EastEnders Odds: Roxy Mitchell Favourite To Return But Shirley Stays Away
EastEnders' new boss Ben Wadey has wasted no time in putting his stamp on the BBC One soap - and that's meant more former Walford wonders heading back to Albert Square.
Max Branning (Jake Wood) was just 1/2 on betting sites for a 2025 comeback, and his return has now been confirmed.
Actor Jake said: "I’m over the moon to be coming home to Walford. Max has got lots of unresolved drama with many characters, so I’m sure he’ll be busy."
EastEnders bosses have also been busy drawing up various contracts for returnees Max Bowden, who was just 4/7 to be back as Ben Mitchell this year, and Ricky Champ, who is to reprise his role as Stuart Highway.
Jake, Max and Ricky will return to the Square this autumn.
While Wood will make a permanent return later in the year, both Bowden and Champ are only back for short stints.
It's also been confirmed that Nicholas Bailey will reprise his role as Anthony Trueman, 11 years after he last made an appearance in the BBC soap, but who else could be back in Wadey's Walford?
Roxy Back From The Dead?
Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) is into 2/5 on betting apps, from Evens, to return to EastEnders later this year.
Fans have been calling for Rita's comeback ever since Roxy and sister Ronnie Mitchell (Sam Womack) were bumped off on New Year's Day 2017.
And that speculation has intensified recently after Rita departed rival soap Hollyoaks.
One EastEnders superfan, her uncle Lord Alan Sugar, has been particularly vocal about getting her back on Albert Square from beyond the grave.
Speaking on Rita's Instagram, The Apprentice frontman recently said: "There is no way you're ever going to convince the BBC to bring you back into EastEnders."
EastEnders Odds: Character To Return In 2025
Character | Odds | Probability |
Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) | 2/5 | 71.4% |
Clare Bates (Gemma Bissix) | 4/9 | 69.2% |
Little Mo Slater (Kacey Ainsworth) | 8/15 | 65.2% |
Sean Slater (Rob Kazinsky) | 8/13 | 61.9% |
Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit) | 6/4 | 40% |
Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks) | 7/4 | 36.4% |
Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) | 2/1 | 33.3% |
Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) | 3/1 | 25% |
Aunt Babe (Annette Badland) | 4/1 | 20% |
Spencer Moon (Christopher Parker) | 9/2 | 18.2% |
Mickey Miller (Joe Swash) | 5/1 | 16.7% |
Robbie Jackson (Dean Gaffney) | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb (Ricky Norwood) | 7/1 | 12.5% |
Tiffany Butcher-Baker (Maisie Smith) | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Amira Masood (Preeya Kalidas) | 9/1 | 10% |
Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Cindy Williams (Mimi Keene) | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) | 12/1 | 7.7% |
Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) | 16/1 | 5.9% |
Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) | 20/1 | 4.8% |
Rita responded: "Do you think I should be back in EastEnders?"
He said: "Oh, definitely. But - you're dead. And as far as the story is concerned, you're dead."
Despite this, the businessman has an idea how Rita could make her return.
He added: "So, you've got to come back as a cousin of who you were."
When asked what her name would be, Lord Sugar replied: "I don't know your bloody name. Poxy?
"I don't care what you come back as, but the point is you've got to come back as a relative. That's it."
Rita then turned to the camera and said: "Right, you heard it here."
Rainie Summer In Walford?
Following the news that Highway is returning to EastEnders, albeit for a short stint, there has been speculation that Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks) - who previously left Walford alongside husband Stuart - could return.
Tanya is 7/4 to reprise her role, and Rainie could also run into her ex Max Branning later this year when he heads back to the East End.
What's more, Gemma Bissix's character Clare Bates is just 4/9 for a Walford return.
However, Gemma admitted recently she wasn't asked back for the soap's 40th anniversary episodes in February - but she didn't rule out a comeback at some point.
She told The Sun: "I think they did fantastic with their 40th birthday celebrations.
"They brought so many characters back from the '90s."
Shirley And Mick Reunion
While Stuart and Rainie brought the laughs, mother and son duo Shirley and Mick Carter brought plenty of drama to Albert Square.
Linda Henry and Danny Dyer recently reunited on screen, but not as EastEnders' Shirley and Mick.
It came in Danny's Sky Comedy series Mr Bigstuff, where Linda appeared as Pam, one of the guest stars of series two.
A Danny and Linda reunion has fuelled the flames about a potential EastEnders comeback for the on-screen relatives.
However, last month, it was reported former Bad Girls star Linda isn't planning to head back to Walford anytime soon.
A source told The Sun: "Linda quit EastEnders in 2022.
"The door was left open for a return for Shirley in the future because she was such a fan favourite but it was a final exit.
"Linda is very private and not one of the actors who wants to be a celebrity and didn’t want a big fuss so a low-key exit made sense at the time."
As a result, Linda has drifted to 10/1, from 7/4, to reprise her role as Shirley later this year.
Danny is a 16/1 outsider after he recently blasted the soap's storylines as "dark".
He also claimed there is "not much duty of care" on the show, which prompted an EastEnders spokeswoman to fire back: "We do not recognise these claims.
"EastEnders has extremely robust and well-established procedures in place to safeguard the welfare of everyone who works on the show."
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
