He's currently wowing crowds in Sunderland as one of the leads in My Fair Lady, but Adam Woodyatt isn't ruling out a return to the role he is most famous for - EastEnders legend Ian Beale.
Adam is one of the most recognisable faces in the British entertainment industry, having played Albert Square's unlikely icon Ian for over 30 years, before walking away from Walford in a rather mysterious and very much open-ended exit. And he managed to keep it a secret from all of his EastEnders co-stars that he was making a shock comeback for a very brief appearance at Dot's funeral.
Tributes flooded in from across the world last year for June Brown, when the actress who made Dot the remarkable character she was, passed away at the age of 95. And, right before Chr5istmas, EastEnders bid a tearful farewell to one of its most famous matriarchs, with Dot's funeral episode seeing returns to Albert Square for the likes of Jacqueline Jossa as Lauren Branning and Linda Davidson as Mary.
But one character no-one was expecting to be at the church was Ian, so jaws dropped across the nation when Adam appeared on screen, outside of the service, before taking a phone call and deciding not to go in. And, as well as his fleeting return being a secret for even the most diehard soap fans, none of his fellow cast members had a clue either!
READ MORE: My Fair Lady is a bloomin' lovely class act in Sunderland
Speaking to ChronicleLive before My Fair Lady opened at Sunderland Empire, with him as Alfred P Doolittle, Adam said: "When the rest of the EastEnders cast filmed Dot's funeral, I was actually over in Dublin with My Fair Lady so it was impossible for mew to be there on the day. I had some conversations with the executive producers and we filmed the scenes at a later date.
"The EastEnders cast didn't know and neither did the My Fair Lady cast or my family; so my phone went mental when Ian appeared on screen!"
Ian's cameo for Dot's funeral, as brief as it was, lit the touch paper on theories he'd soon be back on a permanent basis and, while not confirming that, Ian also didn't pour cold water on going back at some point, adding: "The door is open but the door is also open for opportunities elsewhere as well."
And on just what audiences can expect from My Fair Lady, which is running at the Empire until Saturday, February 11, Adam said: "It's an absolute beast of a production; it will only fit in certain theatres, it's that big! There's one truck just for the costumes and the wings are like one massive costume village!
"It's one of the greats that has stood the test of time."
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