We are nearly halfway through 2026, and EastEnders has already seen plenty of cast changes, with more still to come. So far, viewers have witnessed the glorious returns and departures of Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman), Jake Moon (Joel Beckett), and Cora Cross (Ann Mitchell), while also welcoming back the final piece of the Mitchell puzzle, Grant (Ross Kemp). New characters introduced include Bea Pollard (Ronni Ancona), an old school friend of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright); Mark Fowler Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple), the son of Grant; and Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan), the twin brother of Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) and son of Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan). Fans have also said a heartbreaking goodbye to lovable Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley).
Upcoming changes include the departure of Grant and Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf), and the re-emergence of Clare Bates (Gemma Bissix) and Josh Saunders (Jon Lee) for Nigel's funeral, while evil Joel Marshall (Max Murray) will also make a comeback. With things constantly fluctuating in Walford, here is what we currently know about who is returning, leaving, and arriving in EastEnders.
EastEnders Cast Returns
Clare Bates
Gemma Bissix made a glorious return earlier this year as Clare Bates, daughter of Nigel, during his much-celebrated dementia storyline after 18 years away from Walford. With Nigel having recently died, EastEnders has confirmed that Clare and her step-brother/ex-boyfriend, Josh Saunders, will be returning for the funeral. 'When I returned earlier this year, we always knew Clare had to come back for Nigel's funeral,' said Gemma. 'He meant so much to her, and it felt right to be there for the conclusion of his story, as everyone came together to say their final goodbyes.' The date of Clare's return is currently unknown.
Josh Saunders
Alongside Clare, Julie Bates' (Karen Henthorn) son, Josh, will be returning to Walford to pay his final respects to Nigel after a 28-year absence from the show. 'It was quite surreal stepping back onto Albert Square after so many years, as it is so familiar to so many of us,' Jon said about his comeback. 'It was lovely to see my onscreen family again.' The date of Josh's return is currently unknown.
Joel Marshall
Joel left Albert Square after being handed a six-month custodial sentence following his vicious attack on Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) and his twisted crimes against Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James). While he has remained off-screen since, the aftershock of his sick behaviour has continued to affect Vicki and Joel's dad, Ross Marshall's (Alex Walkinshaw) relationship. An EastEnders spokesperson recently said: 'We can confirm that Max Murray will be returning to EastEnders,' though gave no further details. The date of Joel's return is currently unknown.
Stacey Slater
Stacey left Walford for a new life in Brazil after realizing that she would never escape the ghost of ex-husband and true love, Martin Fowler (James Bye), while remaining in Albert Square. Though hearts across the nation broke when Stacey departed, actress Lacey Turner was quick to reassure viewers that they would not have to miss her for too long and that she would definitely be back. In a behind-the-scenes video shared to EastEnders' official YouTube channel, Lacey said: 'I am coming back, I won't be long.' The date of Stacey's return is currently unknown.
EastEnders Cast Departures
Sam Mitchell
The return of the Mitchell Princess, Sam, centered around her character being diagnosed with breast cancer. 'I really hope that Sam's story shows the importance of getting checked out as soon as possible. We all need to encourage each other to regularly check our breasts because if you can catch breast cancer early enough, it can make a big difference to the prognosis and treatment,' Kim said in regards to the plot. Sam's return was only ever meant to be temporary, though, with her originally set to leave Walford once her cancer storyline had concluded. However, as of mid-February, she decided to stick around, leading to a reunion with brother Grant. The date of Sam's exit is currently unknown.
Grant Mitchell
Grant Mitchell last appeared as part of EastEnders' 40th birthday celebrations, before Ross Kemp made a further return as part of Nigel's death storyline this spring while desperate to reconnect with his son, Mark. 'Grant is desperate to see his son. They have never had a relationship, and he may see this as the first step towards potentially building one,' said Ross on Grant's reason for returning. 'He is also shocked to hear from him in general and probably feels that, if Mark has reached out after all this time, then whatever is happening must be significant enough, and important enough, for him to come back to Walford immediately.' While Grant's return has gone down a treat with viewers, his comeback is only temporary. The date of Grant's exit is currently unknown.
Who Is in the EastEnders 2026 Cast?
The present cast of EastEnders includes regulars such as Gillian Taylforth as Kathy Beale, Letitia Dean as Sharon Watts, Adam Woodyatt as Ian Beale, Alice Haig as Vicki Fowler, Michelle Collins as Cindy Beale, Steve McFadden as Phil Mitchell, Ross Kemp as Grant Mitchell, Kim Medcalf as Sam Mitchell, Thomas Law as Peter Beale, Karen Henthorne as Julie Bates, Perry Fenwick as Billy Mitchell, Jessie Wallace as Kat Slater, Michelle Ryan as Zoe Slater, Laila Morse as Mo Slater, Rudolph Walker as Patrick Trueman, Shane Richie as Alfie Moon, Angela Wynter as Yolande Trueman, Gillian Wright as Jean Slater, Emma Barton as Honey Mitchell, Zaraah Abrahams as Chelsea Fox, Diane Parish as Denise Fox, Jacqueline Jossa as Lauren Branning, Scott Maslen as Jack Branning, Pierre Counihan-Moullier as Oscar Branning, Kitty Castledine as Penny Branning, Ellie Dadd as Amy Mitchell, Tameka Empson as Kim Fox, Lillia Turner as Lily Slater, Sonny Kendall as Tommy Moon, Kellie Bright as Linda Carter, Charlie Suff as Johnny Carter, Harriet Thorpe as Elaine Peacock, Stephen Aaron-Sipple as Mark Fowler Jr, Tony Clay as Callum Highway, Shiv Jalota as Vinny Panesar, Balvinder Sopal as Suki Panesar, James Farrar as Zack Hudson, Ross Boatman as Harvey Monroe, Delroy Atkinson as Howie Danes, Heather Peace as Eve Unwin, Aaron Thiara as Ravi Gulati, Jaden Ladega as Denzel Danes, Juhaim Rasul Choudhury as Davinder 'Nugget' Gulati, Colin Salmon as George Knight, Francesca Henry as Gina Knight, Sophie Khan Levy as Priya Nandra-Hart, Aaliyah James as Avani Nandra-Hart, Elijah Holloway as Harry Mitchell, Lewis Bridgeman as Barney Mitchell, Dayo Koleosho as Kojo Asare, Laura Doddington as Nicola Mitchell, Alex Walkinshaw as Ross Marshall, Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness as Jasmine Fisher, Joshua Vaughan as Josh Goodwin, and recurring cast members including Grace as Janet Mitchell, Freddie Phillips as Will Mitchell, Frankie Day as Ricky Branning, Isabella Brown as Lexi Pierce, Elliot and Cody Briffett as Bert and Ernie Moon, Arayah Harris-Buckle as Pearl Fox, Jake McNally as Louie Beale, Harry Farr as Ollie Carter, Rocco Brenner as Arthur Fowler, Michael Jose Pomares Calixte as Raymond Dawkins, Isabelle Smith as Hope Fowler, Maylo Miller as Mica Fox, Arthur Gentleman as Albie Watts, Jane Slaughter as Tracey, Ulric Browne as Winston, Liz Sweet as Marie Evans, Ben Champniss as Shrimpy, and Ronni Ancona as Bea Pollard. This article was first published on November 3, 2024 and has been updated.
