It was only six months ago that Inside Soap was chatting to Max Bowden about his first acting job since leaving EastEnders.

The star – who won a legion of fans playing the sixth incarnation of Ben Mitchell – had swapped the battlegrounds of Walford for the trenches of Sebastian Faulks’ WWI epic, Birdsong.

And now, weeks after the stage tour finishing, he’s managed to lasso another role in a new musical, Midnight Cowboy.

Max plays Rico ‘Ratso’ Rizzo, a conman who teams up with tortured cowboy Joe Buck to achieve their dreams on the mean streets of the Big Apple – with Max tackling a New York accent, dusting off his dancing shoes and breaking into song.

Yet, while all this has been going on, the star has still found time to tune into EastEnders!

“I’ve been watching Steve McFadden’s storyline – the man can act, can’t he?” applauds Max, responding to his former screen dad’s mental health plot. “The episodes with Keith Allen, and Ross [Kemp, aka Grant Mitchell] coming back, were brilliant. It’s been a strong time for the show and it’s always nice to see EastEnders doing well.

“I thought the live episode for the 40th was incredible,” adds the star. “Lacey Turner [who plays Stacey] and Jimmy Bye [Martin] were amazing – and how great is it that Jimmy has gone straight into another job [the stage show Death Comes to Pemberley]? I’m so happy for him.”

Square chiefs stunned the nation with the decision to bump off Martin, and as someone who knows EastEnders as well as Max does, what did he think of the tragic twist?

“It’s always a shock whenever a character is killed – especially one as memorable as Martin,” notes the actor. “He was the first baby ever to be born on screen in EastEnders and Jim is such a good actor. But what a brilliant story. I think the way it was done was really tactful and he’ll be missed, I’m sure.”

The absence of Max’s former alter-ego Ben in the soap is still keenly felt, particularly by viewers who were invested in his romance with Callum.

That said, the writers were kind enough to reunite Ballum off-screen towards the end of last year, when Callum flew over to America to see Ben in jail for a conjugal visit – as we learned that Ben’s in “the best shape of his life” and writing poetry.

“I’m glad that he’s in the best shape of his life!” grins Max. “You always think of characters after you’ve left them, and I do care a lot about Ben. We spent five tumultuous years together and it was a gift to bring him to life. I’m really pleased he’s doing well.”