Welcome Wellard…mark two! Yes, when Robbie Jackson (Dean Gaffney) makes a comeback to Walford later this month, he'll soon find himself paired with another loveable pet dog.
The original Wellard may have died in 2008, but Robbie has never got over losing his true companion, so when he see the opportunity to get another dog for his son, he grabs it.
In typical Robbie style, things don’t quite go to plan, but at the last minute his dreams come true. And of course, there is only one name for him – Wellard 2.
On bringing Wellard 2 to Walford, Dean Gaffney says: “Robbie and Wellard were inseparable, so it seems only right that there will be a Wellard 2. I think viewers are going to love him!”
Gaffney originally played luckless Robbie between 1993 and 2003 and hasn't been seen in Walford since 2010 when the character made a brief reappearance over the soap's 25th anniversary.
His upcoming stint of six episodes will tie in with the departure of Carol (Lindsey Coulson) from the soap.
Speaking back in June, the 37-year-old said of repairing the role: "Robbie comes back from India with a son who's four-years-old.
"Robbie's grown up a bit and he's got a few more grey hairs, but in many respects he's still the same. He was always hopeless in love and hapless with cash and he returns without a girlfriend and money."
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