Mark Fowler Jnr is back in EastEnders with a brand new face, and fans are gassed!
With Ned Porteous up to his neck in farm drama over in Emmerdale, Stephen Aaron-Sipple has taken over the role and looks to create a fresh flurry of chaos, after first appearing as a mystery man in the New Years Day flashforward episode.
‘Having grown up in East London, EastEnders has been in my life since childhood and I’m excited to be joining not one, but two iconic Albert Square families!’ Stephen said of his casting. ‘I’m looking forward to viewers seeing why Mark Jnr is back, and what Walford has in store for him.’
His return came as Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) was planning to take Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) to Portugal as his dementia continues to worsen. Answering the door, Phil was completely shaken to find a beaten, bruised and bleeding Mark Jnr, who could barely stand.
Mark Jnr is the son of legendary Walford residents Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully) and Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and is the half brother of Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig).
Mark Jnr’s last stint in 2016 saw him discover his true parentage, having always believed that Michelle’s husband was his dad. Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) pleaded with him to return to his mum in America, reasoning that getting involved in Mitchell drama would destroy his life.
Judging by the state of him upon his return, though, clearly the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree.
An EastEnders insider spilled some tea as to what Mark Jnr will be getting up to now he’s back in Walford: ‘It’s been almost a decade since Mark Jnr was last in Walford.
‘He seemed to be a chip off the old Mitchell block back then, and still seems to be taking after his dad 10 years later as it transpires he’s hiding a massive secret that could spell serious trouble for his relatives!’
With the Mitchell’s propensity for getting involved in gangster-flavoured capers, has Mark followed in his father’s hallowed footsteps? Meg sure hopes not…
Gangster stories in soaps have, more often than not, been completely maligned. The evening timeslots of our favourite soap operas don’t really lend themselves to organised crime-related drama and remove the gritty realism that soap viewers treasure. With few exceptions, soap gangsters tend to be incredibly two-dimensional and rarely resonate with viewers.
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EastEnders, strangely, tends to do the best of the big three when it comes to these stories, though. Though Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) was more of a dodgy dealer than a hardened gangster, fans relished seeing him duck and dive while trying to avoid the wrath of the Firm, Walford’s omnipresent crime syndicate.
Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) was a beloved character, though when he got up to his neck in drug deals and people trafficking, people turned off. Phil, always presented as an underdog, becoming a crime lord later in life didn’t land brilliantly, and fans have been incredibly vocal about preferring Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) in family plots as opposed to gangland ones.
The least said about Aidan Maguire (Patrick Bergin) and his heist, the better.
Soap gangsters?
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I love them!
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I hate them!
While Mark Jnr is adamant that his return is a result of wanting to support Vicki through the trial, it soon becomes apparent that he’s hiding something.
‘Mark is acting very strangely indeed, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Phil,” the source further revealed.
‘He’s clearly in trouble but assures Vicki he’s there to support her through Joel’s trial. However, it turns out there’s more to the story as he later confides in Phil what’s really going on…’
While we can’t reveal the reason for his return, we can confirm that there’s a reason he’s sought out Phil for help. With Ravi relinquishing his grip on Walford’s underworld, are we looking at a Mitchell resurrection in the East End gangland?
Meg might be too happy, but Leroy may well be!
