{"id":409223,"date":"2026-02-05T12:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T12:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/409223\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T12:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T12:06:11","slug":"eastenders-character-jake-moon-stages-return-as-part-of-murder-story-with-unexpected-twists-ahead-soaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/409223\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders character Jake Moon stages return as part of murder story \u2013 with &#8216;unexpected&#8217; twists ahead | Soaps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/548911-7490.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-26671103\" alt=\"Jake Moon standing upstairs in the Queen Vic pub in EastEnders.\" decoding=\"sync\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tJake\u2019s back! (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n<p>While Jake Moon\u2019s (Joel Beckett) original stint on <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tv-soaps\/eastenders\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">EastEnders<\/a> only lasted for two years, what a memorable two years it was.<\/p>\n<p>Arriving to stay with cousin <a href=\"http:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/alfie-moon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alfie Moon<\/a>\u00a0(<a href=\"http:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/shane-richie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Shane Richie<\/a>) alongside brother Danny (Jake Maskall), it soon became incredibly clear that the dodgy duo had been dipping their toes into organised <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/crime-news\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">crime<\/a> and, upon the emergence of widely-feared gang lord, Johnny Allen (Billy Murray), it was revealed that they were both pretty bad at being bad.<\/p>\n<p>Placed by Johnny under the employ of fellow East End crime boss, Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs), Jake and Danny were sucked into a Soprano\u2019s-esque plot that saw wholesale drug exchanges, million pound rip-offs and, ultimately, Johnny throwing Andy over a fly-over bridge. <\/p>\n<p>They were later ordered to flee by Johnny, though Jake soon returned, determined to forge a relationship with recent murderess, Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman).<\/p>\n<p>When she ended up in the clink, Jake was drawn back into the ever-expanding Walford gangland, saving <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/phil-mitchell\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Phil\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/grant-mitchell\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Grant Mitchell<\/a>\u00a0(<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/steve-mcfadden\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Steve McFadden<\/a>\u00a0and (<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/ross-kemp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ross Kemp<\/a>) from the wrath of Johnny, accidentally killing his own brother and finally, appearing to have died at the hands of one of Johnny\u2019s hitmen.<\/p>\n<p>Intense right?<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PM_11967799-3091.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-26595303\" alt=\"Jake and Danny Moon in EastEnders\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tJake and Danny were constantly ducking and diving (Picture: BBC)<\/p>\n<p>So, naturally, with no mention of Jake in the years since, we all just accepted he was at the bottom of a canal wearing some rather scratchy concrete shoes. Or, y\u2019know, something even more gangster-y?<\/p>\n<p>But alas, no. Following <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/09\/10\/knife-horror-chrissie-moves-kill-eastenders-21577425\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chrissie\u2019s return to screens<\/a> as the top dog of the prison <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/sharon-watts\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sharon Watts<\/a>\u00a0(<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/letitia-dean\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Letitia Dean<\/a>) had <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/09\/02\/eastenders-legend-taken-away-police-worst-yet-come-21532010\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">found herself in<\/a> and her ultimate release after twenty years inside, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/09\/12\/eastenders-confirms-shock-character-return-legends-huge-exit-21591492\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">she reunited with Jake<\/a>, who\u2019d waited out her entire sentence to be with her.<\/p>\n<p>Sweet, right? A happy ending for two of the dodgiest people to ever step foot on Albert Square\u2026which really says something.<\/p>\n<p>Well, not really, because it didn\u2019t last.<\/p>\n<p>Chrissie went bad again incredibly quickly. Learning that <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/zoe-slater\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Zoe Slater<\/a> (<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/michelle-ryan\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michelle Ryan<\/a>) was back in London, she allied herself with Zoe\u2019s long lost (and presumed dead) daughter, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/jasmine-fisher\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jasmine Fisher<\/a>\u00a0(<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/indeyarna-donaldson-holness\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness<\/a>)\u00a0and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/24\/eastenders-star-tracy-ann-oberman-reacts-chrissie-watts-return-reason-zoe-torment-confirmed-25759723\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">began to stalk Zoe<\/a>, leading to a <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/25\/christmas-day-death-horror-history-repeats-eastenders-25765732\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">vicious showdown<\/a> on Christmas day\u2026 a showdown that occurred after Chrissie was seen ignoring Jake\u2019s calls and texts.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"445\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_278893557-6d1a.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25761473\" alt=\"Chrissie Watts looking serious in front of the Queen Vic pub in EastEnders.\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tChrissie\u2019s thirst for revenge cost her and Jake\u2019s relationship (Picture: BBC)<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I think that Chrissie has always felt that\u2019s it\u2019s very unfair she spent 20 years in prison and has never really been able to move on from the trauma of Dirty Den and living in Walford,\u2019 said Tracy-Ann upon the reveal of Chrissie\u2019s vengeful return.