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In-universe information
In-universe information
Occupation	Chef; Barman
Father	Gavin Sullivan
Half-sisters	Sharon Watts
Daughters	Peach ; Dolly Dean-Hudson
Adoptive daughters	Britney Wainwright
Grandmothers	Ivy Sullivan
Aunts	Margaret Midhurst; Sally Sullivan
Nephews	Dennis Rickman Jnr; Albie Watts
Other relatives	Alyssa Lennox

Zack Hudson
Zack Hudson
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	James Farrar
Duration	2021–present
First appearance	Episode 6237 ; 16 March 2021
Classification	Present; regular
Introduced by	Jon Sen
Occupation	Chef; Barman
In-universe information
Occupation	Chef; Barman
Father	Gavin Sullivan
Half-sisters	Sharon Watts
Daughters	Peach ; Dolly Dean-Hudson
Adoptive daughters	Britney Wainwright
Grandmothers	Ivy Sullivan
Aunts	Margaret Midhurst; Sally Sullivan
Nephews	Dennis Rickman Jnr; Albie Watts
Other relatives	Alyssa Lennox

Zack Hudson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by James Farrar.^[1] He first appears in episode 6237, originally broadcast on 16 March 2021.^[1]The character and Farrar's casting details were announced on 31 January 2021.^[2] Zack is initially introduced as the estranged son of Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas) and the half-brother of Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

Zack’s storylines have included a tumultuous relationship with Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill) and a feud with her father Mick (Danny Dyer), a fling with Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf), learning that he has HIV,^[3] losing daughter Peach with Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty),^[4] and then deciding to foster after struggling with the initial thought of raising a child that is not his own.^[5] He later takes on legal responsibility for his on-screen nephew Albie Watts (Arthur Gentleman) and Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell) - albeit illegally. Zack later cheats on Whitney with Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), causing her to leave Walford with their daughter Dolly.

Storylines

Zack attends Gavin Sullivan's (Paul Nicholas) cremation and at the wake, he raises a scathing toast to Gavin and is chased by his cousins. Zack hides out in Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) and Sharon Watts' (Letitia Dean) car until the coast is clear and when Sharon asks about his identity, he tells her that Gavin was his father.^[1] Zack later arrives in Walford after receiving a call from Sharon's friend, Jean Slater (Gillian Wright). He reveals he has nowhere to live and has been sleeping his car. He is then rude to Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) and Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol). Zack tells Sharon about his abusive childhood with Gavin, detailing how he hit him and Sharon tells him he did the same thing to her son Dennis Rickman Jnr (Bleu Landau). Zack then takes Sharon's keys and sneaks into her flat looking for something but is caught by Sharon. Zack tells her that he is looking for a safety deposit box, left to Sharon in Gavin's will, which Gavin left him the key for. Sharon accuses Zack of being like Gavin and he says he is nothing like their father. They then agree to share whatever is in the box. Zack opens it and is enraged to find a birthday card he made for Gavin as a child and little else of value. He throws the box on the floor, frightening Sharon.^[6] Zack tells Sharon about a time when he baked Gavin some cakes at school but he was unappreciative and stubbed out his cigarette in one, leaving him humiliated. As he goes to leave, Sharon tells him that Dennis died the previous year and asks Zack to stay, to which he initially refuses, although returns later with food and wine for them both. Zack finds himself on the wrong side of Martin Fowler (James Bye), who punches him when he believes that he has been sleeping with his wife Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton). He later becomes friends with Martin and starts working as a barman at The Queen Victoria public house.

Zack starts dating Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill) and also flirts with her half-sister Frankie Lewis (Rose Ayling-Ellis). He gives Frankie driving lessons and in one of the lessons, he stops off at the Queen Vic to have a drink and continues. Zack resumes flirting with Frankie and winds her up, causing her to take her eyes off the road. They are involved in a hit-and-run accident, in which Nancy gets hit by the car. Zack persuades Frankie to cover up the accident but it proves too daunting for her and she confesses to Nancy's father Mick (Danny Dyer). Mick agrees to hide it from Nancy and warns Zack away. However he cannot resist and continues to see Nancy, keeping it a secret from Mick. Whilst upstairs in The Queen Vic, Nancy's mother Linda (Kellie Bright) is threatened by burglars who attempt to steal money, but Zack stands up to them and they leave. Mick discovers that Zack is sleeping with Nancy, but he ignores Mick's threats to leave her. Zack then admits the truth to Nancy and she subsequently ends their relationship. After this, Zack sleeps with Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) but realises he loves Nancy and attempts to make amends. When Alyssa is left on Sharon's doorstep, both Zack and Martin believe that they could be her father, however when Alyssa's mother Jada Lennox (Kelsey Calladine-Smith) arrives in Walford, she reveals that Zack's late nephew, Dennis, is Alyssa's father. Jada moves in with Sharon and Zack soon realises that Sharon and her ex-husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) are planning on battling Jada for custody of Alyssa. He tells Jada and she flees with Alyssa. When Sharon finds out that Zack told Jada about her intentions, she evicts him and he is left homeless. He manages to find Jada and convinces her to return with Alyssa, and they all move into 43 Albert Square with Sharon.

