Harvey Monroe

Harvey Monroe is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ross Boatman. He was introduced in episode 6311, broadcast on 22 July 2021, as the father of established character Dana Monroe (Barbara Smith). Boatman was excited to earn the part of Harvey as he was an avid fan of the show and worked extensively on his audition video. Despite initially being penned as an affable and good-hearted cab driver who loves his family, Harvey was created to cause obstacles between Dana and her boyfriend Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell). His storylines included his relationship with Dana and his son Aaron (Charlie Wernham), his friendships with Tom "Rocky" Cotton (Brian Conley) and Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths), and his relationship with Jean Slater (Gillian Wright).

Creation and casting
Boatman's casting was announced on 9 June 2021, with Harvey being teased as the father of established character Dana Monroe (Barbara Smith). Boatman had wanted to join EastEnders for a long time, so when he learned about the role of Harvey, he became determined to win the part as he felt it was perfect for him. Due to social distancing restrictions, the he to record his audition, which he spent two days doing, having rehearsed "about 20 times" for each scene. He was set to arrive in Summer 2021. Harvey's character was created as an obstacle in a storyline about a relationship between Dana and Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell). In the announcement, the BBC billed Harvey as "a real family man who's proud to have been raised in Bow and even prouder to be a dad". Harvey was further described as being "traditional" and having "a good heart". As Harvey raised Dana alone as a single father, he was said to be "fiercely protective" over her and that he "will do anything" to ensure her safety. Boatman described Harvey's relationship with Dana as "close", explaining: "He's a single dad and very protective over her. He's a kind, loving father – he's not perfect, a little overprotective maybe, but he's a good guy, an old school East Ender with traditional values," he said. "He's a salt of the earth guy, wants to do the best by his family. "There will be more to Harvey than just being a dad of course. Fingers crossed together with a fantastic team of writers I'll help shape a character that the EastEnders audience will enjoy".

Boatman was excited to join the soap, commenting: "Some actors long for all the glamour of the Hollywood hills. Others dream about the bright lights of London's West End. All I ever wanted was jellied eels, Albert Square and cheeky pint at The Queen Vic. Words can hardly express how happy and excited I am to be here at last. I absolutely love the show and can't wait to get started. I feel truly blessed". Despite his excitement, Boatman admitted to being nervous about his first day on-set, despite his lengthy career. Executive producer Jon Sen was impressed with Boatman's casting, saying "he's perfect to play the affable father to Dana who's over the moon his daughter's found a match in Bobby but secrets aren't likely to stay hidden on the Square so Bobby's attempts at re-invention may well be futile". He added that the team were "looking forward" to Harvey's arrival and how he would "shake up" the Beale family unit.

Introduction and relationship meddling
In July 2021, Boatman teased the nature of his character's arrival. Boatman teased Harvey would arrive at Bobby's 18th birthday party, as, in Boatman's words: "Harvey first shows up at the restaurant for Bobby's surprise party and he ends up surprising everybody! It's a shock for Bobby and Dana too, she's not expecting her dad". Harvey made his first appearance in episode 6311, broadcast on 22 July 2021. Boatman hinted that Harvey would become a regular as he would find employment, saying: "He is a cabbie by trade and as luck would have it there's a new cab office on the square, so maybe if Harvey's very lucky he might find himself a bit of work in Walford too". When Harvey became a regular on the soap, having found a home and a job as a taxi driver at the local taxi firm, Boatman was excited about his character's progression, commenting: "it feels solid. I can't tell you how exciting it is - I feel fantastic". The actor explained that Harvey was pleased to be closer to Dana and envisioned it was "a new beginning" for the two characters. Boatman's experience as a father helped him to develop his character and he thought it was realistic for Harvey to be "interfering" and how "even if you know they've grown up and are making their own life, it's very hard to stand back and let them go without chucking your two pence in and telling them how you feel".

