Would you welcome anyone back from our list?
With EastEnders dropping another classic box set onto streaming service BBC iPlayer, this nostalgic trip down memory lane has got us thinking about all the beloved characters who are currently missing in action in Walford.
The latest batch from the soap’s archives is from 2014 – the vintage year that the Carters cemented themselves as an unforgettable EastEnders dynasty – and also the year that matriarch Linda (Kellie Bright) was brutally raped by brother-in-law Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo).
Dean himself returned to screens last year, but what about other characters who have a real shelf-life in the show’s enduring legacy?
That same era saw Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) murdered, with the culprit eventually revealed to be her younger half-brother Bobby Beale (Eliot Carrington, Clay Milner Russell). Bobby is set to make his exit in 2024, and we can’t help but hope that his adoptive mother Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) will make a comeback just in time for his final farewell.
One of the most popular personas of the time were Carol Jackson (Lindsey Colson) and childhood sweetheart David Wicks (Michael French), whose love story has never quite felt over.
Take a look at our EastEnders wish list, as we consider who needs to make their way back to Albert Square.
8 EastEnders characters who need a comeback
1. Carol Jackson (1993–1997, 1999, 2010–2015)
Mother to Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), iconic matriarch Carol was a force to be reckoned with back in 2014, as she took down villainous Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), battled breast cancer and briefly reconciled her relationship with first love David – Bianca’s father.
After recovering from her illness and grieving the death of her father Jim Branning (John Bardon), Carol inherited Jim’s motorbike and headed off on her own adventure, after decades of being relied upon by her family.
Carol hasn’t been seen since, but we think Sonia could use some support from Carol given her current circumstances, as she’s bound to find out that partner Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) secretly used his wife Debbie’s money to fund his and Sonia’s IVF!
Bianca is also still around for now, and we’d love to see Carol reunited with her daughters on-screen, perhaps raising awareness of breast cancer by revisiting Sonia’s inheritance of the BRCA gene from Carol.
But Bi and Sonia are not the only ones we want to see back in Carol’s orbit…
2. David Wicks (1993-1996, 2012, 2013-2014)
Sadly, David’s most recent stint from 2013 to 2014 in EastEnders was short-lived. Still, this lovable rogue with a heart deserves another outing – and another chance with Carol, as long as he’s outgrown his penchant for mischief.
After suffering a heart attack which led David to jilt Carol at the altar, the couple came to the sad realisation that they were better off apart. Instead of returning to the hospital to seek medical treatment, David fled and was later revealed to live in America, but it felt like his story had more to give!
Despite his errors over the years, David worshipped Carol and had bonded with Bianca and his grandchildren before his exit. We’d love to see David and Carol return together having reunited off-screen, happy, solid and ready to put the world to rights in Walford.
Of course, David still has a half-brother in Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and a former lover with a whole lot of history in Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), so there can still be drama to be had there too.
3. Vicki Fowler (1986-1995, 2003-2004)
Last seen way back in 2004 and played by Scarlett Johnson, Sharon’s half-sister Vicki is surely long overdue a visit back to Albert Square. Her exit came about when she overheard their father, Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), telling Sharon he would never love Vicki as much as he loved Sharon.
This prompted Vicki to flee back to the United States to live with mum Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully, Jenna Russell). Later, Vicki was said to have got back together with Spencer Moon (Chris Parker), moving to be with him in Australia. By 2022, Sharon had flown out to see Vicki, now back in America, with the latter having had surgery.
Sharon’s life remains as chaotic as ever, and legacy character Vicki has plenty to return for other than her sibling: there’s her uncle Martin Fowler (James Bye) and extended family members like Ian and Peter Beale (Thomas Law).
Vicki never really had a chance to shine with a storyline of her own, mostly being a supporting character in Sharon’s relationships with Den and Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman). We need to see Vicki back in the family fold in the Albert Square branch of the Fowlers.
4. Max Branning (2006-2021)
Max made his departure more recently than the above, heading to New Zealand to be with daughter Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) in 2021 after being rejected by his lover Linda. Of course, since then, Linda has given birth to Max’s daughter Annie, while Lauren has made a permanent return to Walford.
