-2010 	
Josie Lawrence 	Gaznak 	 	2009-2010 	
Joseph Marcell 	John 	Aubrey Valentine 	2006 	
Derek Martin 	N/A 	 	2000–2011, 2013, 2016, 2018 	Martin was a reoccurring stuntman on classic Doctor Who.
Forbes Masson 	Kindred, Kurt 	Rod Morris 	2000 	
Daniel Mays 	Alex Thompson 	Kevin 	2000 	
Neil McDermott 	Jed 	 	2009–2011, 2014, 2016, 2023 	
Shona McGarty 	Herself 	 	2008-present 	
Lloyd McGuire 	Lugo, Tendexter 	Dom Shaw 	2004 	
Ron Moody 	Arthur Wellesley 	Edwin Caldecott 	2003 	
Robyn Moore 	June Turner 	Shirley Benson 	2003-2004 	
Cathy Murphy 	Mum (The Christmas Invasion) 	Trisha Taylor 	2005 	
Ben Nealon 	Clive Freeman 	Alex Harkinson 	2003 	
Giles New 	Douwemout Van Der Meer, Nehemiah Hawnch 	PC Lance 	2006, 2008-2011 	
Cyril Nri 	See list 	DS Burton 	2001-2002 	
Maggie O'Neill 	Lysandra Aristedes 	 	2008 	
Tracy-Ann Oberman 	Yvonne Hartman 	 	2004-2005 	
Belinda Owusu 	Woman with pram 	 	2006-2010, 2014-2017 	
Himesh Patel 	Dendry, Ayrton Valencia, Engineer 	 	2007-2016 	
Pooky Quesnel 	Captain, Dorothea Ames 	Rachel Branning 	2007-2010 	
Sian Reeves 	Tanna, Mrs Higgins 	Elaine Jarvis 	2006 	
Shane Richie 	Himself, Drax 	 	2002–2005, 2010–2016, 2018–2019, 2022–present	
Maurice Roëves 	Stotz 	Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Morton 	2003 	
Lee Ross 	Boatswain 	 	2006, 2009 	
Michelle Ryan 	Christina de Souza 	 	2000-2005 	
Naomi Ryan 	Cassandra 	Police Constable Myra Sim 	2007, 2009 	
Pooja Shah 	Miss Shah, Navarch Al-Hanin 	Kareena Ferreira 	2003-2005 	
Sadie Shimmin 	Seer, Controller 	Sue Miller 	2001 	
Chook Sibtain 	See list 	Jack Robbins 	2000-2001 	
Corinne Skinner 	Technician (TV: Inferno) 	Audrey Trueman 	2000-2001 	
Bindya Solanki 	Sonali Akhtar, Tahira Khan 	Nina Mistry 	2001-2003, 2019 	
Mark Springer 	Christian 	Bryan Nolan 	2006 	
Una Stubbs 	Flo 	Caroline Bishop 	2006 	
Sylvia Syms 	Margaret Pritchard 	Olive Woodhouse 	2007, 2009-2010 	
Mary Tamm 	Romana I 	Orlenda 	2009 	
Elaine Tan 	Jagganth Daiki-Nagata 	Li Chong 	2006-2007 	
Ellen Thomas 	Clockwork Droid, Carmen 	Estella Hulton 	2002 	This is the second of four roles that Thomas has played in the series.
