Adam Woodyatt has given the clearest sign yet he could return to EastEnders.
The actor played Ian Beale for over three decades but he has teased he could be back on the BBC One soap one day, as he spoke of the importance of the role for him and the wider public. He insisted the door is open for a return.
Adam has a number of other projects in the work including a theatre role and brand new ITV show Queens For The Night, where he will be transformed into a drag queen for a one-off special. However, he has hinted there could be more Ian Beale in his future.
Speaking to Christine Lampard on ITV's Lorraine today, he said: "I think it doesn't matter what happens from this point onwards, I'm always going to be Ian Beale. He is part of the country and synonymous with EastEnders."
And opening up about the possibility of making a return, he added: "I don't know what's going to happen. The door's open, but that door's open and there's lots of other doors open too. He could come back."
He also joked about Ian's whereabout since he exited, with his final scene seeing him get onto the Tube and heading away from Walford. He quipped: "And to be perfectly honest, Ian's on the Circle line and he's got a bit confused and can't get off."
Adam previously insisted he wasn't "just Ian Beale" but knows he'll always be associated with the role.
"I'm not just Ian Beale, there is an actor behind Ian Beale," he said as he chatted about his iconic soap role, "I've been associated with EastEnders for 38 years. In 22 years I'll probably still be associated with EastEnders because that's the nature of the character."
Adam has spoken multiple times about a possible EastEnders return, and had previously slammed bosses for their decisions. He admitted he didn't personally agree with all the directions his character was taken in.
"The character evolved. If you think back in the 80s, he was a spotty, teenage kid. He was getting bullied at school, his dad wanted him to do boxing," he said, "It's been a very, very long journey. But don't get me wrong, I don't always think that some of the changes were right. Maybe they should've chosen other directions to go but they weren't my decisions.
"They were stuff the bosses chose. Did it make Ian unpopular? Yeah, at times. He was quite forthright and quite rude to everyone, even people he loved. He claimed to be a great father but actually he wasn't."
He added of his infamous character: "He was an absolute narcissist. Some would say a sociopath. But he was very misunderstood. Mostly, his heart was in the right place. He just got things wrong."
Ian was last seen heading for the Tube after pal Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) tried to poison him on finding he was to blame for her son Denny's death, but Adam isn't expecting to return to Walford any time soon and doesn't have any contact with the show.
He said: "I'm quite happy doing what I’m doing. I haven't got a clue what’s going to happen."
