Inside EastEnders actor’s marriage to writer wife and forgotten Walford past
James Farrar has played Zack Hudson in EastEnders since 2021 and has been involved in many memorable storylines
Zack Hudson has been helping his son Barney Mitchell(Image: BBC)
EastEnders’ Zack Hudson has been navigating some challenges in Walford.
The character (played by James Farrar) is the biological father of Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman), who is currently involved in a major storyline.
Barney notably reached out to his dad during Monday’s (August 3) episode, which is now streaming on BBC iPlayer. The teen explained that he’d found a hammer that had likely been used to assault Joel Marshall (Max Murray).
He also revealed that he’d seen Davinder “Nugget” Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) burying something at the allotments. Zack and Barney later uncovered a bag of marijuana, with Zack promising to speak to Nugget’s parents about the discovery.
However, Barney urged him to keep quiet, saying: “But everything’s already so messed up with Avani. Please, Zack,” reports the Mirror.
Zack and Barney made a discovery(Image: BBC)
As Zack decides whether to come clean about his discovery, here’s everything you need to know about the actor who plays him.
James Farrar was born in Greenwich, London. He studied drama and media at the University of Portsmouth, before graduating in 2008. He later went on to study at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2010.
The 39-year-old is a qualified personal trainer and vegan chef, and previously worked as a model before pursuing a career in acting. However, he notably quit modelling due to a heartbreaking family development.
“One of the reasons I joined EastEnders was because of my mum, who has cancer. It meant that if these are my last days with her, we spent them together rather than me travelling the world,” he previously told The Sun’s TV Mag.
James also explained that joining EastEnders was a “blessing” because he could spend time with his family, rather than “doing the silly hours and travelling” that he did while modelling.
James married Ali Roff in 2017(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Champagne Lanson)
EastEnders fans may be surprised to learn that Zack wasn’t James’s first role in the BBC soap. He notably made his acting debut in an episode of EastEnders back in 2011, playing a teenager called Brendan.
He has since appeared as Liam Gilmore in Hollyoaks, as well as landing other roles in Silent Witness, Doctors, and Call the Midwife.
James is happily married to his wife Ali Roff Farrar, who he tied the knot with back in 2017. Ali is the Editor-at-Large and a columnist at Psychologies Magazine, where she has interviewed world-renowned spiritual gurus, psychologists and doctors.
The couple launched their wellness retreat in 2018, and together they have hosted many sell out wellness weekends since.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am
