EastEnders welcomes back another former star following major death

Daughter of killed-off actor will be returning to Albert Square after five years away. EastEnders has confirmed that actor Jasmine Armfield will be reprising her role as Bex Fowler following the tragic events that aired during the show’s live anniversary episode last week.

The character will return to Albert Square to mourn her dead father, Martin Fowler (James Bye), who was struck down by large metal beam in the aftermath of the Queen Victoria pub explosion in Thursday’s (27 February) episode. During the episode, Martin had declared his love for Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and even asked her to marry him. But when he entered the Queen Vic wreckage to rescue Stacey, he was fatally injured.

Bex last left the soap in 2020 to go travelling but will return to be reunited with her mother, Sonia Fowler, and the rest of their family. In the coming weeks, she will return for her father’s funeral. The tragedy will hit Bex hard as she tries to adjust to everything that’s happened in the past five years, including her father Martin reuniting with his ex Ruby Allen and finding out he had a son called Roman, before confessing his love for Stacey.

Meanwhile, Bex’s mother, Sonia, has just welcomed a baby daughter, months on from being imprisoned for a murder committed by her now dead fiancé Reiss Colwell. It was Reiss crashing into the pub that caused the explosion that ultimately killed Martin.

Jasmine Armfield, who is reprising the role of Bex, has said: “It’s wonderful to be back at EastEnders and to see so many familiar faces.”. “It’s amazing for me to come home, but for Bex, it’s an absolutely devastating time because she’s lost her dad. She’s grown up a lot, having spent the past few years travelling, so we’re going to see a much more mature and grown-up version of Bex this time around.”.

The soap’s boss Chris Clenshaw said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jasmine home to EastEnders as part of Martin’s farewell. There’s no way that Bex would miss her dad’s funeral, and Sonia needs her eldest daughter more than ever. It’s been five years in which Bex has gone out into the world, so she’ll come back with renewed wisdom and experience.”.

Bex’s cousin, Vicki Fowler, will also be returning to the show in the coming weeks after 20 years away from the show. Martin was one of the soap’s most cherished characters since he was the first baby born on the programme in August 1985. He was the son of Pauline and Arthur Fowler, and was played by several actors over the past 40 years, with James Bye taking over from James Alexandrou, who had played the character from 1996 to 2007, in 2014.