![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ee2.jpg\")
Patricia Potter, Jamie Bamber, and Marian McLoughlin as the Hawkins family on EastEnders. Pic: BBC<\/p>\n
The Hawkins clan are the estranged relatives of Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington), and their arrival will be accompanied by ‘old wounds’ and ‘complicated family dynamics.’<\/p>\n
The family will comprise Nicola\u2019s mother Rose \u2013 played by McLoughlin \u2013 and her sisters Gemma and Jodie, who will be portrayed by Potter and Constable, respectively.<\/p>\n
Bamber is also among the newcomers and will feature as Ned, the husband of Gemma, and the couple will be joined on the Square by their son Ryder (Uff).<\/p>\n
![\"Nicola](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_510176EastEnders.jpg\")
Nicola Mitchell, played by Laura Doddington. Pic: BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n
Ben Wadey, executive producer, said: ‘The Hawkins family are a fantastic addition to Walford.<\/p>\n
‘While the family shares a fierce loyalty to one another, decades of complicated history and Nicola\u2019s estrangement from them have left fractures within the family that are far from healed.<\/p>\n
‘We\u2019re all very excited for what we have planned for the family, and we can\u2019t wait for the audience to meet them.’<\/p>\n
Potter, who has appeared in medical soaps such as Holby City and Doctors, expressed how ‘delighted’ she is to be joining the ‘iconic show.’<\/p>\n
‘What a joy and a privilege to be working with such talented actors and wonderful people. I couldn\u2019t be more excited and grateful,’ she added.<\/p>\n
Bamber said: ‘When 12-year-old me rushed home from school in 1985 to catch the very first episode of EastEnders, I could never have dreamed that one day I\u2019d be walking onto the iconic Albert Square as a character myself.<\/p>\n
‘It\u2019s a privilege I don\u2019t take lightly, and I\u2019m thrilled to be making my mark on this crown jewel of my beloved BBC.’<\/p>\n
The actor is known for TV roles in shows such as NCIS, Beyond Paradise and Battlestar Galactica \u2013 and has also appeared in films including The Lair and Before I Sleep.<\/p>\n
McLoughlin, who will be playing his mother-in-law, said: ‘I feel so lucky to be joining such a brilliant cast and I can\u2019t wait for the viewers to meet the Hawkins family.<\/p>\n
‘Now in my 70s, this is an opportunity I never expected, and I am incredibly grateful to be part of such a cherished drama.’<\/p>\n
The actress has appeared in soaps such as Doctors, Hollyoaks, Casualty \u2013 and she had a minor role in EastEnders in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
Constable added: ‘Growing up watching EastEnders, I never thought a disabled actress like me could ever land a role like this. But here I am loud and proud and taking no prisoners in mine or Jodie\u2019s wake.’<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ee3.jpg\")
Anna Constable and Felix Uff are part of the Hawkins family joining EastEnders. Pic: BBC<\/p>\n
The actress has Noonan Syndrome, which is a rare genetic condition that can impact appearance and cause a range of problems including with vision and hearing, according to the NHS.<\/p>\n
Uff added that it is a ‘real privilege’ to join the long-running soap, which he described as ‘a staple of British culture.’<\/p>\n
Little is known about the Hawkins family besides their relationship to Nicola, who made her first appearance in Walford in 2024 and is the recent ex-wife of Teddy Mitchell.<\/p>\n
The formidable matriarch, who is the mother to Barney and Harry Mitchell, is currently dating George Knight (Colin Salmon). Their daughter Ivy was born in April.<\/p>\n
Over the past weeks, viewers have seen their relationship put to the test as Nicola struggles with raising a newborn while George battles deep emotional turmoil tied to the recent death of his abusive adoptive father.<\/p>\n
EastEnders is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There’s about to be a new family to get to know on EastEnders! Jamie Bamber, Marian McLoughlin and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":580163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[93,61,60,282],"class_list":["post-580162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}