Adam Woodyatt says there are currently 'no plans' for 'EastEnders' return

Adam Woodyatt has said there are currently “no plans” for him to return to EastEnders.

The actor, who has played Ian Beale for 37 years, has been on hiatus from the BBC soap to tour with theatre production Looking Good Dead and he was also on the last series of I'm A Celebrity.

Fans of the show are eager to see him back in Albert Square, but so far nothing has been confirmed.

Read more: Adam Woodyatt hints he will not return to EastEnders as Ian Beale

Speaking on Steph’s Packed Lunch, Woodyatt said: “I've kind of left, but not left. It's kind of the way the storyline has gone... I'm not there.

“I could go back, and I could not go back. I don't know!"

Woodyatt, 53, told host Steph McGovern that the speculation about if and when Ian will roll back into Walford has been “hysterical”.

“But there are no plans at the moment,” he said.

The actor is the soap’s longest-serving cast member, having played the character since 1985.

Ian was last seen in Albert Square in January 2021 when his then-wife Sharon tried to poison him because she had discovered that he was responsible for her son Dennis Rickman drowning in a boat disaster.

With Phil Mitchell also threatening to kill him, Ian chucked his mobile phone away and fled.

Viewers have been feeling his absence and many have posted messages on social media saying how much they miss him and asking when he will be back.

“I want him back!” one viewer wrote on Twitter, amid the latest rumours he was returning.

“I miss Ian so much. It doesn’t feel like #EastEnders without him,” said another.

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One tweeted: “I've grown up with that character. I was 16 when EastEnders began. He better come back soon.”

“He was a true legend,” said another.

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