Tom Banks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Colm Ó Maonlaí from 23 April to 1 November 2002.

Introduced in April 2002 as a love interest for Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), producers made the decision to axe the character, and he was killed off in November 2002.

Now a firefighter, Tom starts dating Sharon, despite interference from her ex-boyfriend, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and his ex-wife, Sadie, (Isobel Middleton).

When Trevor Morgan (Alex Ferns) starts a fire at 23 Albert Square, Tom runs in to rescue him and his hostages Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth) and his son, Sean (Oliver Bradley).

The character was introduced in 2002 by executive producer John Yorke as part of Sharon Watts's (Letitia Dean) returning storyline to EastEnders.

[2] Conor and his daughter Mary (Melanie Clark Pullen) were axed in 1999 and Tom Banks was the first character of Irish descent to be given a regular role in the serial since the Flahertys' departure.

A love triangle storyline featured initially as Tom battled for Sharon's affections with her former lover Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).

"[8] The character was reportedly popular with female viewers with Ó Maonlaí receiving "raunchy" fan mail and being a hailed as a "sex symbol".

A study examinining doctors "concluded that media stories on health issues, such as those featured on the news or in soap operas, had a significant effect on people's perception of their well-being".

Dr John Henry, professor of accident medicine at St Mary's Hospital & Imperial College Medical School in London, said, "Anything which empowers patients to take more responsibility for their own well-being is to be applauded".