Lauren opted not to tell Max about Annie for now, and we know that if he were to discover that he has another child, he would be back like a shot. Alcoholic Linda has relapsed in her recovery due to Dean’s comeback and her murder of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), and we can imagine Max rocking up to stake a claim on Annie just to pile on the misery for Linda.
However, it would be refreshing to see Max in a more mature light rather than charging in – perhaps trying to make amends for past mistakes instead? Max has been mentioned rather a lot lately, with Lauren compared to her philandering father due to her fling with Zack Hudson (James Farrar).
Max has unfinished business, so while there are no plans for Jake Wood to reprise the role, here’s hoping that the right story could bring him back one day!
5. Jane Beale (2004-2012, 2014-2017)
In 2014, when Lucy’s death sent shockwaves among the locals, no one could have predicted that Jane would be such a huge part of her fate as she moved Lucy’s body and covered the whole thing up!
Jane’s adoptive son Bobby later attacked Jane and owned up to killing Lucy, with the drama continuing for Jane when she was threatened by Max and forced to leave Walford in 2017, amid his revenge for her and Ian allowing him to be blamed for Lucy’s murder.
When a more reserved Bobby returned from the young offenders’ correction facility as an adult, his fractured bond with Jane was dismissed, and now that Bobby is due to leave, it would be the perfect time for Jane to come home and resolve this loose thread.
Also, can we live without the inevitable showdown that would occur between Jane and Lucy’s mother, the resurrected Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins)? We’ve had Cindy versus Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) twice over, and we reckon Jane could take on Cindy!
6. Shirley Carter (2006-2022)
There has been no word on when iconic EastEnders star Linda Henry will return to screens, but Shirley’s exit was never billed as permanent.
Shirl fled Walford in the wake of son Mick’s (Danny Dyer) presumed drowning at the end of 2022, and the last we heard, she had apparently reunited with other son Dean, despite previously acknowledging Dean’s guilt for his crimes.
We need Shirley to return to The Queen Vic to clear up this confusion and support Linda. Also, let’s face it, she’s bound to clash with Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) – and this would be TV gold!
Shirley was much missed when her granddaughter, Jade Masood (Elizabeth Green), was around earlier this year, and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) showed her loyalty to her best pal Shirley by taking Jade in and helping to protect her from vile Dean.
We miss Shirley’s bluntness, her scenes with Jean and, really, everything about her.
7. Cindy Williams Jr (1998–1999, 2007, 2013–2015)
From 2013 – to 2015, Sex Education star Mimi Keene put in a memorable performance as Cindy’s daughter Cindy Jr, who had never met her mother until earlier this year, as Cindy had been declared dead shortly after her child’s birth.
In reality, Cindy Sr was in witness protection which ended in 2023, and most recently there was a thawing between the two Cindys when Ian kindly stepped in to help.
Ian became a father figure to Cindy while she lived in Walford, but Cindy moved to Germany with Liam Butcher (James Forde, Alfie Deegan) until they split off-screen in 2023 and Cindy went travelling. So, what better time for Cindy Jr to hop on a plane and reconnect with her Beale relatives?
8. Arthur ‘Fatboy’ Chubb (2010-2015, 2023)
Last year saw EastEnders resurrect another beloved character alongside Cindy – although so far, Fatboy remains canonically dead in the present day. In an epic cameo from Dancing on Ice star Ricky Norwood, firm fan favourite Fatboy appeared in a 2014 flashback, in oblivious conversation with Cindy shortly after Lucy’s death.
In 2015, Fatboy was said to have been crushed to death in a car, as orchestrated by Claudette Hubbard (Ellen Thomas). But we never saw his body on-screen, and back in 2022, a condolence card for Fats’s beloved ‘Mrs B’, Dot Branning (June Brown), looked suspiciously like it had been written by Fatboy himself. We’re still longing to hear that he’s alive and well somewhere…
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