01 January 2024 , 09:21
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EastEnders star Max Bowden has spoken publicly for the first time since news of his axing from the BBC1 soap was revealed.
The 29-year old has played the role of Ben Mitchell for the past four years, but it appears his time in Albert Square is almost up. Max became the sixth person to play the role when he was cast in 2019 - two years after bosses wrote predecessor Harry Reid out of the programme.
A spokeswoman for the show told the Mirror last week: "Max will be leaving EastEnders next year. We wish him all the best for the future." Reports suggest there are no current plans for him to be killed off, and whilst an exit storyline has yet to be planned, Max is likely to depart in the spring following the expiry of his contract in March.
Max became the sixth actor to play Ben Mitchell when he landed his EastEnders role in 2019 (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)Now, Max, who celebrated his birthday on New Year's Eve, has shared well wishes from fans and posted a brief message to his Instagram story - without addressing his exit directly. "Been surrounded by love all day celebrating my birthday," he penned to his 230,000 followers.
"Grateful for my family and friends. Thanks for all the messages. Big love. X." Max also reposted a video montage from a fan, which had the caption: " "Happy 29th birthday Max. Thank you for being YOU and thank you for everything."
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According to reports, the Beeb decided to take action despite the award-winning star winning over viewers with his portrayal of Phil Mitchell's son. Ben has been at the centre of some huge storylines in the past four years, including his eating disorder battle after being raped by Lewis Butler.
Max Bowden has spoken for the first time since news of his EastEnders axe was announced (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)A TV insider said to The Sun: "Max has played Ben for the last four years and bosses decided his time on the show was up. There has been a lot of noise around him for a bit too long and that can take away from the drama on the show. He went in for a meeting as his contract was up for renewal next year.
"No one knew how it was going to go and following discussions it was decided that he would leave. Bosses have yet to plan his exit storyline but Ben is not a character that they would kill off as we’ve already seen in all the previous recasts."
Enders writer Daran Little has been forced to defend the show's decision, meanwhile, following a backlash on social media. On Sunday he took to X (formerly Twitter) to declare: "I'm blocking those who accuse me of hating EE characters. We spend our time coming up with stories and characters, creating balance, listening to viewers and trying to keep a 38-year-old soap fresh and relevant. It's the best it's been for years. Honoured & proud to be part of it!"
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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