EastEnders star Tony Clay has addressed rumours of a return for Ben Mitchell – acknowledging that fans “would really like” to see the character back on screen.

The actor caught up with us on the red carpet at the British Soap Awards at the weekend – just days after a rumoured comeback for Ben had hit the headlines.

Two weeks ago, it was reported that Max Bowden will reprise his role as Ben for an upcoming guest stint – with a possible full-time return on the cards if all goes well.

EastEnders bosses have refused to confirm or deny the reports – keen as ever to stay tight-lipped about possible storyline plans. Viewers know that Ben is currently serving time in a US prison after being extradited for credit card fraud.

Tony, who plays Ben’s husband Callum Highway, stayed tight-lipped when we asked about the speculation on the red carpet.

He laughed: “You know more than me!”

Co-star Jamie Borthwick, who plays Jay Brown, coyly chimed in: “What rumours? I don’t know any rumours…”

Tony continued: “We don’t deal in rumours, me and Jamie. So no, with us, we just go, we see the scripts quite late on and just go from there.

“I think that’s a question for someone else. We’ll see what happens.”

Asked whether he’d like to see Ben and Callum reunited, Tony replied: “Of course, and the fans would really like that. They’re so lovely and we always get messages still, even though we haven’t been on screen [together] for a long time.

“We created some good work and we’ll see what happens going forwards.”

Tony also promised an exciting new era for EastEnders as the show transitions into episodes overseen by new executive producer Ben Wadey.

“The show’s got some exciting things [coming up],” he explained.

“That’ll be really good. I think the viewers are going to love this year and I think it’ll be a really exciting thing to be a part of. A few little surprises, a few things going on. We’re cool, we’re good!”

The British Soap Awards 2025 took place at London’s Hackney Empire on Saturday night (31 May).