\'EastEnders\' boss Kate Oates is bringing Peter Beale back because families "are really important" to the BBC One soap.
The show\'s senior executive producer has opened up on the decision to introduce the seventh actor to play the part - with Dayle Hudson stepping into the role - but she insisted every character has to "earn their stripes".
She said: "I\'ve always felt that in this genre - in this kind of drama - that the clans are really important.
"If you\'ve got a Beale out there then it makes sense to explore what they\'ve been up to and what drama they can bring to the Square.
"For me - with any character, with any person who has got that history, that link with a clan - it\'s wonderful to bring them back but you\'ve got to have story for them, they\'ve got to earn their stripes."
Ian Beale\'s (Adam Woodyatt) son Peter will head back to Walford in 2020 after five years away, after struggling to cope with the news that his half-brother Bobby Beale was responsible for his sister Lucy Beale\'s (Hetti Bywater) death.
Kate pointed to the example of Dotty Cotton - now played by Milly Zero - while praising the soap\'s executive producer Jon Sen for the job he\'s done with casting Dayle as the new Peter on Albert Square.
She added: "We\'ve done it recently as well with Dotty - you want people with those classic surnames still inhabiting the Square, it\'s really important for the future of the show, but they have to bring something fresh, they have to bring something new.
"Jon Sen is brilliant with casting, and he\'s found Dayle and he\'s awesome, and we\'re looking forward to playing good Beale drama with him, and Bobby and Ian. There\'s lots to play out there."
