James Edward Bye (born 23 February 1984) is an English actor who played Martin Fowler in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' from 2014 to 2025. He also competed in series 20 of ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' in 2022.

Early life

James Edward Bye was born on 23 February 1984 in

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...

, to parents Leonard and Pauline. He has a younger sister, Amy. Bye attended the Hurst Community College in Baughurst, before enrolling at Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke.

Career

Bye's first acting role was in a 2006 episode of the television series ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' as Tom Burrows. He later had a part in the film '' Cemetery Junction'' in 2010, followed by appearances in the films ''

Hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

'' (2013) and '' The Hooligan Factory'' (2014), as well as the miniseries '' The Great Train Robbery'' (2013). In October 2014, Bye was cast in the role of Martin Fowler in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

soap opera ''

''. His character was killed off during the live episode of the show's 40th anniversary on 20 February 2025, with Bye consequently departing the series. In 2022, he competed in series 20 of the dancing show ''

''. He is set to play Mr. Darcy in the stage adaptation of

P. D. James Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park (3 August 1920 – 27 November 2014), known professionally as P. D. James, was an English novelist and life peer. Her rise to fame came with her series of detective novels featuri ...

's mystery novel '' Death Comes to Pemberley'' (a sequel to

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

's ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

''), which will tour the UK from 1 May to 13 September 2025.

Personal life

Bye and his wife Victoria married in 2012, four years after they began dating. They have four sons.

Filmography

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bye, James 1984 births 21st-century English male actors Male actors from Basingstoke British male soap opera actors British male television actors Living people Participants in British reality television series