EastEnders newcomer Jamie Bamber teases dark secrets behind Ned Hawkins’ arrival

Examine Jamie Bamber's EastEnders debut as Ned Hawkins

Known for playing Archie Hughes in Beyond Paradise, Jamie Bamber comes in as Ned Hawkins, the newest addition to the BBC One soap opera. 

Gemma Hawkins’ (Patricia Potter) husband and son, Ryder Hawkins (Felix Uff) have finally been introduced to the TV series.

Ned’s introduction and what transpired from the events

Ned shows up unbeknownst to Gemma after she shows up to her sister Nicola’s doorstep to let her, their sister Jodie (Anna Costable) and Ryder to stay at her place for some time. 

Nicola is left fuming at Ned’s unexpected arrival as she changed her mind on letting her family members stay with her. 

It has not yet been revealed why Gemma, Jodie and Ryder were forced to leave their home.

What Bamber had to say about his character

Speaking at an EastEnders event, the actor told the press that the Hawkins have been very successful, that “Ned's been running a successful business, they've had a house, they've had the cars and it all goes.”

Bambers continued: “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,” he added.

“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.

“The Hawkins have made some crazy decisions to get to this point but there's nothing but love with this bunch.

“There's hopefully going to be a big question mark from the audience. Why is Ned not worried and why is he so together?”

“Often, when someone works that hard to keep up appearances, it’s because there’s more going on beneath the surface,” he commented. 

“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."

Bamber also discusses the relationship between Nicola and his character from her reaction upon his arrival.

“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,” said Bamber.

“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,” he teased. 

“Over time, viewers will discover exactly what lies behind that complicated relationship.”

The next EastEnders episode will air Monday at 7:30pm on BBC One as many viewers are expecting answers to Ned’s unexpected arrival in the last episode.