James Bye

James Edward Bye is an English actor who played Martin Fowler on the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2014 to 2025. He also competed in series 20 of Strictly Come Dancing in 2022. Bye was born on 23 February 1984 in Basingstoke to parents Leonard and Pauline. He attended Hurst Community College in Baughurst and later Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke.

His first acting role was in a 2006 episode of The Bill as Tom Burrows. He appeared in the films Cemetery Junction (2010), Hummingbird (2013), and The Hooligan Factory (2014), as well as the miniseries The Great Train Robbery (2013). In October 2014, Bye was cast as Martin Fowler in EastEnders. His character was killed off during the live episode of the show's 40th anniversary on 20 February 2025, with Bye consequently departing the series.

In 2022, he competed in series 20 of Strictly Come Dancing. He played Mr. Darcy in the stage adaptation of P. D. James's mystery novel Death Comes to Pemberley, which toured the UK from 1 May to 13 September 2025. Bye married his wife Victoria in 2012, and the couple have four sons.