The actors behind Elaine Peacock role on BBC EastEnders

South Wales Guardian

25-06-2025

After confronting her daughter, Linda Carter, about her decision to potentially leave the pub trade, the pair clash, leading Elaine to suffer two stress-induced collapses.
With an uncertain future awaiting the well-known character, you may be interested in learning more about the actresses behind the role.
A post shared by Harriet Thorpe (@hatdorable)
Two actresses have played the role of Elaine Knight (or Peacock) over the years, according to the EastEnders Fan Wiki.
She was first introduced to EastEnders in 2014 and was originally portrayed by Maria Friedman from 2014 until 2017.
The BBC role was then taken over by Harriet Thorpe in 2023, a part the actress still has to this day.
The character was introduced as the mother of Linda Carter and the grandmother of Lee, Nancy, Johnny, Ollie and Annie Carter.
She is also the widow of John Peacock as well as the estranged wife of George Knight, a character with whom she has a strained relationship.
EastEnders icon rushed to hospital after collapsing twice on the BBC show
Actress Harriet Thorpe was born on June 8, 1957. She attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama before finding success in television, according to IMDb.
In 1991, she played the role of the depressed and emotionally unfit mother from Britta's Empire and Fleur in the cult classic sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.
However, she is best known for playing the role of Elaine on EastEnders these days.
EastEnders is available to watch and stream on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.