List of EastEnders: E20 characters

Cast table

Main characters

Series 1

• Zsa Zsa Carter. She is the blue-haired niece of regular EastEnders character Shirley Carter. She is a beautiful, funky and outspoken tomboy who is very bright, but does not like to accept anyone's help. She has a dislike of authority and does not care about other people. Zsa Zsa is similar to Shirley, though the writers said they did not plan this. The character changed greatly during the writing process and the writers were unsure who she was until filming started. She makes a cameo appearance in episode 1 of series 2 and is a regular character in EastEnders between January and September 2010.
• Fatboy. He avoids being his real self by creating personas for himself, as he dislikes his real name and puts on a mask with his current and most sustained persona, Fatboy, a brash wheeler-dealer. He uses a lot of street slang, gets on well with his parents and gets what he wants from them. Fatboy also appears as a recurring character in series 2 of EastEnders: E20, and is one of four characters from the second series to have an official account on social networking site Twitter. He also appears in series 3. Fatboy was a regular character in EastEnders between January 2010 and December 2015.
• Mercy Olubunmi. She lives with her grandmother, from whom she is keeping a huge secret. A "good girl", she felt abandoned when her parents moved back to Nigeria. She is strong-willed, bound within her faith and motherly, but takes on other people's problems too much. She makes a cameo appearance in episode 1 of series 2 and is a regular character in EastEnders from May 2010 to June 2011.
• Leon Small. He is a boxer with a lack of respect for authority and is quick to anger, but is also described as effortlessly cool, strong-minded and sexy. His mother died when he was a child and he was left in charge of his alcoholic father, with whom he has a rocky relationship, which Attwater said is the character's weakness. He makes a cameo appearance in episode 1 of series 2 and is a regular character in EastEnders between January and September 2010.

  Series 2

• Asher Levi. He is described as charming and sexy with the talent to make him a star. Thompson described the character as very confident and said that looking after his younger brother Sol has "taken a toll on him." He finds it difficult to refuse easy money as his brother and mother complicate things for him. Prior to his arrival in the series, he has been recently released from jail for theft, but has become a street dancer to keep him away from crime.
• Stevie Dickinson. She is the privately educated daughter of rich parents who have abandoned her to go travelling. She is creative, empathetic, quirky, forward, lovely, eccentric, naïve and a daydreamer who lacks common sense but has bursts of assertiveness and intelligence. Stevie is one of four characters who has an official profile on social networking site Twitter.
• Naz Mehmet. She is of Turkish descent and is described as being "torn between two worlds". Hussen described her as a family girl but wants to have fun, and said she is confident, but is also a daddy's girl. She is the apple of her father's eye and he sees her as a perfect student. Naz is one of four characters who has an official profile on social networking site Twitter. Naz also appears in series 3, along with Sol.
• Sol Levi. He is Asher's younger brother and is described as shy and loyal but has a bad temper and hides his feelings with violence. Cole described him as thoughtful, soft, easily hurt and dependent, and said he is reserved, finds it difficult to function without Asher and likes his family to be together. Asher has looked after Sol all his life and as a result, Sol finds it difficult to establish his own identity. Sol also appears in series 3, along with Naz.

  Series 3

• Faith Olubunmi. She is Mercy's younger sister, who was sent to Nigeria by their grandmother "to get back on the straight and narrow, but she is back and worse than ever!" She is described as someone who can be "an incredible amount of fun and excitement, and she has a cheekiness that charms most people. But she's not nearly as bright as she thinks she is—she can sometimes be reckless and downright dangerous. When Faith runs into Donnie and Ava, she sees it as her chance to cause even more mischief!" Faith also has a profile on Twitter.
• Donnie Lester. His mother is absent from his life and his father is in prison, meaning he has spent a lot of time in care. He is described as "a boy of few words, but it'd be a mistake to get on the wrong side of him as he's got a temper. All Donnie wants is to get out of the system and look after his little sister Riley. However, when he meets Ava, something inside him changes—suddenly Riley isn't the only one he wants to care for..."
• Ava Bourne. She is described as "a closed book can look after herself." She has spent time in care, but because she comes across as certain, definite and hard, people think she is stuck up. She has a cool and brittle façade, but has a secret past which she is constantly trying to get away from. In the series is it revealed that her real name is Olivia Bryan and she was involved in an arson attack on a house she thought was empty. She is also raped by her keyworker, Richard.