Zack builds his relationship with Nancy, and she supports him when he has the opportunity to participate in a cooking competition, letting him use The Queen Vic's kitchen for practice. They grow closer and resume their relationship. He supports Nancy when she learns that her aunt Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) – who is thought to have been on the run – has been murdered by Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith). Zack and Nancy decide to open a restaurant together, and they meet with Melissa (Hannah Bennett-Fox), who they believe is an investor. Unbeknownst to the both of them, Melissa is working with Janine to swindle the pair, so she can use the money to pay Linda into leaving Walford. Melissa tricks Nancy into transferring money into her account, and they become suspicious when they do not hear back from the investor; they later discover that Nancy has been conned. Zack bonds with Jada and she tries to kiss him, but Zack rebuffs her advances. She lies to Sharon that Zack tried to kiss her, and Sharon threatens to throw Zack out in order for Jada to admit the truth. Jada later admits to Sharon that she lied. During a stormy time with Nancy, Zack drowns his sorrows at the club, where he sleeps with Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf). Nancy finds out and after much consideration, she decides to make a fresh start by leaving Walford without Zack, thus ending their relationship. Soon after, Zack and Sam begin a fling and when Sam's ex-boyfriend Don (Nick Nevern) arrives in Walford, she claims that she is pregnant with Zack's child. Sam later reveals that she lied to drive Don away, and when she asks Zack to begin a serious relationship, he turns her down.

Zack becomes close to Whitney Dean and they have a one-night stand. Zack is surprised when Whitney reveals that she is pregnant.^[4] At first, Zack does not want to become a father due to his bad experiences with Gavin as a child,^[5] but changes his mind, and agrees to support her.^[5] He contemplates taking a job as a chef on a cruise ship, but decides to stay when Whitney's friend Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) tells him that Whitney needs him to be around. Zack's former friend, Brett Nelson (Fabrizio Santino), arrives in Walford and applies to become a personal trainer at Sharon's gym. Zack is wary of Brett and reveals to Sharon that Brett had previously introduced him to steroids in the past, which led him to be violent and aggressive. Zack tries to warn Brett away but he returns and reveals to Zack that he may have HIV after they shared a needle whilst taking steroids.^[7]^[3] Zack becomes depressed and pushes Whitney away and tells her that he wants nothing to do with their child. He begins drinking heavily and smashes Peggy's wine bar, cutting his hand in the process. After messing up an opportunity to become a head chef at Walford East, he sees Brett who encourages him to get checked at a sexual health clinic. Zack begrudgingly gets himself checked, and is mortified to discover that he is HIV positive. He tells Brett that he is worried that he may have passed it on to his unborn child. He decides to tell Whitney but is relieved when she reveals that her blood test has been fine. Zack later gives the clinic a list of all the women that he has slept with and they contact them to get checked. Zack and Whitney later lose the baby as it could be born with a dangerously low mortality rate due to omphaloceles,^[8] and Zack struggles with the loss of their daughter who they later named Peach. Whitney and Zack slowly discuss plans for other children and they decide to adopt to Zack's initial dismay. Whitney and Zack move into their own apartment and start going through assessments to start fostering.^[9] He later takes on legal responsibility for his on-screen nephew Albie Watts (Arthur Gentleman) after Sharon cannot trust Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) to raise Albie alone after a very public bust-up with Peter Beale (Thomas Law). They foster a young boy named Ashton over Christmas 2023 and struggle when he is moved away. Not long after, Whitney discovers that she is pregnant again and decides to keep this from her adoptive aunt Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) who is also trying for a baby but had not been unsuccessful. Although Sonia is hurt that Whitney bud her pregnancy from her, they soon make amends.

Whitney and Zack visit Whitney's mother Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) in Milton Keynes in early 2024 when she splits up from Terry Spraggan (Terry Alderton). Whilst there, Whitney bonds with twelve year old Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell) and is disgusted to find Britney's mother is a drug addict, that Britney has been eating from bins and has not attended school in years. Whitney angrily confronts Britney's mother Keeley and is hit by an oncoming car- however, Whitney and the baby are unharmed. Whitney is eager to give Britney stability and a home. Zack and Whitney argue over Britney so he leaves to go back to Walford whilst Whitney decides to foster Britney without going through the system. Instead, she pays Keeley several thousand pounds to take care of Britney herself but keeps this from Zack. She initially tells him that she fostered her legally and when he finds out, the pair have a blazing row in which Whitney fiercely tells him that she will always put Britney over Zack. Heartbroken, Zack sleeps with Whitney's best friend Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa). Out of guilt for how she treated Zack, Whitney proposes to him in the Queen Vic and he accepts. Bianca, who is visiting her family in Walford, finds out that Zack cheated on Whitney and pressures him to tell the truth but he is unable to go through with it. On Whitney's hen night, Lauren and Whitney are locked in a van and she nearly tells Whitney herself but Whitney then goes into labour. Bianca rescues the pair and Whitney gives birth to Dolly Dean-Hudson but at the hospital, Britney overhears Zack and Lauren talking about their one night stand.

