BIG changes are to be expected this summer following a huge boss shake-up behind cameras.
With no shortage of drama lined up for the rest of 2022, here’s what you need to know about all the comings and goings in EastEnders.
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Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) – leaving
After ten years on our screens in the role of Lola Pearce, actress Danielle Harold has reportedly axed.
The news was relayed earlier in June, 2022, as her character has taken a backseat from all the drama following her boyfriend Isaac Baptiste’s own exit.
Lola will reportedly be killed off during the summer as part of an explosive new storyline.
Danielle has been said to have met with soap bosses weeks before her departure was leaked, after her contract had just six months left to run.
While the single mum is a fan favourite, Danielle was allegedly shocked and devastated to see that it wasn’t enough for producers to keep her around.
“Dan was in pieces. The cull came out of the blue”, a source said.
“She was not expecting the chop because her character has been a firm favourite with viewers.”
“She’ll be written out with no option to return.”
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Peter Beale (Dayle Hudson) – leaving
But Danielle won’t be the only one to be pushed to the exit.
On Friday (June 10, 2022), The Sun exclusively revealed that four more characters have been given the chop.
The first one is Peter Beale, portrayed by Dayle Hudson since 2020.
Dayle was the seventh actor to be cast as the manager of Beale’s Plaice after Ben Hardy, Thomas Law, James Martin, Joseph Shade, Alex Stevens and original Peter Beale actor Francis Brittin-Snell.
Will Peter be recast or completely written off like Lola?
One could assume love will push him to leave Albert Square.
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Dana Monroe (Barbara Smith) – leaving
This is due to the fact Peter could still embark on a shock affair with Dana Monroe, portrayed by Barbara Smith who is ALSO set to leave the BBC One soap.
The youngster made her first appearance in Walford in April, 2021 and has been romantically involved with Bobby Beale.
But when Dana’s Nazi brother Aaron got involved in their relationship, the pair broke up and a pregnancy scare made things even more difficult for them.
Dana’s father Harvey has plotted an abrupt exit after Aaron was thrown in prison, accused of terrorism but his efforts were eventually thwarted.
Recent reports have teased that Dana could embark on an affair with Bobby’s brother Peter – but will they really be official?
How will Dana’s exit pan out?
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Stuart Highway (Richy Champ) – leaving
Walford tough man Stuart Highway, played by Ricky Champ since the character’s first appearance in 2018, will also be leaving the fictional London borough of Walford.
Stuart has had a lot on his plate in recent months, including a harrowing cancer diagnosis.
But since baby Roland’s birth, the undertaker has also struggled with symptoms of postnatal depression which have slowly been taking over his life and approach to fatherhood.
As a result, Stuart has failed to form a bond with his son, born thanks to surrogate mother Bernie Taylor.
This has left his wife Rainie devastated – but could it be a dealbreaker for the pair?
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Jada Lennox (Kelsey Calladine-Smith) leaving
Introduced as a close friend of Dennis Rickman Jr, Jada Lennox first stepped into Albert Square in November, 2021, with her daughter Alyssa.
But when she became overwhelmed by motherhood at such a young age, Jada left her baby girl on Sharon Watts’ doorstep.
This led to a series of dramatic events and Jada revealed Alyssa was Dennis’ daughter.
She was later convinced to stick around, applying for joint custody of baby Alyssa with Sharon.
Jada panicked and fled the Square when she heard Sharon could actually be pushing her aside from Alyssa’s life and taking care of the baby on her own.
After months of being on the run, Jada was eventually found by Zack Hudson to come back and stay with Sharon – an offer she struggled to agree to before having a change of heart.
In recent episodes, Jada caused a stir in Walford, notably by pushing Will Mitchell to drink while underage and accusing Zack of trying to kiss her when he rejected her advances.
Kelsey Calladine-Smith is the fourth actress to be shown the door in upcoming months.
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Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) – leaving
After nine years on the iconic BBC One soap, Danny Dyer is throwing in the towel.
The actor will be leaving The Vic and Walford at the end of 2022 – but will his relationship with his on-screen wife stay as tumultuous?
While Danny isn’t refusing a potential return to the show as of yet, he has been said to have signed a million-pound deal with Sky.
However, he denied these claims during a chat with his daughter Dani on the Sorted with the Dyers podcast.
“The big news is I’ve decided not to renew my contract”, he said.
“That’s all. That’s not because I’ve fallen out with anybody – I love everybody.”
“That job has been amazing for me. It’s an important part of television. I’m grateful for the beautiful years I’ve had there.”
“I’m going to miss the people massively. It’s me taking a risk.”
Will Linda kiss and make up before he takes a bow?