  Recurring characters and ''EastEnders'' character cameos

Introduced in series 1

• Andy – the ex partner of Zsa Zsa's mother. In episode 1 he chases after Zsa Zsa and assumes she is inside 89b George Street. He shouts that he wants his money and dumps her belongings in the street, dropping his satellite navigation system. Lucy points out where Zsa Zsa is hiding, so Andy chases after her again. He is beaten up by Leon, allowing Zsa Zsa to get away. Returning to his car, he realises his sat nav has gone. When he sees Zsa Zsa, Leon, Mercy and Fatboy, he chases them in his car as they run into 89b George Street, and demands his sat nav back, which Fatboy found. Zsa Zsa throws it out of the window and tells Andy to leave.
• Zainab Masood – Zainab appears in episode 1 when Zsa Zsa runs past her, then Andy, who is chasing Zsa Zsa, runs into her. She also appears in series 2, where in episode 3, she attends a dance class run by Roger, but assumes Asher is Roger as Roger is late. When Roger arrives, Asher runs off with the money and Zainab finds him, telling him to keep the money but advising him to stick to dancing rather than stealing. In series 3, Zainab is against a hostel being in her neighbourhood, and forces Faith, Donnie and Ava to clean up after two of them cause mayhem across Albert Square.
• Benjamin – The church's youth minister who works with Mercy on her project to bring younger people to the church. In episode 1 he is disappointed when Fatboy shows his website plans. In episode 2 Fatboy greets him and his wife Celia in the church, and in episode 3 he visits Mercy in the café and says her grandmother is worried about her spending so much time with her new friends. She then asks him to lend her £20. In episode 8 he speaks to Mercy about her project. Fatboy speaks to him about Mercy being in trouble, which Benjamin thinks means she has a new boyfriend. Later, Mercy tells him she is pregnant by him. In episode 10, he approaches Mercy saying they need to talk, but she sends him away. When Mercy suffers a miscarriage, Fatboy brings Benjamin to the flat but Mercy is already on her way to the hospital. At the hospital in episode 11, Benjamin tells Mercy it worked out for the best, leaving her annoyed. He tells her not to worry about the website as she has been through a lot.
• Lucas Johnson – Lucas holds services and Bible classes at the Community Centre in episodes 1 and 2.
• Lucy Beale – In episode 1 Lucy is in 89b George Street with Leon. They kiss passionately until they are interrupted by Andy looking for Zsa Zsa. Lucy points out where Zsa Zsa is, upsetting Leon, who says they are over. In episode 2, the gang attempt to steal Lucy's keys by pretending that Mercy is drunk so that Lucy drops her bag, which Zsa Zsa returns when Lucy is in the café's toilet. Zsa Zsa tells Lucy she hates her.
• Celia – Benjamin's wife, who appears alongside him at the church in episodes 1 and 2.
• Mo Harris – In episode 1, Fatboy attempts to sell Mo items he found on the street that actually belong to Zsa Zsa, and she is interested until Fatboy offers her an old toy. In episode 12, she sees Fatboy, Zsa Zsa and Leon leaving Albert Square in a milk float they have stolen.
• Masood Ahmed – In episode 1, Masood appears when Fatboy attempts to sell him Zsa Zsa's belongings that he found but he leaves when Leon interrupts. Masood also appears in series 2. In episode 2, he is on the tube clutching his rucksack and Stevie suspects he is a terrorist, and tells him that love can heal his pain but Naz pulls her away. Later, a drunken Stevie apologises and when Masood notices she is cold and wet, he offers her his coat. In episode 4, Stevie returns the coat to Masood while he is working on the market and she attempts to flirt, however, it is a disaster. After Naz gives her tips, she goes back and flirts again, and asks if Masood has any work going. He asks her to come back tomorrow and Stevie thinks her flirting was successful so goes over the top and flashes him her bra. In episode 6 he comes out during the power cut and asks why Stevie's is the only flat with electricity. In episode 10, Stevie tells him that one day they will have tea together and kisses him before running off. In episode 1 of series 3, Masood gives Ava free food when she tells him she has been mugged, though it is a lie.
• Heather Trott – Zsa Zsa runs into Heather in episode 2 and recognises her baby son George from a photo. In episode three, Zsa Zsa visits Heather in the launderette and steals Heather's purse while she is on the telephone. Leon goes into the launderette, stripping to his boxer shorts and leaving Heather embarrassed. Heather realises her purse is missing but Zsa Zsa returns it, saying she found it on the street. In episode 6, Heather asks Zsa Zsa to babysit George. In episode 9, she suggests that Zsa Zsa go back to stay with her mother after Shirley asks her to go home. She also appears in series 2, where in episode 3, Asher and Sol go into the launderette and she thinks they are going to rob her.
