EastEnders confirms villainous character's return – and they're already back filming months after exit
The actor bowed out in January, but will be back.
Max Murray is returning to EastEnders, just months after troubled Joel Marshall made his last appearance.
The character's sentencing, which came after he was found guilty of grievous bodily harm, voyeurism, and producing and distributing indecent images of a child, aired off-screen earlier this month and Murray didn't reprise his role for these scenes.
A BBC spokesperson has told Radio Times today, 30 April: "We can confirm that Max Murray will be returning to EastEnders."
This comes following reports from Digital Spy that Murray is already filming new scenes at the soap's set in Elstree, Hertfordshire, and will be back on our screens within weeks.
During Joel's January court appearance, it became clear that despite the testimonies given by victims Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) and Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James), he couldn't see the error of his ways.
This proved too much for Vicki, who rushed out of the courtroom in tears, fearing that her attacker would never face justice for his crimes. As viewers will recall, he brutally assaulted her and was left for dead following the ordeal.
After some reassurance from Avani – who he secretly recorded himself sleeping with before shaming her for falling pregnant with his child – she returned to court and faced Joel.
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He laughed in Avani's face as she delivered her statement, and told the court that he felt he'd been repeatedly failed by his dad and Vicki, who had paid off another of his victims. Joel said that they had been a terrible example to him, and as a result, couldn't decipher right from wrong.
When the judge came to give her verdict, she delivered some surprising news. Joel had decided to change his plea to guilty.
While this was somewhat of a relief to Vicki, she couldn't help but feel saddened that their relationship had come to such a horrific ending. She also dreaded his impending sentencing, worried about what it might mean for her future with fiancé Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw).
The two have faced the prospect of his eventual return in recent episodes, with Ross informing Vicki that he was only sentenced to six months. While she said she'd support whatever his wishes would be for Joel upon his release, she stated that she didn't want him back in her home.
He vowed to make things right and to sort alternative living arrangements.
Could his comeback mean that Vicki will be forced to spend time with her abuser?
Read more:
- 7 EastEnders spoilers next week: Twisted villain Eddie Knight returns and drops a huge bombshell
- EastEnders first-look pictures reveal Grant's return – and Mitchell family reunion after 10 years
- EastEnders reveals Vicki and Zack's blackmailer in early BBC iPlayer release - and it's not who you'd expect
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Authors
Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
