A five-year-old deafblind child actor made his acting debut in EastEnders tonight, playing a pre-school boy named Arlo who paid a visit to Lauren and Peter Beale. Harvey Hind’s mum Kimberly expressed hope that his appearance will set a fantastic example for other disabled children.
Scenes tonight saw Arlo and his mum call round to see the Beales, after their child Jimmy was revealed to be blind last year.
Arlo’s mum gave the long-running characters advice on raising a blind child, and reassured them about Jimmy’s future.
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Speaking via the charity Sense, who support disabled children and adults with complex needs, Kimberly Hind said: “I hope Harvey featuring in EastEnders shows other disabled children, especially those who are deafblind, that they can achieve anything.
“Harvey loves being in the spotlight but for us the most important thing will always be raising awareness and breaking down barriers so every disabled child gets the same opportunities as anyone else.”
Of the experience on set, she added: “Harvey did amazingly at the filming, I’m so proud of him. There were four cameras on him but he took it all in his stride.”
Harvey, who was the face of Sense’s 2025 Christmas appeal, was diagnosed as blind at three months old. He uses a red-and-white striped cain, uses BSL to communicate and has cochlear implants, which give him access to sound.
BBC
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“I was so anxious when I found out Harvey was deafblind, so his character’s storyline resonated with me a lot,” Kimberly added.
“I didn’t have any experience with disability and I kept imagining the worst-case scenarios. Luckily, with the support of organisations like Sense, Harvey is now a really happy child who is eager to learn, loves exploring and has a cheeky personality.”
Tonight’s episode also saw Lauren and Peter being shocked to learn how much it would cost for Jimmy to attend a specialist nursery.
Elsewhere, Billy began to grow concerned about Bea’s obsession with his family, and Josh continued to push for answers about Jasmine.
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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