EastEnders newcomer Jamie Bamber has opened up about his real-life connection to his character Ned Hawkins. The actor, known for playing Archie Hughes in Beyond Paradise, has joined the BBC One soap opera as Ned, the husband of Gemma Hawkins (Patricia Potter) and father of Ryder Hawkins (Felix Uff).
Arrival in Walford
It was announced last month that Nicola Mitchell's (Laura Doddington) estranged family were set to join her in Walford, much to her dismay. During Monday's (August 31) episode, Gemma arrived on Nicola's doorstep, and the bar owner agreed to let her, their sister Jodie (Anna Costable) and nephew Ryder stay, but only on the condition that their mum Rose (Marian McLoughlin) does not come along too.
Gemma agreed to those terms, but when her husband Ned unexpectedly showed up with Rose in tow, Nicola was left fuming and changed her mind about letting her relatives stay under her roof. It is yet to be revealed exactly why the family have been forced to leave their home.
Personal connection
Speaking at an EastEnders event, Jamie told press: "The Hawkins have been doing fine. They've been very successful. Ned's been running a successful business, they've had a house, they've had the cars and it all goes."
He added: "My family lived in Paris and my dad lost his job so we had to come back to London. We stayed with my mum's cousin in Harringay and I'm one of seven. We all showed up and she's a single mum with a daughter. We all stayed in this four bedroom house while we got established again and that's exactly what this family's doing which can be super stressful."
Jamie continued: "The Hawkins have made some crazy decisions to get to this point but there's nothing but love with this bunch but there's hopefully going to be a big question mark from the audience. Why is Ned not worried and why is he so together?"
Complex character
Jamie admitted that Ned is someone who places a "great deal of importance" on appearances but that viewers might soon see another side to him. "Often, when someone works that hard to keep up appearances, it's because there's more going on beneath the surface," he teased. "There's a real depth to him, and as the weeks go on, we'll start to peel back those layers and discover that Ned is a far more complex character than he first appears."
Ned's dynamic with his sister-in-law Nicola will also be one of interest, with Jamie confirming that there is something "unspoken" between the two characters. He added: "It's clear that Ned and Nicola know each other extremely well, but there's also something unspoken between them. There's a fascinating push-and-pull dynamic at play."
"You get the sense that there's something that binds them together just as strongly as something keeps them apart. There are secrets and a history that neither of them is willing to talk about openly. Over time, viewers will discover exactly what lies behind that complicated relationship."
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am.
