EastEnders News: Kate Oates Opens Up About Bringing Back Past Characters

Since Kate Oates was appointed senior executive producer of “EastEnders,” a few fan favorites have made their comeback or are set to return to Walford.

Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths) arrived at Albert Square early this year, and Lofty (Tom Watt) and Mary (Linda Davidson) had a recent visit as well. Will Oates bring in more characters from the past?

In an interview with Express.co.uk, Kate shot down the expectations of more old characters returning.

“No, I think we might be done for now,” she said. She also explained that she does not plan to bring big stars in just for the sake of bringing them back, but she wants some characters to return for storyline purposes.

EastEnders – Oates Wants Characters To Impact All Families

“We’ve got some awesome new castings. So I only want to bring back people who can bring me oodles and oodles of story,” Oates told the publication. She added that she wants people who are exciting to watch and who will have a huge impact on all the families.

Ben Mitchell has been recast and Max Bowden has booked the role. He is set to arrive at Albert Square this year, along with Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) and their daughter Lexi. It looks like Ben is going to cause a lot of drama, just like his father Phil.

“A character like Ben, with his rich history, ‘complicated’ family and complex psychology, is pure gold,” the EastEnders boss said. She teased that EastEnders will be exploring Ben’s character from the time he was away from the Square and out of his father’s shadow.

EastEnders – Sean Slater Also Set To Return

Another one that’s going to stir up some trouble is Sean Slater, played by Rob Kazinsky. He will be returning this Spring. Why he is coming back is not clear though, aside from bringing drama to the soap.

Lola’s reason for coming back has not been revealed. EastEnders teases though that she is more confident than ever and is much more protective of her daughter. She also doesn’t care what other people think of her. Watch out for these exciting returns!