Clay Milner Russell joins EastEnders as new Bobby Beale

EastEnders\' Bobby Beale will return next week with newcomer Clay Milner Russell cast as the killer teen.

The star will make his TV debut when he replaces Eliot Carrington as the bad boy, who was last seen on screen in 2017 when he was imprisoned in a youth detention centre for three years for bumping off his sister Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) in 2014.

Jon Sen, EastEnders\' executive producer, said: "Clay\'s an exciting new talent with a charisma and an intensity that injects a new energy into the fascinating character of Bobby Beale.

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"We can\'t wait for audiences to see Bobby return home and the impact his arrival will have on the Square."

Bobby\'s return has been talked about in recent weeks by his grandmother Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) and father Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt).

The youngster bumped off his sibling in April 2014 when he was just 12 years old, which led to an epic \'Who Killed Lucy Beale?\' whodunit storyline, which wasn\'t wrapped up until a year later when Bobby confessed to the killing.

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\'EastEnders\' fans had devised theories galore about who the culprit could be with scriptwriters including numerous red herrings along the way.

Bookies also offered a betting market on the outcome with Bobby initially installed as a 100/1 rank outsider to have killed his own sister.

But shortly before the confession episode a year later, Bobby\'s odds had dramatically shortened to 9/4 favourite.

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As well as doing away with Lucy, Bobby proved his aggressive streak was not a one-off as he went on to batter step-mum Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) in 2016 over the head with a hockey stick, leaving her critically injured and unable to walk again.

Eliot portrayed Bobby from 2014 until the character\'s prison sentence in 2017, after taking over from Rory Stroud, who was in the role from 2013 to 2014.

Alex Francis played the part from 2007 to 2012, after Kevin Curran portrayed Bobby from 2003 to 2007.