EastEnders‘ Martin Fowler waved goodbye to Walford in last night’s episode (January 22), leaving some fans wondering if that’s the last we’d be seeing of him.
Martin was seen saying his goodbyes to Ian Beale, before heading to the airport, where he planned to fly to Australia.
But has Martin left for good? Or will he be back? Here is our quick guide to what’s going on.
Has Martin left the show for good?
The good news is that: no, Martin has not left the show permanently.
In real life, James Bye, who plays him, took a temporary break from the show towards the end of last year in order to appear in panto.
He played The Prince in the musical version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.
Other EastEnders stars, including Steve McFadden, Shane Richie, Shona McGarty and Delroy Atkinson, will all be taking similar breaks for the same reason over the coming weeks.
This is often the case every year, with some characters being written out as part of the story like Martin was, and others just disappearing off screen for a while.
However, it has been reported that cast won’t be allowed the same flexibility to appear in panto in Christmas 2024 due to the plans for the 40th anniversary in February the following year.
An EastEnders spokesperson confirmed to Digital Spy at the time: “EastEnders cast take part in panto every year, but as we lead up to our milestone 40th anniversary, all cast members have been asked to be involved for storyline purposes – we’ve received no complaints, in fact everyone has been supportive of the plan.”
Martin’s exit story saw him fly out to Australia to help his sister Michelle, who was recovering from a hysterectomy.
Sharon is also currently staying with Michelle as well, following her own temporary exit earlier this month.
EastEnders exits – who else is leaving?
As we mentioned above, Steve McFadden, Shane Richie, Shona McGarty and Delroy Atkinson will also be disappearing off screens soon to tie in with their panto breaks.
Tameka Empson is also taking a short break from her role as Kim to appear in musical The Big Life at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Kim and her partner Howie will both be written out together in upcoming scenes, after he gets offered the job of a lifetime on a cruise ship, which takes them both away from Walford for three months.
Following her panto break, Shona McGarty will also be bowing out of her role as Whitney on a permanent basis later in the year, with Patsy Palmer returning as Bianca as part of her exit story.
Fans will also be saying goodbye to Ben Mitchell, with Max Bowden leaving the show after four years in the role.
Kim Medcalf’s latest stint as Sam Mitchell came to an end last week as well.