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tDon&#8217;t miss a Soaps scoop! Add us as a Preferred Source\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soaps news, spoilers, videos, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">here<\/a> and tick\u00a0Metro.co.uk\u00a0to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770293169_131_SEI_278522320-46a3.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25627285\" alt=\"Soaps authors collage Fact box image only Picture: Metro\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tNow you can ensure you never miss a story from the Soaps team<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When the opportunity came up to have something over Zoe Slater, who she has always found to be an irritating little girl, she jumped at the opportunity. She clearly has time on her hands!<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Also, Chrissie, whilst being very hard and tough, has a strong sense of justice, and in her mind, Zoe never really paid for Den\u2019s murder, and the part she played in destroying the Watts family.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018What started off as a game for Chrissie, has ended up becoming a little bit of an obsession, and finding this gorgeous daughter, who was also hurt by Zoe, seemed like too good of an opportunity to miss.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Also, I do think she is genuinely very fond of Jasmine. She\u2019s like the daughter she never had, and I think she wants to empower Jasmine to also get revenge on the woman who abandoned her. Chrissie thinks Zoe needs to take responsibility, and that\u2019s her motivation.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/544580-fc09.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-26238086\" alt=\"Zoe facing Kat in the prison visiting room in EastEnders\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tZoe\u2019s locked up for a crime she didn\u2019t commit (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n<p>Prior to Chrissie\u2019s big reveal, Zoe had found herself in a <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/26\/kat-works-out-really-killed-anthony-eastenders-star-breaks-silence-exit-25824471\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">violent clash<\/a> with her baby daddy, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/26\/kat-works-out-really-killed-anthony-eastenders-star-breaks-silence-exit-25824471\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey)<\/a>. She was knocked out after he smashed her head into the bannister and, upon waking up, realised he was dead.<\/p>\n<p>She confessed to the murder and was arrested. While both Zoe and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/kat-slater\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kat Moon<\/a>\u00a0(<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/jessie-wallace\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jessie Wallace<\/a>) are convinced that Chrissie did the deed, the audience now know that his daughter, Jasmine, struck the killer blow.<\/p>\n<p>With Zoe unwilling to place Jasmine in danger by crossing Chrissie once again, she\u2019s decided to plead guilty to manslaughter, in order to hopefully cop a lesser sentence, though, in the meantime, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/01\/27\/eastenders-confirms-key-exit-bbc-iplayer-release-walford-descends-frenzy-26548437\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jasmine has fled<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s blown away next week, though, when Jake himself <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/01\/30\/eastenders-confirms-saves-zoe-prison-unexpected-26609977\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">pays her a visit<\/a>. Lamenting the destruction of their relationship, he\u2019s shaken to his core as Zoe fills him in on exactly what happened on Christmas Day. Though she pleads with him to help her prove her innocence as her only connection to Chrissie, Jake refuses.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/548931-569a.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-26671109\" alt=\"Jake and Alfie moon embrace at the kitchen table in EastEnders\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tCousins reunite (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron)<\/p>\n<p>His return leads to a reunion with Alfie, something actor Joel was chuffed about: \u2018Being back working alongside familiar faces, as well as some brilliant new ones, was a real joy. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was good to know that Jake had been out there, alive and well. He returns carrying plenty of unanswered questions and the storyline takes him in some unexpected directions with real twists and turns. I\u2019m excited for people to see what he\u2019s been up to.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>An encounter with Phil convinces him to help Kat and Alfie free Zoe and, in an attempt to do right by his family, he attempts to lure Chrissie back to Walford.<\/p>\n<p>Will the wicked witch of Walford come back? And if she does\u2026what will the consequences be for Jake? Is this family reunion set to end in heartbreak?<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/01\/29\/eastenders-confirms-major-return-dead-character-big-shocks-store-26594008\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">EastEnders confirms major return for \u2018dead\u2019 character with big shocks in store<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/01\/28\/patrick-spirals-zoe-drops-a-bombshell-anthony-eastenders-26532557\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Patrick spirals as Zoe drops a bombshell about Anthony in EastEnders<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/01\/25\/in-pain-patrick-furiously-confronts-kat-over-her-actions-in-eastenders-26471321\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">In pain Patrick furiously confronts Kat over her actions in EastEnders<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tComments<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tAdd as preferred source<br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tThe Soaps Newsletter \u2013 Daily<\/p>\n<p>All the latest soaps spoilers and gossip, in your inbox every morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jake\u2019s back! (Picture: BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron) While Jake Moon\u2019s (Joel Beckett) original stint on EastEnders only lasted for&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[15671,1078,96,12125,12126,15672,15673,1609,391,56,54,55,15674],"class_list":["post-409223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-alfie-moon","tag-eastenders","tag-entertainment","tag-jessie-wallace","tag-kat-slater","tag-michelle-ryan","tag-shane-richie","tag-soaps","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-zoe-slater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}