EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders’ long-suffering fan-favourite Ian Beale is currently doing time in prison, and he hasn’t been having a great time of it due to Gray Atkins wanting his own unhealthy slice of revenge.
Though the arc involving Gray looks to have been sorted for now, it remains to be seen how Ian will fare behind bars. That is unless you’ve spotted some behind-the-scenes photos, which indicate that he could be out of jail soon.
BBC
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The photos were taken by Alice Haig, who plays Vicki Fowler on the BBC soap. She posted some snaps on Instagram Stories, with co-stars Stephen Aaron-Sipple, Letitia Dean and Laura Doddington all being pictured in the café.
Tellingly, Adam Woodyatt, the actor who plays Ian, was also in the photos. With the soap filming about eight weeks in advance, it looks like Ian could be back in Albert Square as soon as October if these photos are anything to go by.
We already knew that Ian would be back in the thick of it in the early part of 2027, as he was involved in the drama from the flash-forward episode that aired on New Year’s Day earlier this year.
In that episode, he served as Max Branning’s best man (begrudgingly), although we still don’t know exactly who it is that the infamous womaniser is set to wed. He’s currently engaged to Ian’s ex-wife Cindy, but a lot could happen before then.
BBC
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Elsewhere, it’s all change for the Slater family in the upcoming months, as Zoe’s funeral has just been filmed. Rob Kazinsky, meanwhile, has also been confirmed for a permanent return as Sean, almost 20 years after he was in Walford full-time.
“I wanted to do it for the fans that have supported me in every role since I left the Square but, mostly, I wanted to do it for me,” he said of his return. “I’m home, and I can’t wait to bring a new level of heartfelt chaos to Albert Square in the way only Sean Slater can.”
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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