EastEnders have a new star joining the cast - and she’s a familiar face to soap fans. Doctors actress Bharti Patel will be joining EastEnders for the guest role of Maya Houssain.
Fans will know Bharti from Doctors where she plays Ruhma Carter, a role she first took on in 2015.
Bharti’s character Maya arrives in Walford and sparks an unlikely friendship with cab driver Harvey (Ross Boatman). The pair soon bond over their mutual love of football, and Harvey is delighted to make another friend with similar interests after Rocky and Mitch’s recent departures.
Maya will make her first appearance in Albert Square on Wednesday 29th May.
During the Wednesday episode, Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman) bumps into Maya by mistake and agrees to take her cab fare. The two hit it off as they are both avid Tottenham Hotspur fans
Having agreed to meet him for a pint, Martin Fowler (James Bye) abandons Harvey to look after troubled Zack Hudson (James Farrar); however, things look up when Maya arrives.
She's brought Harvey a vintage football programme and they happily chat about the beautiful game. Harvey introduces Maya to Jean Slater (Gillian Wright), who is polite but leaves them to their conversation to join suspicious Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace).
Bharti however is more well-known for starring in Doctors. Her character is a midwife at The Mill and married her co-worker Heston Carter (played by Owen Brenman) in 2017 and was devastated when he passed away in a car accident a year later.
Bharti is currently still in Doctors on-screen - but the cast have wrapped filming after the show was axed by the BBC in 2023.
Doctors will continue to run until December 2024 when the soap will finish.
Also in EastEnders next week, Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) returns to Walford and reveals to his family that he's dying - but his soon-to-be ex-wife Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) can’t help but wonder if he’s lying.
Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) and Anna Knight (Molly Rainford) try to convince Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) to give George Knight (Colin Salmon) another chance while he tries to cope with a crowd at The Vic single-handedly. But when Elaine returns, she’s horrified to see Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) together behind her bar.
Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) tells Peter Beale (Thomas Law) she appreciates his unconditional support and agrees to spend the evening with him.
