Thomas John Law (born 17 December 1992) is an English actor and singer. He is known for portraying the role of Peter Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2006 to 2010, before reprising the role from 2023 onwards. Between 2021 and 2023, he appeared in the ITV drama series The Bay as DC Eddie Martin.
Law began modelling at the age of four and made his television debut in 2005 with a recurring role in the BBC One soap opera Casualty.[3] He would later return as a guest in 2014.[4]
EastEnders
In 2006, Law became the fifth actor to take over the role of Peter Beale in EastEnders, taking over from James Martin. Law was in a scene nominated for Spectacular Scene of the Year at the 2008 British Soap Awards. In November 2010, it was announced that Law would be leaving the soap after four years, and he made his final appearance in December 2010. The role of Peter was later recast to Ben Hardy who portrayed the role between 2013 and 2015 and later to Dayle Hudson who played the role between 2020 and 2022.[5]
In June 2023, Law made an unannounced return to EastEnders, taking over the role of Peter for a second time in a storyline that accommodated the return of Peter's parents, Cindy (Michelle Collins) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). The story also saw the character reunite with the mother of his child, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).[6] It was then announced that Law would be returning to the show on a permanent basis.[7]
In 2021, Law joined the cast of the ITV crime drama The Bay for its second series on as DC Eddie Martin. Metro called it his "small screen comeback". He went on to appear in the third and fourth series, before his departure from the series was announced in 2023 due to scheduling conflicts with EastEnders.[13][14][15]
Philanthropy
In 2007 and 2008, Law took part in Children In Need alongside the cast of EastEnders.[16] Other notable charity work has included playing at the Alan Ball Memorial Cup in 2007, the opening of the kitchens at the University Hospitals of Leicester.[17]
In December 2007, Law was invited to Luton & Dunstable Hospital by his aunt, where he spent time with children who had to stay in the wards over Christmas. After the event, hospital spokesman Barry Mayes said "[Law] gave a big chunk of his time. He was very pleasant, mature and humble, and really homed in on the children and how they were feeling."[18]
In February 2010, Law attended a fundraising event along with other members of the EastEnders cast to raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The event took place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.[19]