Did Fatboy die in EastEnders?
SOAP actor Ricky Norwood is returning to our screens - and he's literally getting his skates on.
The former EastEnders star has been announced as one of the new line-up for the 2024 series of Dancing On Ice.
Who was Fatboy in EastEnders?
Ricky Norwood was unveiled as the ninth contestant to join ITV show Dancing On Ice on Loose Women on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, ..
Born on April 26, 1983, the actor joined EastEnders as Fatboy in 2010, after first appearing in spin-off show EastEnders: E20.
He exited Albert Square in 2015, but returned to the soap that catapulted him into the spotlight in 2023.
Fatboy featured in a flashback scene, as BBC One viewers discovered the fallout from Cindy Beale's explosive return to Walford.
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The former villainess, portrayed by Michelle Collins, rocked up in the Square and confronted her mother-in-law Kathy Beale.
But the discussion quickly turned into a slapping match as old unresolved tensions rose again.
This eventually led to George Knight learning the truth about his beloved estranged wife Rose, whom he had lost sight of in 2014.
One episode featured flashback scenes of Cindy's life in Marbella with George and their two daughters, Gina and Anna.
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But in a surprising twist, Cindy wasn't the only character to return from the dead as she was seen alongside Arthur, more commonly known in Albert Square as Fatboy.
Portrayed by Ricky Norwood, Fatboy was the ex-husband of Mercy Chubb and the son of Ashley Chubb.
He made his EastEnders debut in January, 2010, when he was invited to a party hosted by Cindy's late daughter Lucy Beale.
In the flashback scene, dating from April, 2014, Cindy secretly returned to Walford after finding out about Lucy's untimely death while in Spain.
As diehard fans will remember, Lucy Beale was murdered by her younger brother Bobby.
The child bashed Lucy's head in with a music box she had been keeping drugs in and Jane Beale ultimately helped him cover up the crime.
At the time of Cindy's secret return, Lucy's death remained a mystery and Bobby hadn't been suspected of any foul play.
Cindy was unable to reveal she was back in the Square due to being embroiled in the witness protection scheme in an attempt to avoid her former cellmate Jackie Ford.
The East End residents believed she had died behind bars years before.
In the flashback she's seen locked in a car with the agent in charge of her case - but the pair of women are interrupted by Fatboy who asks them for the time before heading off to a pool competition in The Vic.
But while Cindy played dead for 25 years, Fatboy isn't as lucky as he met a tragic fate a year after his encounter with the blonde bombshell.
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Did Fatboy die in EastEnders?
Fatboy was the life of Lucy's party upon his first appearance and became involved in plenty of dramatic storylines during his stint in the fictional borough of Walford.
While his love life in Albert Square was nothing short of chaotic, he was also an important source of support for Dot Cotton following the death of her son Nick.
But in 2015, things took a turn when he became involved in a deadly feud.
After troubled beginnings, Fatboy bonded with Vincent Hubbard who convinced him to drop his pseudonym and use his real name "Arthur" again.
The beloved character was then given a job as a DJ in The Albert by Vincent but, unfortunately, this friendship turned sour in a matter of weeks as Fatboy was embroiled in his boss' vendetta with Phil Mitchell.
Fatboy desperately tried to convince Vincent to put an end to the feud only to be threatened with violence against Dot if he didn't leave Walford.
Devastated, Fatboy agreed to flee, sharing one last Christmas meal with Dot and confronting Vincent one final time.
Unfortunately, he never made it out of the Square as he was killed by Ronnie Mitchell's hitmen on Christmas Day 2015.
Ronnie had originally made plans to kill Vincent by having him crushed in a car.
Sadly, Vincent found out himself the plot hadn't gone as expected as he discovered Fatboy's dead body himself in the boot of the car.
Fans couldn't help but spot an ironic tone to Fatboy's death as the character was known to be terrified of enclosed spaces.
It was later revealed that Vincent's mother Claudette Hubbard knew all along that he would be killed off had he been driving the car and sent Fatboy instead to save him.
Speaking about his surprise comeback to EastEnders, actor Ricky told he was "absolutely thrilled."
He admitted: "I was absolutely thrilled to be asked by Chris Clenshaw to reprise the role of Fatboy for a flashback scene in tonight's episode."
He added in reference to late Dot Cotton star June Brown: "Being back in the Square felt like coming home and it was so lovely to see old friends and new faces - but of course I missed not having Mrs B there.
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"Working with Michelle Collins was surreal and I'm so delighted I got the call to be a part of Cindy's big return."
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
