Exclusive: Stephen Lord joins cast of 'EastEnders'

Manchester-born actor Stephen Lord has joined the cast of EastEnders in a recurring role, Digital Spy can reveal.

The 34-year-old actor will play Jase, father to Walford's troubled schoolkid Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick).

An EastEnders insider told DS: "Jase is an enigmatic character in his mid thirties and arrives on the Square looking for his son.

"We don't know much about him, but what we do know is that he hasn't been in Jay's life for years and he was never a doting parent."

They added: "He has a dark past riddled with shocking secrets. To sum him up, he's a dead wrong'un."

Of his new role, Lord said: "It feels really good to be here."

Executive Producer Diederick Santer commented: "I am delighted that EastEnders has attracted yet another top class actor to its cast.

"Stephen Lord is an actor of great talent and charisma, and I hope that his character Jase will attract, intrigue and entertain the audience in equal measure."

Lord began filming at Elstree Studios last month and his first scenes are due to transmit late July.