EastEnders star says long-missing character returns with “unfinished business”

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Beloved EastEnders character Jake Moon is coming back to Albert Square after almost twenty years. His return is shrouded in mystery, as he’s carrying secrets, feels guilty about the past, and has some unresolved issues to deal with.

Joel Beckett is returning to Walford as Jake, a character who left nearly 20 years ago. He dramatically left in 2006 after accidentally killing his brother, Danny, and went into hiding. While viewers briefly saw him in 2024, this marks his first substantial return to the Square, where many previously thought he had died.

Returning to the iconic set felt strange, Beckett explained. While Walford immediately felt like home to him, it was a completely new experience for Jake.

The actor said his character’s return to Albert Square will bring up a lot of old issues and feelings. Being back will force him to confront the people he cares about, the decisions he’s made in the past, and aspects of himself he’s been running from for two decades.

Despite appearing more composed, Beckett believes Jake hasn’t truly changed inside. He explained that Jake’s core feelings of loyalty and love remain as strong as ever, and that while he’s made physical progress, he’s been emotionally stuck for years.

When Jake comes back, he immediately finds himself in a difficult situation where past conflicts are flaring up. He won’t be able to avoid getting involved for long.

A major highlight of Jake’s return will be his meeting with his cousin Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), who thought Jake had died years ago. The actors’ scenes together are expected to be both surprising for Alfie and very moving for Jake.

Beckett explained that Jake is deeply affected by realizing how much he’s missed his family and how their lives have continued without him. His return is expected to highlight just how lonely his life has been since leaving Walford. Now that Alfie is back and facing his own challenges, Jake’s reappearance is likely to bring up painful memories and create unexpected problems for both of them.

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EastEnders is showing how past mistakes are causing trouble now, and Jake Moon’s comeback is likely to create big problems – not only for him, but also for those he left behind.

Just as Jake returns, his former partner Chrissie Watts is also causing trouble in Walford. She’s still upsetting the Slater-Moon family, especially now that she’s involved with Zoe Slater’s daughter, Jasmine.

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Authors

Morgan JefferyDigital Editor

Morgan Jeffery leads the editorial content for TopMob across all its digital platforms as the Digital Editor. Before this, he worked as TV Editor at Digital Spy and has appeared as a television expert on programs like BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live, and Sky Atlantic.

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2026-02-07 15:05