Who plays Jack’s colleague Craig and Linda’s love interest Clive in EastEnders?

EastEnders welcomed two new faces to Walford this week in the form of new detective DC Craig Ingram and local councillor Clive Masters.

Craig, a colleague of Jack Branning’s (Scott Maslen), made his first appearance on Monday (July 20) in a scene at the police station.

Jack was told by his boss that Craig would be taking over his cases while he’s on compassionate leave in the wake of Denise Fox’s (Diane Parish) diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a particularly aggressive form of blood cancer that requires urgent treatment.

Craig later shows up at Jack’s home to smooth things over but his efforts aren’t appreciated by the legendary show detective, who reckons the newcomer is trying to muscle in on his cases.

Over at the B&B, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) welcomed councillor Clive, who she was put in touch with by Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt).

Linda fears for the future of the community centre in the wake of a pole dancing class that very much went awry and she’s hopeful that Clive will be the person she needs in her corner amid the fight to keep the centre going. But it was quite clear that sparks were aplenty between the two.

If you’re a fan of soap, you’ve likely recognised the stars playing the characters in question so here’s all you need to know about where you’ve seen them before.

Who plays Jack’s colleague DC Craig Ingram in EastEnders?

Craig is played by Matthew James Bailey, who is best known for playing Ethan Williams on Hollyoaks.

The actor first appeared in Hollyoaks in 2016 as a character named Jake before returning to the Channel 4 soap in 2021 as Ethan, who swiftly became a favourite with fans of the show.

Originally introduced as a gangster, Ethan would subsequently develop a comedic wit, serving up humorous quips aplenty while actually serving behind the bar of The Loft.

His romance with Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) proved a hit with audiences and made for many iconic moments – particularly that Starship lip-sync scene – while his friendship with longtime show stalwart Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) would provide some much-needed levity amid the show’s darker moments.

Ethan met a tragic end in 2024 when the character was controversially axed amid a wave of cast cuts.

Prior to his work on Hollyoaks, Matthew played Tomazs in Russell T Davies’ Cucumber.

‘Joining EastEnders has been a dream come true,’ he said of being cast in the long-running BBC soap.

‘From it being the soundtrack to my childhood, always on in the background at home, to gathering around the TV with my family every Christmas, being able to play even a small part in such an iconic piece of British television is truly surreal.’

Who plays councillor Clive, Linda’s new love interest, in EastEnders?

Newcomer Clive Masters is portrayed by Jason Durr, who is best known for his work on Casualty and Heartbeat.

He played the role of Mike Bradley in Heartbeat for six years – between 1997 and 2003 – and joined Casualty in 2016 as David Hide.

David proved a key character in Casualty during his time on the show, with the staff nurse involved in a series of big storylines, including a bipolar diagnosis, a friendship with Dylan (Will Beck) and reuniting with son Ollie (Harry Collett), who later died after taking part in a school shooting.

The character left in 2023.

Jason made his EastEnders debut as Clive on Tuesday (July 21) after Linda sought some help in saving the community centre.

The character will prove pivotal to the story in question but will also end up becoming a love interest for Linda, who certainly deserves some happiness after all she’s been through in the last couple of years, from losing husband Mick (Danny Dyer) to her relapse in the wake of The Six storyline.

‘Few shows command their place in the national conversation quite like EastEnders, so I’m delighted to be joining the cast as Clive Masters,’ Jason said of his casting.

‘Working with the wonderful Kellie Bright has been an absolute joy and pleasure from day one.

‘All the cast, crew and production staff have been incredibly generous, welcoming and good humoured. I’m excited for audiences to meet Clive and see what’s in store.’