Ray (East Enders) - Bert Atkinson

Albert "Bert" Atkinson, played by Dave Hill, made his first appearance in Albert Square on 24 February 2006. He is last seen leaving Walford on 23 July 2007. Bert is from Slaithwaite in Huddersfield, Yorkshire and is proud Yorkshireman and frequently mentions it in the show. He can often be found boasting around Albert Square about how Southerners do not match up to him and his fellow Northerners.

He is a friend of Joe Macer, and comes to Walford to visit him, having heard from Joe's daughter Megan of his marriage to Pauline Fowler. On the day he arrives, he is mistaken for a tramp by Bradley Branning, flirts with Yolande Trueman and interrupts Martin and Sonia Fowler's evening of passion by letting himself into their house while Joe and Pauline are on their honeymoon.

He flirts with Mo Harris and takes her back to Pauline and Joe's, where the newlyweds walk in on them kissing on the sofa. Mo identifies a tattoo on his upper left arm as one obtained in prison, and realises that Bert knows Joe from prison. She reveals this to Dot Branning after splitting with Bert, after finding him in an alley in a tight embrace with Ina, a local market stall holder. After Pauline discovers Joe and Dot's betrayal, Bert moves in with Jim, Dot, Sonia and Bradley at 25 Albert Square. He later makes up with Mo and their passion started again.

In November 2006, Bert receives a visit from a man telling him that his ex-wife Evie wanted to see him. She is dying of breast cancer, and tells Bert that she still loves him, even after 38 years of not seeing each other. She also reveals that their daughter, Karen, died of breast cancer in 2004. Bert brings Evie back to Walford to stay with Pat Evans while the rest of her family are away, and Bert moves in with her, breaking up with Mo. Evie dies days after arriving in the Square but she shocks Bert by telling him that he has a grandson called Jay. At Evie's funeral Bert meets Jay for the first time but does not introduce himself because he is too afraid of what may happen. Bert moves out of Pat's house and in with Patrick and Yolande Trueman

On 5 February 2007, Beryl, the carer of Bert's grandson, Jay, brings Jay to live with Bert, saying she cannot look after him anymore. Bert tries to teach Jay not to steal, as he steals from Deano Wicks's stall and Patrick and Yolande's shop.

Pat later persuades Ian Beale to let Bert and Jay live at 15a Turpin Road (the flat above Ian's fish and chip shop). He is referred to an eye specialist with a suspected glaucoma after a check up at his optician's. Initially Bert refuses to have anything to do with surgery but after Jay discovers how serious his condition is and threatens to move out, Bert has the surgery and appears to make a full recovery.

In July 2007 Jay's father, Jase Dyer, appears in Albert Square, looking for his son. After an initially frosty meeting, Bert allows him to meet Jay. The father and son hit it off together, and Jase moves into the flat. On seeing his grandson is being well looked after, Bert takes his cue to pack his bags and move on from the Square.

Bert is last mentioned twice on January 2009 in a conversation between Pat and Billy Mitchell due to Jay's behaviour problems and in March 2009 when Jay returns to Walford informing Billy that he is living with Bert, however, it is all a lie when an episode ends in Jay tucking himself in bed — covered in cardboard on a park bench. Mo eventually learns from Bert that Jay was not living with him and tells Billy, who then invites Jay to stay with him again.