EastEnders cast: New, leaving and returning characters

THERE is never a shortage of drama when it comes to EastEnders but there's sure to be some more explosive storylines.

Some characters are set to leave Walford but others are set for comebacks and a new scriptwriter from Emmerdale is part of the reason for the shake-up.

Chrissie Watts (Tracy Ann Oberman) - returning

Tracy Ann Oberman is making an explosive return to Walford after more than 19 years away from the show.

The actress will reprise her role as Chrissie Watts later this year on the BBC One soap.

Chrissie was last seen on-screen when she was sent to prison for the murder of her husband, Den Watts.

But now she is set to shake Walford to the core when she makes an unexpected re-appearance.

The reasons for her return are being kept closely under wraps but The Sun can confirm that Tracy Ann has already begun filming.

Speaking about heading back to the BBC show, the popular TV star said: “Chrissie Watts was such a great character to play - a victim or a villain.

"She is a real fan favourite so, when Chris Clenshaw asked me to come back and re-visit her and see what has happened in the last 19 years, I jumped at the chance.

"The scripts are fantastic and I hope the viewers enjoy her as much as I am enjoying playing her again.”

Martin Fowler (James Bye) - returned

Fans will be delighted to see that Martin Fowler has returned to the Square this year.

The character, played by James Bye, wasn't seen since last year as James took time out for panto.

Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) - returned

Sharon Watts departed for Australian to see her best mate Michelle.

She was eager to escape Walford after the Six stroyline and the demise of her husband Keanu Taylor.

EastEnders gave no official reason for Letitia's departure from the soap but she is now back.

Her co-star Diane Parish, who plays Denise Fox, confirmed the beloved character's return.

Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) - left

Fan favourite actor Max Bowden has been booted out of the BBC One drama after making his debut as Ben Mitchell in 2019.

The soap star made his exit this year as his contract ended in March 2024.

Speaking about Max's exit, a source said: "Max has played Ben for the last four years and bosses decided his time on the show was up."

It is thought that his off-screen life was enough to convince soap bosses to give him the axe.

"There has been a lot of noise around him for a bit too long and that can take away from the drama on the show."

“He went in for a meeting as his contract was up for renewal next year."

“No one knew how it was going to go and following discussions it was decided that he would leave."

Junior Knight (Micah Balfour) - joined

New character Junior Knight, played by Micah Balfour, is set to join the square.

The former Emmerdale star has swapped the Dales for Walford as he's set to join in May 2024.

The eldest child and only son of George Knight has been estranged from him for years but will finally make his debut in the coming weeks.

Speaking about his exciting role of Junior, Balfour said: "I’m thrilled to be joining the cast of EastEnders as part of the Knight family. I grew up watching the show and many of the characters have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, so walking onto the Square for the first time was the most surreal experience of my career!

"It’s a privilege to work with Colin Salmon, who I’ve watched with admiration for many years, and Francesca Henry and Molly Rainford, who are dynamite on screen, as well as the amazing Harriet Thorpe and Kellie Bright.

"Junior is an exciting character to play as he’s a complex man, and he’s going to cause a bit of a stir!"

Is he going to cause some drama?

Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) - returned

Linda Carter has been spiralling out of control for several months and her alcohol addiction took over once again.

Help came to her side as her son Johnny Carter is back in Albert Square.

The second youngest of the Carter siblings was last seen in January, 2018, as he waved a heartfelt goodbye to his large family to start his legal career in Manchester.

Actor Charlie Suff has reprised the role of Johnny Carter from Ted Reilly.

Speaking about what's ahead for his character, Charlie said: "I would say that there are a lot of people whom Johnny hasn’t seen for a long time – some he’s very happy to see, and some he isn’t."

"I think Johnny is coming back with a bang, wanting to show the people of Walford that he’s all grown up and not to be messed with."

Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) - left

Five years have passed since EastEnders legend Patsy Palmer was last seen in the role of Bianca Jackson.

The beloved character was last seen in 2019, making her debut in 1993 before departing in 1999 and then returning from 2008 to 2014.

Patsy returned to the set of the London-based program as her daughter figure Whitney Dean left Walford to join her in Milton Keynes following a devastating separation with partner Terry Spraggan.

And with Whitney set to leave Walford for good, Bianca is thought to be playing a key role in her upcoming exit.

Speaking about reprising her role, Patsy said: "I’m so excited to be reprising the role of Bianca."

"EastEnders holds such a special place in my heart so it’s always a pleasure to be back."

But what's ahead for her?

Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) - left

After six years in Albert Square, Keanu Taylor met a tragic end on Christmas Day, 2023.

The hunk played by Danny Walters was at the core of a huge murder mystery teased ten months in advance with a nail-biting flashforward scene that shook viewers to the core.

Keanu Taylor took part in a fake kidnapping plot targeting Sharon's son Albie Watts as the soap legend was planning to move to Abu Dhabi, and his mother Karen helped him.

The kidnapping ordeal ended with Keanu and Sharon deciding to give their romance ANOTHER chance - but he had also managed to extort £50k from Phil Mitchell.

Unbeknownst to him, Sharon then found out that Albie was never his son to begin with but she kept the secret to herself for several weeks.

Things came to a head for Keanu when his sister Bernie Taylor told Phil everything he and their mother had been up to.