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Avery Baker (Omar Lye-Fook MBE) – arriving
With a busy summer ahead, new EastEnders producer Chris Clenshaw has planned some new additions to the line-up.
Musician and actor Omar Lye-Fook MBE (know professionally as Omar) has been cast as Mitch’s charming and estranged older brother, Avery Baker.
Sparks are bound to fly within the Baker clan as soap bosses have teased the siblings couldn’t be more different.
Speaking of his new role as Avery, Omar said: “I’ve been watching EastEnders since I was at school so it’s such a surreal experience to now be part of the show.”
“I’m having so much fun and it’s an honour to be working alongside this incredible cast.”
Avery won’t be settling down alone as his sons Felix and Finlay, played by Matthew Morrison and Ashley Byam, will be joining him.
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Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) – returned
Six years after she was last seen in the Square – the last time original actress Danniella Westbrook took on the role – the black sheep of the Mitchell family will be coming home.
Kim Medcalf was chosen to portray Sam once again, as she already has done between 2003 and 2005, when she first replaced Danniella.
“She’s a brilliant character and I can’t wait to get back in The Square this spring and work with the amazing cast of both familiar and new faces”, Kim said when speaking of her the role.
Sam reunited with her only son Ricky, whom she left behind with his father Jack back in 2016.
But she’s also been wreaking serious havoc in the Square.
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Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) – returned
EastEnders legendary character Janine Butcher returned to the soap as part of a “huge story” in 2021.
Charlie Brooks reprised her role as the villain more than seven years after her last stint as Janine.
An EastEnders source said: “Bosses have a huge story planned for Charlie’s return.
“They are keeping tight-lipped about whether Janine will come back as a reformed character after all the chaos she has caused in the past.
“But she certainly has a lot of history in Albert Square so whether she will be welcomed back with open arms or not remains to be seen.
“One thing the viewers can be sure about is that it is bound to be explosive. Wherever Janine goes, drama is never far behind.”
Needless to say viewers were warned.
Since her return, Janine has set her sights on Mick Carter after briefly flirting with Zack Hudson.
More recently, she has embarked on rivalry with former Vic landlady Linda Carter.
Speaking of which…
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Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) – returned
Linda vanished from the Square after giving birth to her daughter Annie, leaving her husband Mick devastated.
The latter tried to get their marriage back on track but was given the cold shoulder.
The landlady was then seen again in December, 2021, for a one-off appearance as Janine Butcher tried to convince her to get a divorce.
Mick received divorce papers before finding out Tina’s body had been discovered under the floorboards of the Argee Bhajee.
Off-screen, actress Kellie Bright welcomed a third child in July, 2021 and took six months of maternity leave before retuning.
Getting wind of Tina’s murder and subsequent funeral, Linda came back to Albert Square to pay her respects – and just as her estranged husband was getting closer to Janine.
Confrontations have since taken place and a fight even erupted between the women as Linda quickly recognised who Janine was upon her arrival.
Since then, Linda’s life was left hanging in the balance by Janine following a car crash.
The Vic landlady recently found out her rival stole money from Nancy Carter to bribe her to leave Walford.
Kelli was tipped to come back ahead of Mick Carter actor Danny Dyer’s own exit.
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Ash Kaur (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha) – returned
While she hasn’t officially left the cast of EastEnders, Ash hadn’t been seen in Walford since January, 2022.
Her exit was triggered by another showdown with her mother, Walford villain Suki Panesar, after the businesswoman hurled homophobic comments at her daughter.
Tensions came to a head when Ash found out Suki had also slept with Peter Beale.
This all became too much for the doctor as she had been the target of a vile attack alongside Callum Highway, Eve Unwin, Ben Mitchell and Stacey Slater.
But actress Gurlaine Kaur Garcha is returning to the screens amid a new storyline – and her relationship with her on-screen mother is bound to remain tumultuous.
Gurlaine returned to filming in Elstree and shared snaps on her social media pages alongside her co-stars.
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Gwen Taylor (Violet Highway) – returned
TV legend Gwen Taylor joined EastEnders as Violet “Vi” Highway, straight-talking grandmother of Callum and Stuart Highway.
Violet made her first appearance in May 2021 just in time for Callum’s dramatic wedding to boyfriend Ben Mitchell.
Violet quickly made clear she wasn’t happy about her grandson marrying into one of the Square’s most notorious criminal families.
Speaking about her character’s arrival, actress Gwen Taylor – who plays Vi – revealed to Digital Spy: “She’s very much stuck on Callum’s previous ill-fated wedding with Whitney and doesn’t let them forget it.”
“She likes to get a dig in but she also wants to make sure that Callum is going to be alright and not get hurt too. Vi’s not totally okay with their relationship but she’s accepting it because Callum seems happy.
