Sid Owen is to reprise his role as Ricky Butcher on EastEnders for the first time in more than ten years.
The actor will return to the show as the iconic character later this year.
A teaser shares: “Ricky has an extensive history in Walford after first landing on our screens in 1988 when his father, Frank, became landlord of The Queen Vic. Throughout the years, Ricky has been at the forefront of some of EastEnders’ most iconic storylines, most notably his relationship with Bianca Jackson.
“However his past with Bianca will be the least of his problems when he returns as he is set to come face-to-face with his ex-wife Sam Mitchell (played by Kim Medcalf).
“Ricky has always had a way of causing trouble for himself and those around him and this time promises to be no different. Now reunited with his troublesome sister, Janine (Charlie Brooks), it’s safe to say the siblings will quickly get up to no good, but viewers will have to wait and see what brings Ricky back and if he’s a changed man.”
Sid Owen said: “I’m delighted to back at EastEnders. I can’t wait to see what Ricky Butcher has been up to these past few years and how he’s going to react to seeing some familiar faces including old flames. I’m excited to see the drama unfold.”
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw commented: “It is a great pleasure to welcome Sid back to the role of Ricky Butcher. Sid helped to create such an iconic character in Ricky who became so synonymous with the show and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back for a while.
“Ricky has so much history in the Square to explore and while a lot of time has passed since we last saw him, it’s fair to say wherever Ricky goes, he always finds himself slap-bang in the middle of mayhem.”
Meanwhile the BBC has also announced that Navin Chowdhry is to join the cast in the role of the incarcerated Panesar patriarch Nish Panesar.
A teaser reveals: “Emerging from a 20-year stretch behind bars, Nish is determined to rule the roost and rekindle his marriage to Suki and his family, but will his family accept him back into the fold, or will they realise the man he really is?
“One thing is for sure, Nish’s return spells trouble and not just for the Panesars…”
EastEnders airs weeknights on BBC One.
You can catch up with past episodes on BBC iPlayer here.
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