EastEnders airs two surprise returns after months away in early BBC iPlayer release

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Several familiar characters have returned to EastEnders after being absent from Albert Square for a total of 179 days.

Big Mo Harris, played by Laila Morse, was the first familiar face to return, having left in October to help her granddaughter Lynne (Elaine Lordan) recover from a broken leg.

She’s been through a lot lately. The Slater family has grown with the arrival of Jasmine Fisher, who later falsely accused Zoe of murder. On top of that, her great-grandson Freddie has moved away to start a new life.

Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) and her partner, Jake Moon (Joel Beckett), have returned to the family. While Mo was happy to see Jake again, she wasn’t thrilled about Chrissie being back at The Queen Vic.

She and Sam Mitchell watched over the situation while Kat Moon searched for Jasmine, hoping to bring her back and get her to confess to being a murderer.

Mo Harris could be returning to EastEnders this Wednesday to celebrate her 90th birthday. While actress Laila Morse is actually much younger, the character’s age was increased when she first appeared in 2000 to make her relationship with Charlie Slater (Derek Martin) more realistic.

Could it be time to knock a few years off the matriarch’s age?

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It was heartbreaking watching the Trueman-Fox family get ready for Anthony’s funeral. Old Patrick, bless him, was really dreading it, but everyone was there for him, offering comfort and support. It felt so real, like watching a family navigate something incredibly tough.

He couldn’t stop replaying his last conversation with Anthony, where the man shockingly confessed he wished he, not his son Paul (Gary Beadle), had died – little knowing his own death was imminent.

After being absent for two months, Howie Danes returned to the house to offer his condolences. However, he wasn’t greeted warmly, as the family still remembered him being publicly embarrassed for trying to blackmail Oscar Branning back in December.

As fans may recall, Oscar previously stole Patrick’s gambling money. When Howie found out, he kept the money for himself and used it to buy gifts for his partner, Kim Fox.

Although the atmosphere was tense, she looked upwards and offered a smile.

Could there be a Howie and Kim reunion on the cards?

The episode ended with Kat finally getting the confession she wanted from Jasmine, but now the question is, what will she do with it?

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Authors

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at TopMob, providing the latest news and spoilers for popular British soap operas like Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks. Before joining TopMob, he worked as a Soaps Reporter at Metro for two years and also gained on-set experience with both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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2026-02-16 15:04