The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap operaEastEnders in 2020, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's senior executive producer, Kate Oates, and the executive producer, Jon Sen. The first character to be introduced in 2020 is the son of Sheree Trueman, Isaac Baptiste. The Panesar family matriarch Suki Panesar is then introduced in January. Frankie Lewis, a deaf character who befriends Ben Mitchell, is introduced in May. Additionally, multiple [|other characters] were featured during the year.
Isaac Baptiste
Isaac Baptiste, played by Stevie Basaula, first appears in episode 6053/6054, originally broadcast on 1 January 2020. The character had not been announced prior to his first appearance and Basaula's casting details were announced following broadcast. Isaac is introduced as the son of established character Sheree Trueman. The character is billed as a "fiercely confident" and "bold" teacher who "won't be afraid to leave his mark on the soap". Jon Sen, the show's executive producer, described Isaac as someone arriving with "bravado, charisma and his fair share of charm". Basaula expressed his excitement to join the soap and create the character of Isaac. Since Sheree's introduction in August 2019, it was established that she had a secret, which was revealed to be Isaac in his first episode, an episode set on Christmas Day 2019. Sen dubbed Isaac "the 'other man' in Sheree's life". He added that Isaac has a "troubled past" which would be explored as the reason behind Sheree keeping Isaac a secret from her husband, Patrick Trueman, becomes clear. Later episodes confirmed that Isaac is Patrick's biological son after Patrick realises the truth and questions Sheree.
Suki Panesar
Suki Panesar, played by Balvinder Sopal, first appears in episode 6069, originally broadcast on 27 January 2020. The character was mentioned on-screen before her introduction, but further details about the character and Sopal's casting details were announced on 22 December 2019. Suki is introduced as the mother of Kheerat Panesar, Jags Panesar, Vinny Panesar and Ash Kaur. The character is billed as the "fiercely protective" and "larger than life" matriarch of the established Panesar family who "always knows best" and is "not one to be reckoned with". Sopal expressed her delight at joining the soap and deemed the role "a dream come true". Jon Sen, the show's executive producer, commented that Sopal provides "a unique blend of steeliness and charm" to the role. Following the introduction of her children in 2019, it is revealed that Suki is terminally ill and wants to reunite with Ash, who left the family following Suki's disapproval of her sexuality and abortion. Sen deemed it obvious that the Panesar children were "under the shadow of an overbearing matriarch", which leads to Suki's arrival. Sen later added that "she comes in and gives shape to that family. She is powerful and ruthless, and yet you wouldn’t think she'd say boo to a goose, so she's got this kind of fantastic Machiavellian narcissism in a way, and it’s just wonderful to watch." The character's stories focus on her estranged relationship with Ash and multiple secrets that are revealed in the family. Huw Fullerton of the Radio Times predicted that Suki would "fit right in" to the soap.
Frankie Lewis
Frankie Lewis, played by Rose Ayling-Ellis, first appears in episode 6115, originally broadcast on 18 May 2020. The character and Ayling-Ellis' casting details were announced on 23 February 2020. Frankie is introduced as a new friend for Ben Mitchell, introduced to him by his boyfriend Callum Highway after Ben is diagnosed with hearing loss following a boat crash. The character, like Ayling-Ellis, is deaf and was created to raise awareness for deaf people in Britain. She is portrayed as a positive, upbeat person who "embraces the deaf community". Ayling-Ellis was contracted for a guest stint and Frankie appears in a "handful of episodes". The character and story were created by Charlie Swinbourne, a member of the soap's writing team, who pitched the story to his colleagues. Jon Sen, the show's executive producer, expressed his delight at working with Ayling-Ellis and exploring the deaf community in the new story. Ayling-Ellis expressed her excitement at joining the cast and being the first deaf actress on EastEnders. Bowden looked forward to portraying the story and called Ayling-Ellis "epic". As a deaf person himself, Swinbourne was proud to create the soap's first deaf character. He added that he had wanted to see more representation of deafness in the media and looked forward to featuring "deaf characters and sign language" in Albert Square, the show's fictional setting. The use of sign language in scenes marks the first time it has featured in EastEnders. EastEnders worked with the National Deaf Children's Society, disability charity Sense and other experts to portray Frankie and Ben's story accurately. Rosie Eggleston, the leader of the NDCS' work with young people, hoped that Frankie and Ben's story would help more young deaf people be visible and understood. She also liked working with the EastEnders research team when developing the story. Richard Kramer, the chief executive of Sense, agreed with Swinbourne that there was not enough disability representation in the media, so was pleased to learn EastEnders were featuring a story on hearing loss and introducing a new deaf character. He also congratulated Ayling-Ellis on becoming the first deaf actress to join the soap.
