EastEnders confirmed the return of Joel Marshall. Actor Max Murray is coming back to play the teenage villain. Murray has already started filming new scenes that will air in the coming weeks. The soap recently explored Joel’s dark storyline.
And this involved radicalised misogyny before he received a sentence in a young offenders’ institute. Will Joel’s return disrupt his father’s plans for a fresh start? Keep scrolling to learn more.
Joel Marshall’s Troubled Return
The BBC soap has officially confirmed that Max Murray will be reprising his role as the teenage villain Joel Marshall. In fact, the actor has already returned to filming. The character will soon reappear on screen in the upcoming weeks.
Also, with this return, viewers will revisit a dark narrative that was one of the best-received storylines of last year. It was focused on the heavy theme of radicalised misogyny.
The character exited previously after a trial where he faced charges for bodily harm and producing, and disturbing indecent images of a child. According to sources, the soap says, “We can confirm that Max Murray will be returning to EastEnders.” Joel had previously attacked Vicki Fowler brutally.
He even non-consensually recorded Avani Nandra-Hart having sex. Initially, he smugged during legal proceedings. However, the teenager eventually changed his plea to guilty on all three charges. It happened after a confrontation with his father, Ross Marshall. We saw in the recent episodes that Joel was sentenced to a six-month sentence in a young offender’s institute. However, his early release will surely bring complications for his family.
Vicki And Ross’s Uncertain Future In EastEnders
Elsewhere, there are troubles between Ross and Vicki regarding the logistics of the release. Ross had even previously vowed to make arrangements for Joel to live somewhere else. However, the confirmed return suggests that these plans may fall through. Murray had joined the cast in March last year.
The actor had even previously described the audience’s reaction to such a divisive figure. We are all aware that the character was not the most likeable. However, the actor said that he had a pretty positive response from the audience. Max noted that the character isn’t meant to be liked.
However, he still felt supported by the production team. But the question remains: Has Joel truly turned a corner? Or will his return ruin Vicki and Ross’s happy, stable life? For more EastEnders spoilers and updates, keep following Soap Opera Daily.