As Bobby had been lying to Dana about being a successful businessman, Harvey would initially be happy that Dana found a man, with no confirmation on his reaction when he found out the truth about Bobby. Harvey is initially delighted with Dana's new relationship, but does not realise that Dana is not telling the truth about Bobby. Boatman noted that his character thought of Bobby as "a keeper" at first. Prior to Harvey's arrival, Bobby told Dana that he murderered his sister, Lucy (Hetti Bywater), years prior. Boatman reckoned that Harvey wouldn't be a fan of Bobby's history when he would inevitably learn it, saying "I think like any caring parent he'd be extremely alarmed and deeply concerned", adding that if his own daughter dated someone who had murdered their sibling, he wouldn't be "all too happy about it" and that Harvey would be even willing to accept it. During the moving process, Harvey learns that Bobby killed his sister as a child, which Boatman explained made Harvey feel "alarmed" and "worried" about Dana's safety and related to the situation as he has a daughter of a similar age to Dana. Boatman enjoyed working with Smith and Milner Russell. After being told by Tom "Rocky" Cotton (Brian Conley) about Bobby's past, Boatman teased that Harvey would be "pretty unhappy about it to say the least". He explained that he doubted Harvey had anything personal against Bobby, and that the insuing outburst was a "natural reaction" as "he thinks Dana can do better than going out with a convicted killer".

Being on the show was everything Boatman expected it to be. He described it as "dreamlike" to walk on the set for the first time. In August 2021, the show announced that Harvey's son Aaron Monroe (Charlie Wernham) would join the soap, thus developing the Monroe's a family. Despite Harvey's relationship with Aaron being described as "close", Aaron and Dana's dislike of each other meant Harvey's relationship with them both would likely be "tested".

Relationship with Jean Slater
In November 2021, the show announced that a relationship between Harvey and his friend Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) would begin. Despite their flirting, a relationship did not start as Harvey was distracted due to Aaron having joined a right-wing hate group. They shared their first kiss in February 2022. In an interview with Zoe Ball, Boatman commented that he enjoyed working with Wright, and admitted that things were "going swimmingly" for Harvey at that moment, but noted that love never runs smoothly in EastEnders, warning viewers to expect "bumps in the road".

After only a few months, Jean and Harvey became engaged. A source from the show told Metro that "Jean will face some dramatic moments as her relationship with Harvey Monroe gathers momentum". As Jean's mental health began deteriorating, Boatman revealed that Harvey and Jean's relationship would not end happily as Jean went into a manic episode on their wedding day. The actor explained: "When he first met Jean, she wasn't in the depths of her bipolar disorder, so Harvey just sees an amazing, kind, funny woman who is paying him all this attention". Boatman also commented that Harvey would struggle to accept Jean's mental illness, explaining "He hasn't been in a relationship since the one with his wife and here's this wonderful woman who’s paying him all this attention. I don't know if delusional is the right word, but he doesn't want to believe [there's a problem]". Boatman teased that Harvey and Jean's future would be "heartbreaking" as Harvey would begin doubting if they loved each other or if the relationship was a result of Jean's bipolar. He explained: "It's a crushing blow on him, as on the one hand he feels he might have lost the woman he loves, and on the other hand, did she ever really love him at all". Continuing, He stated: "So he has this double crushing blow of their relationship falling apart but also did she ever really love him at all? It's a double whammy for him". The actor commented that he would "absolutely love to see them overcome Jean's illness together" and believed Harvey would still care about Jean no matter what. After a breakup, Boatman said he would be happy to see a reunion between the two characters as he and Wright enjoyed working together, with Jean and Harvey remaining friends.

Maya Houssain story
On 20 May 2024, the show announced that a new character, Maya Houssain (Bharti Patel), would be introduced for a storyline focused on Harvey. Patel's time on the show was written as being a guest stint and her reason for introduction was to form an "unlikely friendship" with Harvey as Rocky, Mitch, and his children had all departed, leaving him with only Jean. The characters were set to become friends and possible lovers.

Reception
For his portrayal of Harvey, Boatman won the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer award at the 2022 British Soap Awards.