ROSS Kemp has confirmed he is officially back on the set of EastEnders and has shared his first selfie since reprising the iconic role of Grant Mitchell.
The actor will be making a long-awaited comeback to the BBC soap opera for the show’s epic 40th anniversary next month.
It was revealed at the turn of the New Year that Ross would be back amid a flurry of high-profile character returns this year.
Now, taking to his official X – formerly Twitter – profile, the star shared a snap with members of the show’s crew as he got back to work on the programme.
Grinning in the selfie, Ross captioned the shot: “Team EastEnders.”
He added a fist bump emoji as members of the crew beamed alongside him in the picture.
No other EastEnders cast members could be seen in the snap and Ross gave away nothing further about just exactly what will bring Grant back to Albert Square.
Ross revealed he would be back as Grant for the show’s anniversary week.
Bosses have so far kept tight-lipped on their plans for the shows but a huge fire looks set to destroy the Queen Vic during the jam-packed week.
Confirming his return to the show, Ross said: “I’m delighted to be returning to EastEnders as the show heads towards its 40th anniversary.
“EastEnders has always meant so much to me, so to return as the show is about to celebrate such a special anniversary, is an absolute honour.
“Grant has never been far from the action and let’s just say, this time is no different as he certainly comes back with a bang.”
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D101453%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /] [bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”EastEnders legend Ross Kemp teases return as Grant Mitchell” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6318547026112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Chris Clenshaw, Executive Producer added: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Ross Kemp back to EastEnders as he reprises the legendary role of Grant Mitchell.
“Whilst I’m not currently revealing exactly what brings Grant back to Walford, I can say that his return will play a significant part in the show’s 40th anniversary, and will make up many moments of truly unmissable TV.”
Grant was last seen in 2016 when he returned from mum Peggy Mitchell’s funeral.
His return comes as his brother Phil has been secretly struggling with his mental health in dark scenes.
Viewers have watched as Phil has been living in squalor alone after pushing his family and friends away – and in one worrying scene he was tempted by booze after years of sobriety.
[boxout headline=”EastEnders’ 40th anniversary cameos so far” featured-image=”32590325″ intro=”With the 40th anniversary of EastEnders coming up, fans are looking forward to some more incredible cameos from iconic faces of Walford’s past. But who have we had so far? “]Tracy-Ann Oberman – Oberman returned as Chrissie Watts, a character she last played nearly two decades ago.
Paul Bradley – Bradley returned as Nigel Bates, a character he last played over 25 years ago.
Micheal French – French returned as David Wicks, a character he last played two decades ago.
Patsy Palmer – Palmer returned as Bianca Jackson, a character she last played in 2019.
Ricky Groves – Groves returned as Garry Hobbs, a character who has not been seen since 2009.
Cliff Parisi – Parisi returned as Minty Peterson, a character who was last seen on the square in 2010.
Ross Kemp – Kemp has returned to play Grant Mitchell, a character he first played in 1990. The BBC has described Kemp’s storyline as “explosive”. Kemp said it was an “absolute honour” to return to the show.
Other aspects of the EastEnders 40th anniversary celebration include: A wedding between fan favorites, A huge explosion at the Queen Vic, and A live interactive episode.