“She does make comments about them, but she softens it a bit to not be completely harsh.”
After leaving in November, 2021, actress Gwen Taylor made her return to Walford in March, 2022, as Stuart Highway has been coming to terms with his cancer diagnosis.
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Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton) – returning?
Much like Kellie Bright before her, Louisa Lytton has been on maternity leave from EastEnders – but her return has yet to be confirmed.
The actress gave birth to a daughter named Aura in August, 2021, and her character also found out she was expecting her own baby behind bars.
Ruby left the Square in September, 2021, after she tried to take down Martin’s former wife Stacey Slater.
But when Stacey’s mother Jean framed her for drug-dealing, Ruby was taken to jail herself.
During an appearance on Loose Women in October, 2021, Louisa teased her own baby could even be joining her on-screen if she could go back to the show.
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Aaron Monroe (Charlie Wernham) – left
Charlie Wernham was cast as far-right character Aaron Monroe and first appeared in the Square in October, 2021.
His reign of terror was made of several attacks and even included a plot to plant a bomb in Walford.
However, Aaron’s world came crashing down just as his criminal career was kicking off when his father Harvey turned him in to the police.
Aaron was arrested on terrorism charges in January, 2022, and was thrown behind bars.
He was barely seen since, although Harvey paid him sporadic visits behind bars, leaving fans to wonder if he would ever return to their screens.
Some viewers had expressed their wish to see Aaron axed as the far-right storyline unravelled.
Charlie’s character was briefly mentioned when it was revealed he had been brutally attacked and his life was on the line.
But with his storyline seemingly over, Aaron never made an appearance in the soap again.
Eventually, writers cleared up any doubt by announcing Charlie Wernham had already filmed his final scenes as Aaron, meaning he was given an off-screen exit.
Aaron was said to have been sentenced for his crimes and transferred to a prison in Newcastle.
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Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) – left
It was the downfall many EastEnders viewers were expecting with baited breath.
On March 10, 2022, the truth finally caught up with Gray Atkins after Phil Mitchell found Tina’s body.
Once his secrets were unravelled for all to see, and after a dramatic cat and mouse chase during which Chelsea Fox, Whitney Dean, Karen Taylor, Shirley Carter and Mitch Baker risked their lives, the police got hold of Gray.
The serial killer was last seen being hauled into the back of a police car, after more than two years of impunity, giving one last enigmatic sign to Karen about Chantelle’s death.
Meanwhile, actor Toby-Alexander Smith has been enjoying fatherhood after his girlfriend and Emmerdale star Amy Walsh gave birth to their first child.
However, he is also tipped to be joining the ITV programme alongside his partner as her on-screen new love interest.
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Isaac Baptiste (Stevie Basaula) – left
Actor Stevie Basaula was first introduced to BBC One viewers as Isaac Baptiste in January, 2020.
He was involved in explosive storylines and eventually found love in the form of Lola Pearce.
However, fans were left stunned when the school teacher made an impromptu exit in March, 2022.
Isaac received word that his mother Sheree Trueman (Suzette Llewelyn) had suffered a heart attack in Trinidad.
Worried for her health, Isaac decided to join her overseas – which led to some conflict in his relationship with Lola.
Eventually, the pair had no other choice but to say their goodbyes and profess their love for one another as Isaac headed off to the airport.
The low-key scenes were confirmed to be Stevie’s last by EastEnders bosses through a farewell video.
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Keegan Baker (Zack Morris) – left
Sandwich maker Keegan left for a new life in Germany, after his estranged wife Tiffany (Maisie Smith) came back to fix their marriage.
The emotional scenes were aired in March, 2022, following Gray’s downfall.
Speaking of his exit, actor Zack Morris said: “After five beautiful years on this incredible show, I have made the tough decision to leave Walford and give Keegan Butcher-Baker some well-earned rest.”
“This show has quite frankly changed my life for the better. It will always hold a real loving place in my heart.”
He later told Metro he would be broadening his horizons.
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Tiffany Butcher (Maisie Smith) – left
After being a regular face on EastEnders for 13 years, Tiffany Butcher left Albert Square to go to Germany with her brother Liam.
As mentioned above, she recently returned for a brief appearance to take Keegan away with her.
In a statement released to the public, actress Maisie Smith said it was “time to say farewell to Tiff.”
“I’ve grown up on EastEnders since 2008, and have learnt from the best over the past 13 years”, she wrote.
“I’m very excited for my next challenge and thank the BBC for the opportunity they gave me as a six-year-old.”
She is taking on new challenges in America but Maisie is not straying too far away from TV.
After taking part in Strictly Come Dancing alongside Gorka Marquez, the 20-year-old actress is taking on a new reality show.
Maisie has been testing her limits in the upcoming series of Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