• George Trott – Heather's baby. He appears in episodes 2, 5 and 6.
• Jane Beale – In episode 2, Jane is working in the café where Fatboy attempts to chat her up. She also appears in series 2. In episode 3 she is seen briefly talking to a girl outside the café, and in episode 8 she confronts Asher about some trainers he sold to her step son. He says he does not give refunds so she snatches his wallet and takes some money out but he snatches it back. Jane tells PC Adams and his colleague that Asher is a thief and they chase after him. In episode 10, Asher tells Jane he will refund her, and when Sol calls him, she lets him go.
• Malcolm Small – Leon's alcoholic father who kicked him out before the start of the series. He phones Leon in episode 3 and Leon says he could be charged with grievous bodily harm. He first appears in episode 4 when he leaves the police station and phones Leon, but Leon does not answer. He interrupts Leon's training session at the community centre and asks for his money back. Leon does not know what he means but they go back to the flat and Malcolm punches Leon, taking the money Leon and his friends have saved. In episode 5, Leon gets a call to say Malcolm is in hospital. In episode 9, Leon visits him but he has discharged himself, and does not answer his phone.
• Coach Roberts – Leon's boxing coach. He appears during episode 4 while Leon is training and attends Leon's boxing match in episode 12. Zsa Zsa turns up late and Coach Roberts tells her was missed his fight and he has gone.
• Ian Beale – In episode 4, Fatboy and Mercy ask Ian for patties in his chip shop, and Fatboy accuses him of racism. He shows a potential tenant around 89b George Street while Zsa Zsa and Leon are hiding in a wardrobe, and Ian inadvertently locks them in it. In episode 12, he sees a party going on at 89b George Street and attempts to stop it. When the police arrive, they ask if it is his flat and when he confirms it, he looks worried that they will arrest him.
• Nurse Warren – A nurse who Mercy consults about abortion in episode 5. She also appears in episode 9 of series 2, where she is caring for Sol and Asher's mother Caroline.
• Shirley Carter – Zsa Zsa's aunt. In episode 5, she sees Zsa Zsa and tells her to leave as there is nothing for her there. In episode 7, Shirley answers the door to Leon and tells him Zsa Zsa's father is dead, as Zsa Zsa said she is visiting him. In episode 9, she pays Zsa Zsa to leave. In episode 11, Leon goes to Shirley's house looking for Zsa Zsa, but Shirley says Zsa Zsa has probably left Walford. In episode 12, Zsa Zsa runs past Shirley who tells Zsa Zsa she is going in the wrong direction, and Zsa Zsa returns the money Shirley paid her.
• Tamwar Masood – Tamwar is seen in episode 8 when Mercy asks him for help with her project. Later, Fatboy sees them talking and accuses Tamwar of sleeping with Mercy and getting her pregnant. Tamwar also appears in series 2, where in episode 3, he delivers a curry to Stevie but finds her waiting in bed as she was expecting his father Masood who she had an erotic dream about. Tamwar takes the curry back when Stevie is unable to pay. In episode 5, Naz flirts with Tamwar, then asks if he would give her some food for free, saying if he does, one day he can touch her breasts.
• Grace Olubunmi – Mercy's grandmother, who is credited in series 1 as Mrs Olubunmi. She will fund Mercy's college education if her church project is successful. Mercy phones her in episode 1 to say she is not coming home, and in episode 2 Mercy has 12 missed calls from her, as she is upset about Fatboy's website design for the project. Mercy speaks to her and then Fatboy tells her everything will be fine. She appears in episode 8 at the community centre, saying she has barely seen Mercy in the past week, that Fatboy is a bad influence on her and that Mercy thinks she is grown up but she is just a child. She reappears in EastEnders following Mercy's transition into the main show, played by Ellen Thomas. Thomas also appears as Grace in series 3, along with her granddaughter Faith, where, in episode 1, she ejects Faith from her home, forcing her to squat in 3 Albert Square.
• Patrick Trueman – Fatboy convinces Patrick to sell him alcohol from his shop, the Minute Mart, despite having no identification. He also appears in series 2, where in episode 3, Stevie attempts to buy drinks from the shop but her payment card is declined. In episode 5, Naz goes to the shop asking for products that Patrick does not sell, and he asks her not to shop there any more. She later asks if he has seen Stevie.
• Libby Fox – In episode 9, Fatboy sees Libby walking down the street and makes up a story about her.