Stranger Things season five has introduced new character Derek Turnbow and he is already proving to be a fan favourite
*WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1.*
Netflix viewers have finally returned to Hawkins after a gruelling three-year wait, and there’s a host of new characters joining the group.
Stranger Things season five has now released its first four episodes, which follow the original gang as they attempt to find the season four villain, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
While Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is training for the moment she comes face to face with the monster, the nerds and teens take on their own plans to support the mission.
Viewers then meet potty-mouth newcomer Derek Turnbow, who is seen bullying Holly Wheeler by forcing the playground carousel to speed up while she is lying on it.
It later emerges that Vecna is targeting Derek, so the group plans to kidnap him in order to save his life and track down Vecna’s hiding spot.
Their plan falls apart, but Derek is soon enlisted to go undercover as ‘Delightful Derek’ in an attempt to rescue the mission.
Many Stranger Things fans have been raving about the new character, taking to social media to praise the actor behind the emerging favourite.
Who plays Derek Turnbow in Stranger Things?
Jake Connelly is an American actor whose breakout role came in Stranger Things 5.
Before joining the Netflix show, Connelly’s only IMDb credit was in a short film called Between the Silence.
You can follow Jake on Instagram @jakeconnellyofficial.
How old is Stranger Things star Jake Connelly?
Connelly is only 13 years old and was around four when the show premiered. But he managed to catch up on the sci-fi hit a few years ago.
Speaking to The Wrap at the season five premiere, he revealed: “I started watching it a good couple of years ago, probably around when Season 4 came out.”
“As a family, we sat down every night and watched an episode before bed. It was just so fun seeing everything that my mom grew up with in the ’80s,” Connelly added.
Despite being a newcomer, Connelly was welcomed with open arms. In the same interview, he told The Wrap that the main star, Brown, was especially kind.
He recalled: “I gotta say, one of the first days of the table read, Millie Bobby Brown called me over to her [trailer] and — my mom had no idea where I went — I was just there with Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi just chilling it up, just talking.
“And she said, ‘Oh yeah, we were all your age when we started. If you ever need anything, you can just call us.'”
Stranger Things 5 episodes 1-4 are streaming now on Netflix