EastEnders viewers will see a familiar face pop up in Walford later this month - Alfie Moon is soon set to make a comeback.
Shane Richie is reprising his iconic role, 20 years on from his first appearance on the BBC soap back in November 2002. After departing in January 2019, fans don’t have long left to wait until they see him on their TV screens again - Alfie will return in an episode airing on September 12 .
Viewers will watch Alfie try to rekindle his romance with Jessie Wallace’s Kat Slater before she marries Phil Mitchell, played by Steve McFadden. Shane, 58, said that the promise of playing “the old Alfie” enticed him back to his famous role.
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“I was playing a drag queen at the time and I got the phone call and he [executive producer Chris Clenshaw] sold it to me,” he revealed. “He said he wanted the old Alfie. Over the years there have been different Alfies and my favourite Alfie is from 2002 to 2005 and that’s the Alfie we got back.”
The actor added: “The drama only works on a show like this if you get the light and the shade – I’m happy to come in and bring the lightness. I am happy to come and play the joker because that means the drama is so much greater.”
Executive producer Chris Clenshaw added that Alfie’s comeback was “inevitable”. He said: "Phil and Kat are together. Alfie is the love of Kat’s life, so we had to bring him back on their wedding day.
“He is the old Alfie, the lovable rogue. He makes a lot of mistakes but he always has good intentions,” he added.
Teasing the upcoming storyline, Shane said: “Alfie is still burning the candle. He is trying to convince Kat that she feels the same.”
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