Mark Fowler Jr returning to EastEnders

With Stephen Aaron-Sipple taking on the role.

EastEnders has confirmed that Mark Fowler Jr will be returning to the soap, ten years since he was last seen in 2016, discovering that Grant Mitchell was his father, after getting close to Courtney Mitchell, who he did not realise at the time was his half-sister.

He'll be heading back to Walford later this month to join his older sister Vicki Fowler, but eagle-eyed viewers will recognise him as the mysterious figure in the flashforward episode on New Year's Day. Placing him at the centre of the Brannings' unfolding drama.

Little is known about why Mark has returned and what he has been up to in the time he has been away, but it soon becomes clear that not all is as it seems.

On joining EastEnders, Stephen Aaron-Sipple said "Having grown up in East London, EastEnders has been in my life since childhood and I’m excited to be joining not one, but two iconic Albert Square families! I’m looking forward to viewers seeing why Mark is back, and what Walford has in store for him."

To which Executive Producer Ben Wadey added "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."

EastEnders continues Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One with first look episodes available from 6am on BBC iPlayer