Whitney's wedding day soon arrives and whilst Whitney is saying her vows, Britney reveals the truth about Zack and Lauren and a raging Whitney attacks Lauren with her bouquet. Whitney is aware that she is being gossiped about and she refuses to reconcile with Zack, calls off the wedding and ends her long-standing friendship with Lauren. Whitney then realises that she has wasted her whole life relying on a man and plans to make a fresh start as a single mum to Britney and Dolly by moving to Wakefield. Before leaving Walford, Whitney meets up with Zack one last time, where she takes partial responsibility for the end of their relationship, surmising that their love for each other was not strong enough for either of them, but admits that she will never regret the time they had together. When Zack asks Whitney if he can see Dolly again, she promises to allow this, assuring him that he will be a great father, and allows him to say goodbye to Dolly. Zack mentors teenagers in boxing at the Boxing Den. He later discovers that Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) has been taking steroids and has provided them to Ravi's son Davinder "Nugget" Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury), who overdoses. Zack encourages Denzel to confess. Zack moves in with Martin and temporarily fosters Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall).

Development

Introduction and backstory

Zack is introduced as the son of Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas) and half-brother of established character Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), although this is embargoed until his first appearance.^[10] The character is billed as a "unpredictable troublemaker who lives life in the fast lane".^[2] He is described as "forever the ladies' man" and Jon Sen, the show's executive producer, called him a "charming rogue".^[2] Farrar noted that Zack becomes a "heartthrob" who causes tension with the Carter family.^[10] The character's backstory states that he experienced a challenging childhood which gave him attachment issues and turned him into a "lone wolf".^[2] Farrar expressed his delight at joining EastEnders and hoped to bring his experience as "a born and bred Londoner" to the role.^[2] He liked Zack's backstory and commented, "there is a real depth to him that I can't wait to explore."^[2] He found the role of Zack different to other roles he has portrayed.^[10] Sen dubbed Farrar "a wonderful addition" and teased that "trouble is always just round the corner" for Zack.^[2]

Farrar began filming in February 2021,^[11] while the show was produced under socially distanced filming restrictions. Consequently, his wife was hired to be a stand-in for any scenes requiring actors to be closer than two metres.^[2] Zack is introduced to the soap at Gavin's funeral, where he makes a "scathing toast" and is chased out by Gavin's cousins.^[12] He catches up with Sharon and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) afterwards, where he reveals he is Gavin's son.^[10]^[1] Zack later visits Albert Square, where Sharon lives, to build a relationship with her. Farrar explained that Zack wants to support Sharon, which he related to, having come from a family of "very strong women".^[10] However, Zack struggles not to cause problems for them. Farrar confirmed that he had been involved in five stunts in his first few weeks of filming.^[10]

HIV

In January 2023, it was announced that Zack would be at the centre of an issue-led storyline when he discovered that he was HIV-positive.^[13] The storyline begins when a face from Zack's past, Brett Nelson, played by former Hollyoaks actor Fabrizio Santino, arrives in Walford in search of employment at the local gym.^[14] On the storyline, executive producer Chris Clenshaw addressed, "EastEnders has never shied away from covering sensitive issues and Zack's story is one of these. There are so many myths and disinformation surrounding HIV, so working closely with Terrence Higgins Trust has enabled us to really understand what it is like for those that are diagnosed with HIV and we hope that this storyline will bring more awareness of HIV and what it is like to live with the virus in 2023".^[7]^[8] The storyline also covers HIV and pregnancy, as Zack is diagnosed with the virus shortly after impregnating Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). On this, Dr. Kate Nembiar from Terrence Higgins Trust added, "All pregnant people are offered an HIV test to reduce the number of babies born with the virus. Thanks to this and the incredible treatment advances, vertical HIV transmission rarely happens in the UK now. People living with HIV do give birth to HIV negative children. If someone who is pregnant tests positive for HIV, they'll be advised to start treatment straight away. This is a crucial way to prevent the virus being transmitted to the baby during pregnancy or birth."^[7]^[4]^[3]

Reception

James who plays Zack on-screen won Best Newcomer in 2021 in the Digital Spy Reader awards for his portrayal of Zack. ^[15] Zack is loved by the fans, though most of his storylines are that of sad.^[7]^[4]^[8]^[3] Zack and Whitney's relationship has proved popular with fans, though Shona McGarty quit the soap opera in 2023 to pursue other projects.^[16] He also is pending for the award of Best Soap Actor in the British Soap Awards.