EastEnders newcomer Jamie Bamber, who plays Ned Hawkins, has revealed that his character shares a "complicated history" with Nicola Mitchell, including a secret no one else knows. The actor, known for BBC's Beyond Paradise and Battlestar Galactica, also shared his thoughts on joining the soap.
First impressions of Walford
Jamie, 53, said Walford is one of the most iconic sets he has ever stepped on in a career spanning nearly 30 years. "Seeing it in person for the first time was a real thrill," he said. "What struck me most is how real it feels. It doesn't feel like a television set at all. It genuinely feels like a place. Because it's so lived in and familiar, it does a lot of the work for you as an actor."
He particularly enjoys filming in The Queen Vic. "I love filming in The Queen Vic because it's where so many characters and storylines collide," Jamie said. "As Ned is new to Walford, a lot of his early scenes involve him observing people and taking everything in. The Vic is perfect for that because you get to watch the entire community interact around you."
A surprise mentor and familiar faces
Despite his experience, Jamie was surprised to be given a mentor when he started filming. New cast members are assigned a current cast member as a chaperone, and Jamie's mentor was Ian Beale actor Adam Woodyatt. "I'd never experienced getting a mentor before on a job and wondered whether, at my age, it might be a bit late in life to suddenly get a mentor!" he said. "I was genuinely touched because Adam came in on my very first day, despite it being his day off, just to introduce himself. He even stayed to watch my first take to make sure I was okay."
Jamie is joined by new cast members including Holby City star Patricia Potter, Marian McLoughlin, Anna Constable and Felix Uff, who make up the Hawkins family. This isn't Jamie's first time working with Patricia, who plays his character Ned's wife Gemma, also the sister of existing character Nicola Mitchell. "We first crossed paths around 30 years ago when we briefly overlapped at drama school, and then we worked together on my second professional job, The Scarlet Pimpernel," Jamie said. "I've always admired Patricia's work and energy, so knowing I was coming into the show with someone whose company I already enjoyed made the whole experience much less daunting."
Starstruck moments and Ned's debut
Jamie said filming alongside some of the soap's biggest icons has left him pinching himself. "My first scene featured several EastEnders legends, including Letitia Dean, Michelle Collins and Gillian Taylforth," he revealed. "I was mostly sitting there watching these incredible actors do what they do best. At one point, I genuinely had an out-of-body experience and thought, 'What am I doing here?' These are characters and actors that have been part of British television history for decades. It felt surreal, but also incredibly special."
Ned makes his debut next week, with some of the family already onscreen briefly. Ned and Gemma head to Walford, followed by Gemma's mother Rose, her sister Jodie, and Gemma and Ned's son Ryder. Ned is caught in the middle of his sister-in-law Nicola's feud with her mother Rose, leaving the Hawkins desperate to heal their rift. Ned also reconnects with his old friend Alfie Moon, who owns The Queen Vic with his wife Kat Slater.
A complex character with secrets
While Ned initially appears as the perfect man, Jamie warns upcoming scenes could change this perception. "Ned is somebody who appears very put together. He's enjoyed a great deal of success in life, but when we meet him, everything has fallen apart and he's having to start again," he said. "Ned certainly presents himself as the image of the perfect man, and he's somebody who places a great deal of importance on maintaining appearances. Often, when someone works that hard to keep up appearances, it's because there's more going on beneath the surface. 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."
Jamie also hints that there is a secret Ned and Nicola are keeping to themselves, which viewers will not be let in on for the time being. "It's clear that Ned and Nicola know each other extremely well, but there's also something unspoken between them," he said. "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 Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
