EASTENDERS viewers are convinced they’ve ‘rumbled’ the return of a beloved character.
Christian Clarke – played by John Partridge – appeared as a regular in the BBC soap between 2008 and 2012.
Viewers think he could be on his way back to Albert Square following a reunion between John and an old co-star.
Taking to Instagram, the actor shared a snap of himself with Laurie Brett, who played his on-screen sister Jane.
John captioned: “There is no skool like the #oldskool”, adding the further hashtag #clarkesassemble, a reference to their fictitious family.
Excited by the possibility of Christian returning, one fan wrote on a forum: “How we love these two to return, even for a guest appearance!”
One of Christian’s biggest storylines surrounded his romantic relationship with Syed Masood (Marc Elliott).
The popular couple were nicknamed “Chryed”, although their love story began as an affair due to Syed being engaged to Amira Shah (Preeya Kalidas).
Meanwhile, Syed and his family were devout Muslims and Syed feared his parents wouldn’t accept his homosexuality.
Eventually, everything worked out for the lovebirds – with the pair ultimately getting married.
A fan wrote on the same forum: “I really would need Syed and Christian to still be together.”
Another agreed: “Literally no point Christian returning long term without Syed.
Christian and Syed left the show together in 2012, although Christian has returned for guest stints since.
However, he was most recently seen in the soap almost a decade ago, back in 2016.
If Christian were to make a comeback, he’d be joining the likes of David Wicks (Michael French) and Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) in returning to Walford.
It comes amid Jane recently making her own surprise reappearance in EastEnders.
Actress Laurie Brett returned to the role for tense scenes which saw Jane come face-to-face with Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).
The two soon found themselves at odds due to Jane’s role in covering up the death of Cindy’s daughter Lucy (Hetti Bywater) in 2014.
However, Jane retaliated by telling Cindy how her son, Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell) had shot her womb, rendering Jane impossible to have biological children.
Fans were delighted to see Jane’s comeback, as one wrote: “I cannot describe the excitement and euphoria I felt when I heard that voice… ‘Hello Cindy, I’m Jane’.”
Another penned: “It’s happened! It’s finally happened! My name sake has returned and I am OVERJOYED!!!
“In tears currently in a train station, but that’s okay, BECAUSE JANE BEALE IS BACK.”
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
