The 62-year-old actor, best known for playing Alfie Moon, is scheduled to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on September 9 on a charge of drink-driving.
Police said the arrest followed reports of a suspected drink-driver in the Church Langley Way area of Harlow shortly before 11.20pm on Wednesday, July 29.
Officers attended the scene and arrested a man, and a charge of drink-driving was later authorised against Shane Roche, 62, of Tadworth, Surrey.
Mr Richie first came to prominence after working as a Pontins bluecoat and stand‑up comedian before moving into television game shows and sketch comedy.
He joined EastEnders in 2002, with his character Alfie Moon quickly becoming one of the BBC soap’s most popular figures.
His on‑off partnership with Kat Slater is regarded as one of soap’s best‑known double acts and has seen him appear in more than a thousand episodes.
Away from Albert Square, Mr Richie has fronted prime‑time TV shows, appeared in major stage musicals and pursued a parallel career as a recording artist.
Richie has maintained a long-standing connection with Berkshire through his role as patron of Shinfield Players Theatre in Reading.
Appointed in 2009 following the death of actor Anton Rodgers, he has championed the amateur theatre by attending productions, supporting fundraising initiatives and helping to raise its profile within the local community.
He also has strong links to Buckinghamshire’s theatre scene, having performed in several Christmas pantomimes at Wycombe Swan and has also appeared in productions that attract audiences from across the Thames Valley.