Actress Bharti Patel will portray Maya Houssain in the soap.
A new arrival in BBC soap EastEnders may be familiar to soap fans.
The BBC One soap has cast Bharti Patel, best known for her acclaimed role as Ruhma Carter in BBC medical soap Doctors from 2015 to 2024.
Patel arrives on-screen in EastEnders next week in a guest role as Maya Houssain, an unexpected new friend of Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman).
Next week, Harvey will be seen feeling lonely - not surprising following the departures of best friends Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths) and Tom "Rocky" Cotton (Brian Conley).
Harvey's partner Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) will encourage him to try making some new friends.
As the week continues, Harvey unexpectedly bumps into a woman named Maya and offers to take her cab fare and help her. The pair then form a connection over being huge fans of football team Tottenham Hotspur.
Later in the week, the pair will bond even more over their love of the beautiful game and it seems they each have made a new friend.
However, is Maya merely a new friend for Harvey or is there more to her than meets the eye? And how will Jean and the Slaters react to Harvey's new friendship?
Read more:
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.
Find out the pros and cons of equity release and request a free guide.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.