EastEnders signs up former The Bill star for new storyline as iconic Walford landmark faces closure
EASTENDERS has signed up a former The Bill star for a dramatic new storyline, as an iconic Walford landmark faces the threat of closure.
The addition of the new character is set to shake up the community, as tensions rise with the looming closure of a beloved local business.
Iain Fletcher, who many will remember as DC Rod Skase from The Bill, is set to bring his formidable presence to EastEnders as Walford councillor Mr Barker.
The actor, 57, has appeared on stage and screen, including roles in Band of Brothers, Waterloo Road, Casualty, and the West End stage show Mamma Mia.
His first appearance on EastEnders is scheduled for next week, and it looks like he’ll be stirring things up quite a bit, especially with Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton) and the fight to save the Bridge Street market.
Tensions rise when Martin Fowler (James Bye) arranges a meeting with Councillor Barker, only to find out it’s been brought forward.
Stressed, Martin relies on Ruby to step in and help at the last minute.
As the meeting kicks off at the community centre, things quickly escalate as Ruby and Mr. Barker clash.
After the tense meeting, Ruby takes a different approach to handle the fallout from Councillor Barker’s actions.
Following a confrontation at the Minute Mart, she devises an ambitious plan to tackle the situation head-on.
As the week draws to a close, Ruby puts her plan into action.
Will she manage to turn things around, or could her bold move end up making the problem even worse?
Meanwhile, EastEnders legend Ross Kemp confirmed he will be returning as Grant Mitchell for the soap’s 40th anniversary in February.
Ross said: “I’m delighted to be returning to EastEnders as the show heads towards its 40th anniversary.
“EastEnders has always meant so much to me, so to return as the show is about to celebrate such a special anniversary, is an absolute honour.
“Grant has never been far from the action and let’s just say, this time is no different as he certainly comes back with a bang.”
EastEnders' 40th anniversary cameos so far
With the 40th anniversary of EastEnders coming up, fans are looking forward to some more incredible cameos from iconic faces of Walford's past. But who have we had so far?
Tracy-Ann Oberman – Oberman returned as Chrissie Watts, a character she last played nearly two decades ago.
Paul Bradley – Bradley returned as Nigel Bates, a character he last played over 25 years ago.
Micheal French – French returned as David Wicks, a character he last played two decades ago.
Patsy Palmer – Palmer returned as Bianca Jackson, a character she last played in 2019.
Coming up this year…
Ross Kemp – Kemp will reprise his role as Grant Mitchell, a character he first played in 1990. The BBC has described Kemp’s storyline as “explosive”. Kemp said it was an “absolute honour” to return to the show.
Other aspects of the 40th anniversary celebration include: A wedding between fan favorites, A huge explosion at the Queen Vic, and A live interactive episode.
Grant was last seen in 2016 when he returned from mum Peggy Mitchell’s (Barbara Windsor) funeral.
His return comes as his brother Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) has been secretly struggling with his mental health in dark scenes.
This comes after several icons reprised their roles in the past few months such as David Wicks (Micheal French), Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) and Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley).
As part of the soap’s 40th anniversary celebrations, viewers will decide in an interactive vote whether Denise Fox (Diane Parish) will reunited with ex-husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) or choose her messy affair with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend Ravi Gulati (Aaron Chiara).
What will viewers decide?