Ramon Tikaram 	Vikram Shindi, Colin Colchester-Price 	Qadim Shah 	2009-2012 	
Nina Toussaint-White 	Mels Zucker, Brooke 2 	Syd Chambers 	2009 	
Nina Wadia 	Dr Ramsden 	 	2007-2013 	
Rudolph Walker 	Harper, Patrick Trueman 	 	2001-present 	
Jessie Wallace 	Kat Slater 	 	2000–2005, 2010–2016, 2018–present 	
David Walliams 	Quincy Flowers, Gibbis 	Ray Collins 	2003 	
Nick Wilton 	See list 	Mr Lister 	2008–2013, 2016–2018, 2020–2022 	
Jake Wood 	Max Branning 	 	2006-2021 	
Angela Wynter 	Cherry Sunday 	 	2003–2008, 2017, 2023–present 	
==== 2010s ====
Actor 	DWU role(s) 	EastEnders role 	EastEnders duration 	Notes
Anna Acton 	Kate Drury, Brox 	DC Emma Summerhayes 	2014-2015 	
Annette Badland 	Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen 	 	2014-2017 	
Charlie Baker 	Fat One 	Tim Reynolds 	2016 	
Glynis Barber 	Kathy Blake, Nicholaa de la Haye 	 	2010–2011, 2016–2017 	
Tim Bentinck 	The Monks 	Norman Pike 	2013 	
Ace Bhatti 	Haresh Chandra 	 	2010-2011 	
Saffron Coomber 	Elidir, Byrne 	Alexa Smith 	2012-2013 	
Doña Croll 	Matron Casp 	Emerald Fox 	2017 	
Emma Fielding 	Kisar 	Judith Thompson 	2018 	
Jamie Foreman 	Eddie Connolly 	 	2011-2012 	
Bradley Freegard 	Barry, Phil Patterson 	Gethin Williams 	2012 	
Davood Ghadami 	Jim 	 	2014-2021 	
Roger Griffiths 	Kess 	 	2018-2023 	Griffiths previously appeared in the show in 2004 and 2005 as Detective Inspector Christopher Riddick.
Clare Higgins 	Ohila 	Hazel Warren 	2015 	
Julia Hills 	See list 	Morag Morgan 	2018 	
Leila Hoffman 	Elsie Rossiter 	Freda 	2017, 2019 	
Shaheen Jafargholi 	Danny 	 	2016-2018 	
Martin Jarvis 	Nigel Rochester, Governor of Varos, Hilio 	Harvey Freeman 	2010 	
Arinzé Kene 	Orentino 	Connor Stanley 	2010-2011 	
Malachi Kirby 	Gastron 	Wayne Ladlow 	2014 	
Bonnie Langford 	Melanie Bush 	Carmel Kazemi 	2015-2018 	Langford previously appeared as Mel on the EastEnders set in Dimensions in Time.
George Layton 	Penn 	Norman Simmonds 	2011-2012 	
Linda Marlowe 	May Carlisle, Claire Spencer, Osloo, Gusta Pardo	Sylvie Carter 	2014-2017 	
Ashley McGuire 	Sergeant (The Red House) 	Bev Slater 	2018-2019 	
Pauline McLynn 	Mary 	Yvonne Cotton 	2014-2015 	
Aleksandar Mikic 	Yuri Kerenski 	Josef 	2013 	
Cathy Murphy 	Mum (The Christmas Invasion) 	Julie Perkins 	2010-2011 	Murphy previously appeared in 2005 in the role of Trishia Taylor.
Ricky Norwood 	Himself 	 	2010-2015, 2023 	
Tom Palmer 	Hutchinson 	Simon Atmore 	2016, 2021 	
Clare Perkins 	Nana Thompson 	Ava Hartman 	2012-2013 	
Carolyn Pickles 	Ollistra 	Delia Forde 	2016 	
Ned Porteous 	Zogroth (voice) 	 	2016 	
Selva Rasalingam 	Psychiatrist (Fragments), Ranjit 	Umar Kazemi 	2018 	
Jenna Russell 	Floor manager 	 	2016-2018 	
Andrew Sachs 	Skagra 	Cyril Bishop 	2015 	
Madhav Sharma 	Patel 	Arshad Ahmed 	2018-2019 	
Steve John Shepherd	Simon Devlin 	 	2010-2013 	
Michael Simkins 	Raxxil 	Steve Lowe 	2013 	
Chris Simmons 	Albert Potter 	Mark Garland 	2011 	
Anjela Lauren Smith	Genevieve Carrière 	Dinah Wilson 	2019 	
Maggie Steed 	Rana Zandusia 	Joyce Murray 	2017-2018 	
Steve Steen 	N/A 	Magic Marv 	2018 	Steen narrated the documentary, Resistance is Useless.
Rakhee Thakrar 	Bliss 	 	2014-2016 	Shabnam was previously played in the 2000s by fellow DWU alumni, Zahra Ahmadi.
Ellen Thomas 	Clockwork Droid, Carmen 	Grace Olubunmi, Claudette Hubbard	2010-2011 (Grace), 2015-2016 (Claudette)	These are the third and fourth roles that Thomas has played in the series.
