Who plays Peter Beale in EastEnders? Every actor in role
Peter fled the square last summer.
Introduced in 1993, Peter Beale was on EastEnders for nearly three decades before leaving Walford in his rearview mirror last year.
The son of Ian (Adam Woodyatt) and Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), Peter is the twin brother of Lucy (last played by Hetti Bywater) and half-brother of Steven (Aaron Sidwell), Cindy Jr. (Mimi Keene), Bobby (Clay Milner Russell), and now, as of today, Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna Knight (Molly Rainford).
During his time on Albert Square, Peter had a conflicted relationship with his family and a series of romances: from Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), who he shares son Louie with, to Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) and Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) — and even an affair with Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal).
The character was played by seven different actors across 29 years; let's take a look at what they've been up to since their Walford days and in the aftermath of Cindy Beale's sensational return.
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Who plays Peter Beale in EastEnders? Every actor in role
1. Francis Brittin-Snell (1993–1996)
Last episode: 17th October 1996
Brittin-Snell was the first actor to play baby Peter Beale, from his birth in December 1993 to 1996, when the character was recast.
His twin sister, Eva Brittin-Snell, played Lucy Beale as a baby.
2. Alex Stevens (1997–1998)
Last episode: October 1998
Stevens took over from Brittin-Snell in 1997, continuing to portray Ian and Cindy's son in 1998.
He doesn't have any other acting credits.
Stevens portrayed the character during Cindy's dramatic escape from the Square in 1997.
3. Joseph Shade (1998–2004)
Last episode: September 2004
Shade played Peter until September 2004, with his most notable moment in the soap being caught up in the Square's fairground disaster.
He doesn't have any more notable acting credits to his name.
In October 2017, he was sentenced to a suspended jail term of 18 months after admitting to a series of sexual offences against girls aged 14-17 when he would have been 19-21 (via Evening Standard).
4. James Martin (2004–2006)
Last episode: prior to October 2006
The actor took over from Shade from the autumn of 2004 to 2006.
During Martin's tenure, Peter's chief storyline was grappling with his father Ian moving on with new love Jane Collins, later Jane Beale.
5. Thomas Law (2006–2010, 2023-)
Last episode: 24th December 2010 (before returning on 22nd June 2023)
Instagram: @thomaslaw44
Twitter: @thomaslaw92
Law played Peter Beale between 2006 and 2010.
During Law's first stint, Peter began his on-off romantic connection with Lauren Branning whilst also having romantic sparks with both Whitney Dean and Zsa Zsa Carter.
Peter was often the sensible sibling dealing with the antics of his scheming twin sister Lucy and his twisted elder half-brother Steven Beale.
The character left Walford for Devon in 2010 to join his sisters who were living with his aunt Gina Williams after Ian cheated on his wife Jane with Glenda Mitchell and did not stand up for him in false claims that he had pushed Glenda down the stairs.
Prior to his stint on EastEnders, the actor appeared in five episodes of the medical drama Casualty.
Since 2021, he's been playing DC Eddie Martin in the ITV crime drama The Bay.
6. Ben Hardy (2013–2015)
Last episode: February 2015
Instagram: @benhardy
Ben Hardy portrayed Peter for two years, during which the soap focused on his romances with Lola Pearce and Lauren Branning, plus his reactions to the murder of his twin sister Lucy Beale.
In 2015, the character left the square for the first time with his pregnant girlfriend Lauren and they relocated to New Zealand together, having discovered that young Bobby Beale had killed Lucy.
Since leaving EastEnders, Hardy has appeared in film and TV series. In 2016, he made his big screen debut in X-Men: Apocalypse, while he also played Queen drummer Roger Taylor in 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody. He will next be seen in the rom-com The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.
On TV, he appeared in the 2021 thriller series The Girl Before opposite Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo and EastEnders' Jessica Plummer.
7. Dayle Hudson (2020–2022)
Last episode: 14 July 2022
Instagram: @dayle_hds
Actor Dayle Hudson took on the role of Peter when he returned to Walford in 2020.
During Hudson's tenure, Peter's storylines included sexual liaisons with Lola Pearce, Dr Ash Kaur, Suki Panear, and Dana Monroe, his fractious relationship with half-brother Bobby Beale, and taking on his father's businesses.
The character left the square in the summer of 2022, with his exit marking a dramatic breaking point in the relationship with his family, particularly his grandmother Kathy, his uncle Ben, and Bobby.
Who plays Peter Beale now?
Peter Beale is currently played by actor Thomas Law.
The character made a dramatic return to EastEnders on Thursday 22nd June 2023.
Law reprised his role for the first time since 2010, having been the fifth actor to play the role and now the eighth in the part.
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
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