'EastEnders' Spoilers: Walford Sees the Return of Mark Fowler Jr as Character is Recast

Mark Fowler Jr is set to return to Walford in coming episodes of EastEnders as the BBC recasts the character with a new actor. The BBC recently announced that the mysterious person Max Branning (Jake Wood) was nodding at during the New Year's Day episode was Mark Fowler Jr, now portrayed by Stephen Aaron-Sipple, who joined the cast in October.

'We are thrilled to welcome Stephen Aaron-Sipple to EastEnders and bring Mark back to Albert Square. Viewers had a glimpse of Mark in the New Years' Day flashforward episode, with the circumstances around his upcoming involvement with the Brannings set to unfold throughout the year,' said the show's executive producer Ben Wadley. Aaron-Sipple said he was excited to be joining 'not one, but two iconic Albert Square families' and looked forward to viewers seeing 'why Mark is back, and what Walford has in store for him'.

The Flashforward Mystery

The New Year's Day episode showed a time jump to 2027, which focused on Max Branning. In one scene, Max nodded towards a man on the street from his window, whose identity remained obscured. The mysterious man was referenced throughout the episode in a conversation between Max and his daughter Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).

Mark Fowler Jr was previously portrayed by Ned Porteous and was last seen in 2016. Porteous left the show to appear in another soap, Emmerdale, in 2017 and returned in 2024. When Mark Jr last appeared in 2016, he discovered that Grant was his father after he got close to Courtney Mitchell, whom he did not realise was his half-sister.

Anthony Trueman's Final Curtain

Another character made a short return to EastEnders: Anthony Trueman, played by Nicholas Bailey. The previous episode wrapped up the mystery behind Anthony's death, as he was suddenly killed off on Christmas Day at The Vic, just as he returned for the first time in 11 years.

On the 15 January episode, the killer was revealed to be Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness), Anthony's daughter with Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan). Jasmine visited the chapel where Anthony's body was laid to rest, where she told him to 'rot in hell' for what he put Zoe through.

The show shared a behind-the-scenes video of Bailey reprising his role for one final time and being given flowers afterwards. 'So that's it for Anthony, the final curtain has dropped,' said Bailey of his character, which he has portrayed 'for 25 years'.

'I want to shout out the fans. Thank you for everything, for all your support, opportunities, and abundance this has brought me,' said Bailey, who also praised his co-stars and the crew. 'Thank you to everybody who has made this happen. It's been such an honour and privilege to work here. Wherever I go in the world, this will always be home. So you take care and keep watching.'