EastEnders’ Ben Mitchell return reminds us the character is so much more than ‘Ballum’

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Ben Mitchell’s return to EastEnders, played by Max Bowden, has been everything fans hoped for and more.

Fans were upset when Ben’s husband, Callum Highway, cheated, ultimately leading to their divorce.

Although the storyline involving ‘Ballum’ helped bring Ben back to the forefront, this week’s episodes clearly showed that Ben is a complex character with depth beyond just his relationship with Callum.

Bowden delivered a brilliant performance, showcasing the many sides of the character Ben, a role he first perfected in 2019.

Ben experienced a whirlwind of feelings. At first, he was confident and boastful, but as he fully understood his new situation, he became worried, heartbroken, and then angry.

With Ben back at The Queen Vic, cracking his usual jokes, things briefly felt normal again.

Rather than quickly writing Ben off the show after his divorce announcement, EastEnders explored his emotional struggles. This was done through a touching and well-acted conversation between Ben and his father, Phil (Steve McFadden), who has been trying to turn his life around.

This development helped us see a path forward for Ben, even though he used to be deeply in love with Callum, and it ultimately made the storyline stronger.

Ben’s mother, Kathy Beale, joined Phil in trying to cheer him up and help him focus on finishing his prison sentence and eventually seeing his daughter, Lexi, again.

When Phil opened up about his own experiences with depression, it shifted his relationship with Ben. Ben started to see Phil as someone he could confide in, rather than someone he constantly felt the need to impress.

Despite remaining true to his familiar personality, Ben clearly matured throughout the episodes. He made sure Callum was treated well by his new partner, Johnny Carter, and protected Lexi from being caught in the middle of their difficulties.

Their father-daughter bond, sadly unable to be revisited here, is what matters now.

Now that Phil has made progress with Ben, Lexi should also feel more comfortable opening up – even if we only hear about Ben’s efforts helping her happen outside of what we directly see.

We thought Ben was being too lenient with Callum after his affair, but we appreciated that Ben admitted his own past errors. This made it clear that Ben has genuinely learned from his mistakes, something he hadn’t been able to do before.

This production beautifully reminded us why we love Ben, revisiting familiar parts of his personality while also showing how he’s grown and changed during his time away.

We can only hope the BBC storyline and actor Bowden will lead to Ben’s permanent return, but everything we’ve seen so far sets the stage for a compelling future for the character if he does come back.

Instead of making Ben seem unnecessary now that Callum has left, their split has actually shown everyone how capable and strong Ben is on his own.

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2025-10-08 22:34