List of EastEnders characters introduced in 1991

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1991, by order of first appearance.

Eibhlin O'Donnell, played by Mary Conlon, is an Irish woman who met and dated Eddie Royle (Michael Melia) in the early 1980s, when her job for the Irish tourist board in Dublin took her to a London office for a six-month stint. Eibhlin was committed to her close-knit Catholic family (especially her widowed father and her marijuana-smoking sister Maureen), so when her work placement ended, she returned to Dublin and her relationship with Eddie ended. Eibhlin visits Eddie in Walford in January 1991. Eibhlin is in her mid-thirties and considering getting married. She wants to start dating Eddie again. When Eddie's current girlfriend, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), sees how close Eddie and Eibhlin are, she breaks up with Eddie. Instead of reuniting with Eibhlin, Eddie opts to try and win Kathy back, so Eibhlin returns to Ireland. When Eddie is badly beaten by Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) in April 1991, Eibhlin returns to Walford to visit him in hospital. Eddie's brush with death makes him rethink marriage, and he proposes to Eibhlin. She accepts and in August 1991, she moves in with Eddie at The Queen Victoria public house, of which Eddie is landlord. A part of Eibhlin is not convinced that marriage to Eddie will work; they do not get the opportunity to find out as Eddie is murdered by Nick Cotton (John Altman) in September that year. A devastated and heartbroken Eibhlin then returns to Ireland.

Rachel Kominski, played by Jacquetta May, owns number 55 Victoria Road. She befriends Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully) and is initially keen for her to become her lodger, but when she learns Michelle has a young daughter, she rents the bedroom to singer Karen (Adjoa Andoh). Rachel later befriends Michelle's uncle Pete Beale (Peter Dean), and agrees to have a drink with him sometime. Pete mistakes this for a date and is disappointed when she does not show up. Rachel apologises to him the following day and supports him when she discovers his flat has been trashed. Rachel helps Michelle get her wages from a timeshare company that tried to withhold it.

Rachel's former boyfriend Russell Nash (Ray Ashcroft) arrives at number 55 when she unknowingly hires his friend to put some shelves up for her. Russell tries to convince her to get back together with him, until Rachel tells him that she had hated the three years they were together. Rachel becomes fed up with Karen's loud music, untidiness and boyfriend Clyde Tavernier's (Steven Woodcock) presence in the house. Just as Rachel confronts her, Karen tells her that she is moving out, as she has accepted a job in Manchester. Rachel invites Michelle to be her lodger. Rachel sees potential in Michelle, and encourages her to apply to college, which she does. She dates Michelle's brother, Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), and he confides in her that he is HIV-positive. She later supports him when he tells his parents, who do not react well. Rachel reluctantly helps Michelle hide Clyde in the spare room when he goes on the run from the police, having been accused of murdering Eddie Royle (Michael Melia).

She also supports Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) when Kathy learns her rapist James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde) is planning on returning to the Square. She accompanies Kathy when she meets Willmott-Brown at a hotel to hear him out, and continues to be a confidante when Willmott-Brown sends Kathy cassette tapes. Mark moves in with Rachel and Michelle, but this soon leads to the end of the relationship, as he and Rachel argue. When one of the university courses she teaches is dropped, Rachel begins looking for part-time work. Her mother also informs her that she and Rachel's father will no longer be sending her money to help with the mortgage. Rachel's mother later comes to stay and reveals several of Rachel's secrets to her friends. After the rest of her courses are dropped, Rachel finds work at the Bridge Street café and has a bric-a-brac market stall, where she meets market inspector Richard Cole (Ian Reddington). Rachel has sex with Richard, but he soon begins pursuing Kathy. Richard later gives her pitch to Sanjay Kapoor (Deepak Verma). Rachel leaves Walford after she receives a job offer at a publishing house in Leeds.

Peggy Mitchell, initially played by Jo Warne when she first appears on 30 April 1991, features in the series on a recurring basis over several weeks. Peggy is reintroduced in 1994, recast and played by Barbara Windsor. Peggy becomes a regular character, and Windsor played the role for 16 years. She announced in October 2009 that she would be leaving the show, and departs in September 2010. The character has made annual returns from 2013 onwards for singular episode stints, however, in January 2016, it was revealed that Peggy would be killed off as her cancer would return. Peggy returned to Albert Square for one week in May 2016 for her death, with her character finally committing suicide on 17 May 2016.

Peggy is fiercely protective of her family and the Mitchell name, and has become famous for her catchphrase "Get outta my pub!", used when ejecting people from The Queen Victoria, of which she is the landlady. Her storylines have seen her embark on a series of failed romances, including marriages to Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) and Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb). She has been central to several plot strands revolving around health issues, launching a hate campaign against the HIV positive character Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), and going on to make amends with him when she is later diagnosed with breast cancer.

Russell Nash, played by Ray Ashcroft, is the ex-boyfriend of Rachel Kominski (Jacquetta May), who arrives in Walford after she unknowingly hires one of his friends to put some bookshelves up for her. He attempts to reconcile with her, but she does not want to get back together with him, and ends up telling him that she had hated their three years together, especially the sex.