Christopher Timothy	Professor Parry 	Ted Murray 	2017-2019 	
Paul Usher 	N/A 	Danny Hardcastle 	2019-2020 	
Joivan Wade 	Rigsy 	Jordan Johnson 	2016 	
Timothy West 	Ronald Turvey, Magnus Soames, Kai Tobias 	 	2014-2015 	
June Whitfield 	Minnie Hooper 	Sister Ruth 	2015-2016 	
Simon Williams 	Ian Gilmore 	Hugo Browning 	2017 	
==== 2020s ====
Actor 	DWU role(s) 	EastEnders role	EastEnders duration	Notes
Zaraah Abrahams 	Daphne Gold, Castellan, Kaled corporal, other Narvin	 	2020-present 	
Delroy Atkinson 	Wadmore 	Howie Danes 	2021-present 	
Peter Caulfield 	Dahh-Ren 	"Shifty" Shiv 	2023 	
Navin Chowdhry 	Indra Ganesh 	Nish Panesar 	2022-present 	
Elizabeth Counsell 	Abigail Woburn 	Gloria Knight 	2024-present 	
William Ellis 	Aldo Rega 	Theo Hawthorne 	2023 	
Robert Goodman 	Reg 	Priest 	2024 	
Christopher Fairbank	Doc Baroque, Pierre Aronnax, Fenton, Marc Brunel 	Eddie Knight 	2024-present 	
Sue Holderness 	Kala Tace 	Estelle Jones 	2021 	
Ben Jones 	Captain Pargrave 	Roger Peel 	2024 	
Patsy Kensit 	The Scorpion 	 	2023 	
Simone Lahbib 	Sylvia Brooks, Jamie McCrimmon's grandmother 	Katy Lewis 	2020-2021 	
Sarah Paul 	Miss Jerome 	Laura Awoyinka 	2020-2022 	
Christopher Pizzey 	Eddie Smith 	Malcolm Keeble 	2022 	Flashback episode.
George Russo 	Phillip 	Eric Mitchell 	2022 	Flashback episode.
Colin Salmon 	Doctor Moon, Salway 	George Knight 	2023-present 	
David Sterne 	Various 	Harold Martin 	2024 	
Harriet Thorpe 	Amelia, Tomek 	Elaine Peacock 	2023-present 	
==== Spinoffs ====
An online spinoff series, , ran from 2010 to 2011. Among the original set of characters to appear in the series were , Ava Bourne, and Ekin Beg; Sol was played by Tosin Cole, who would go on to play Thirteenth Doctor companion, Ryan Sinclair; Ava was played by Sophie Colquhoun, who went on to voice Madrigal in Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy; and Ekin was played by Hemi Yeroham, who went on to play Abdul in The Church on Ruby Road.
For Children in Need in 2010, EastEnders had a special crossover minisode with rival soap, Coronation Street, titled . Among the then-present Coronation Street actors to reprise their roles for the crossover were Julie Hesmondhalgh (Judy Maddox in Kerblam!) as , Shobna Gulati (Najia Khan in Arachnids in the UK, as well as a former EastEnders guest actor) as , and Helen Worth (Mary Ashe in Colony in Space) as .
The 2017 spinoff, , featured Ian McElhinney as Lance Byrne, three years before he played Ko Sharmus in Ascension of the Cybermen and The Timeless Children.
=== Miscellaneous ===
EastEnders and its extensive shared cast with DWU media is a subject within the BBC Books publication, Who-ology: The Official Miscellany, under the section "Soap Who", which contains an extensive (by the time of publication) list of cast members shared with televised Doctor Who.
==== Festive specials ====
EastEnders traditionally broadcasts extended episodes on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, in time slots that are typically adjacent to Doctor Whos own festive specials, resulting in the two shows competing against each other in the ratings.
For Christmas Day schedules, EastEnders have typically ended up with higher overnight ratings than Doctor Who, with only The Time of the Doctor and The Husbands of River Song managing to score higher in their respective years. New Year's Day ratings, meanwhile, have historically worked in Doctor Whos favour, with only Part 2 of The End of Time failing to outdo EastEnders in 2010.
Category:Real world series with DWU connections
Category:Television overviews