Phil crashed Keanu and Sharon's wedding, revealing everything to his ex-wife.

This triggered a series of unfortunate events for Keanu as Sharon finally revealed he was not Albie's father and he tried to strangle her in a fit of rage.

Unfortunately for him, Linda Carter was present, along with four other Walford women.

The Vic landlady stabbed Keanu to save Sharon and his body was laid to rest underneath Kathy Beale's café.

Since then, Keanu has been haunting Denise Fox as the hairstylist's mental health is on a rapid decline.

Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) - left

Lorraine Stanley took on the role of Karen Taylor for the first time in 2017 and her on-screen family followed suit.

But after six years on our screens, the fan favourite was written out of the long-running show.

"It’s always a tough call for bosses when deciding which characters will leave the soap, but it has to be done to keep storylines fresh and create new arcs for characters", a source told The Sun.

"Lorraine had a great run on the soap and was a real scene stealer with her comic timing and she has certainly made her mark with fans."

Taking to Instagram after the news of her exit leaked, Lorraine wrote: "Hey everyone! I’m so grateful for all of your lovely messages this past week. Thank you to Daran Little for creating the Taylors and to the BBC for giving me the opportunity to play such a fabulous character."

"I’ll be sad to be saying goodbye to Karen Taylor and will miss all the cast and crew at Eastenders."

"However I’m looking forward to my next chapter and excited about being a jobbing Actor again & starting new ventures".

Theories circulated online about Karen's exit with many fans speculating she could be headed to Germany to be with her son Keegan.

But things turned out more dramatic than expected.

After faking Albie Watts' kidnapping ordeal with her son Keanu and taking a whopping amount of ransom money from Phil Mitchell, Karen took the fall.

Caught out and unwilling to face more turmoil, she made a run for it with Phil's money, Mitch Baker and the rest of their family, with the exception of Bernie Taylor.

The Taylor-Bakers fled abroad for a fresh start and luxury lifestyle.

Karen then returned to Walford in February, 2024, after her son Keanu mysteriously vanished.

Determined to know where Keanu was, and completely unaware he'd actually been murdered, Karen asked questions, ruffling feathers along the way.

Bernie eventually convinced her to let the matter go, convinced her brother would eventually turn up.

Karen was last seen climbing into a late night taxi, with sunglasses on her nose, as she waved an emotional and tearful goodbye to her daughter Bernie.

Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) - returned

The fan favourite character is facing an uncertain future in Albert Square after his brutal assault on Theo Hawthorne.

Freddie caught his former teacher Theo trying to rape his cousin Stacey Slater and saw bright red.

History repeated itself in a shocking nod to his mother Little Mo and her actions against Trevor Morgan as Freddie armed himself with an iron and used it to beat Theo.

The stalker was left lifeless on the kitchen floor while Eve Unwin and Stacey came up with a cover story for Freddie.

According to their official version of events, Theo broke into No.31 with a weapon, forcing Freddie to act in self-defence.

Despite this, Freddie was still arrested for attempted murder and taken in for questioning.

In an episode aired on Thursday, October 5, 2023, Jean Slater was told what truly happened before being chosen by Freddie as his support system for his police interview.

Freddie was eventually released on bail and made the decision to leave the Square to spend some time with his mother Little Mo.

He was driven out of Walford by Harvey Monroe before Jack Branning announced that Theo was awake and his version of events contradicts Freddie's - but what's in store for the fan favourite?

Bobby Brazier left the show as he took part in Strictly Come Dancing.

"I'm taking a break. I've filmed it all, and I'm not telling you. I'll be back", he promised.

Despite leaving for a few months, he is set to return to the soap.

Executive producer Chris Clenshaw teased to RadioTimes: "In terms of Freddie, he obviously left after a huge storyline in which we saw a very, very different Freddie - we've not seen him kind of act in that way before although I think we understood exactly where that was coming from."

He added: "When Freddie returns, he’s probably done a little bit of growing up since being away."

Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) - left

Another soap legend is due to make her exit from the Square after 15 years.

Whitney Dean star Shona McGarty will be waving goodbye to Walford and fans are begging soap bosses to give her the happy ending she deserves after being put through the wringer.

"I have decided to spread my wings and will be leaving EastEnders. I have loved my years in the show", Shona told The Sun on Sunday.

"I have been trusted with some incredible storylines and have made amazing friendships — and family — which will endure."

According to one source, the soap star "is hoping the door will be left open for her character to return one day, but nothing is guaranteed and it is all in the hands of the scriptwriters."

Whitney was recently seen leaving the Square to go to Milton Keynes but actress Shona McGarty is still filming scenes on the Elstree Centre set.

The Sun then showed an explosive first look at her EastEnders exit as Whitney could be fatally mowed down by a car.

Lisa Fowler (Lucy Benjamin) - left

More than three years after her departure from the BBC One program, Lisa Fowler came back with a vengeance and her granddaughter Peggy Mitchell Jr.

Lucy Benjamin reprised her role on Monday, July 10, 2023, and the schemer has been trying to play tricks on Keanu Taylor as payback for his poor treatment of her daughter Louise.

But the actress was only due to appear for a guest stint as her on-screen alter ego struggles with a gambling addiction.

Lucy Benjamin made her debut as Lisa Fowler in 1998 and left the show as a regular character in 2003.