EastEnders fans were delighted to see Roland Manookian make an unannounced return as Teddy Mitchell, just months after his controversial exit. The actor appeared on screen tonight, despite his character serving a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit.
Surprise Phone Call
In tonight's episode, Teddy had been calling his ex-wife Nicola (Laura Doddington) all day, as it was the anniversary of her father's death, but she had been declining his calls. Her new partner George Knight (Colin Salmon) answered instead, as he wanted answers about what was really going on with Nicola.
Teddy told George that he should push harder with Nicola, as there were many layers to her that hadn't been uncovered yet. Thanks to Teddy's advice, George got Nicola to open up.
Nicola's Revelation
She shared how she had found her dad attacking her mother, and threatened him, saying she would call Teddy if he didn't leave. As such, her dad drunkenly got in the car and drove off. Her mum, Rose (Marion McLoughlin), said she would hold Nicola responsible if anything happened to him - which it did. Nicola's dad crashed his car and died.
Return After Eight Months
The cameo came just eight months after Roland left the show. His character had been sentenced to life in prison after admitting to the murder of Okie (Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu), which his son Harry (Elijah Holloway) had actually committed.
At the time, fans were deeply disappointed that Roland was leaving the show. Some said they felt the sentence was overly "harsh" and ensured neither Roland nor Teddy could ever return to the soap.
"Big shame about Teddy. 20 years… guess they aren’t considering bringing him back any time soon then," one fan said. Another added: "I don’t think he could have got a tougher sentence if he had been crying tears of pure joy singing that he’d killed Okie… seems a bit harsh… Anywho, really good episode today."
Others continued to say that they felt it was a "waste" of his character and potential. A fan said: "Still think it's s*** that Teddy's going. A waste of a good character who's leaving way before his time."
A second added: "Absolutely hate that Teddy got the axe though, awful decision" while a third said: "I’m sad for Teddy, I liked him as a character and really saw much more potential for him and Nicola in years to come, he really did have some good scenes in the past and its such a waste."
Fan Reaction and Future Storylines
As such, fans were delighted to see Roland return, even if just for a scene. One said they hoped it would lead to more scenes from him, writing: "I still have absolutely no clue why they wrote him out!"
"Teddy!!!!! missed seeing him" said another. A third wrote that Teddy was a "legend", while a fourth said: "I liked seeing Teddy. Giving Nicola the space she needed to speak to George for why she was struggling was nice. Hope he can come back someday."
Teddy's scene also served as a way to tee up tension between Nicola and her brother-in-law Ned (Jamie Bamber) when he arrives to the Square. When George mentioned that Nicola's sisters had arrived on the Square, Teddy asked if Ned had come too. "Something's up with Ned, by Teddy's words," one viewer noticed.
Ned and his son Ryder (Felix Uff) are set to join EastEnders soon, alongside the rest of Nicola's relatives, sisters Gemma (Patricia Potter), Jodie (Anna Constable) and their mum Rose.
