17 May 2023 , 11:27
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A total of six actors have now played EastEnders character Ben Mitchell, but one of the most memorable is certainly Charlie Jones.
Charlie, now 26, played Ben, the son of hard-man Phil Mitchell and grandson of pub landlady Peggy Mitchell, between 2006 and 2010, but the performer now looks completely different from his specs-wearing character, more than a decade on.
Out of all the actors, he played Ben for the longest time, and was introduced after the 'death' of mum Kathy Beale, who later turned out to be alive.
During his time as Ben, the Mitchell junior was mentally and physically abused by Phil's girlfriend Stella Crawford, who threw herself off a roof on her wedding day when Ben revealed the truth, in one of his most harrowing storylines.
Charlie Jones played schoolboy Ben Mitchell for four years (BBC)The troubled teen spiralled after that, burning his sister's arm and attacking bully Jordan, which saw him put behind bars for eight months.
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The role was recast when Ben returned, with Joshua Pascoe taking on the part, followed by Harry Reid and Max Bowden, who has played Ben since 2019.
Despite being recast Charlie, who was 13 when he left the soap, has continued with acting and studied at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.
Charlie Jones in recent show Noughts + Crosses (BBC)He returned to our screens in TV series Noughts + Crosses, playing Danny in the 2020 show, appearing in two episodes.
Fans were left in disbelief when they recognised Charlie, who looked wildly different from his EastEnders days, ditching the glasses and sporting a more chiselled jawline.
Charlie also appeared in 2020 Netflix movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story, which had a starry cast, including Hugh Bonneville and Forest Whitaker.
However, his most recent role was playing DC Samuel Goldie in ITV detective series McDonald & Dodds.
Charlie Jones as Charlie Chambers/DC Samuel Goldie in McDonald & Dodds (BBC)
Back in his days as Ben Mitchell (BBC)The Bath-based crime drama follows two partners using their opposite personalities to solve various mysteries.
Charlie, who had grown a fetching goatee and was listed as Charlie Chambers, played DC Samuel Goldie for three episodes.
His most well known character Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) has been struggling to come to terms with the reality that he is set to lose Lola Pearce to a brain tumour.
Charlie played DC Samuel Goldie for three episodes in McDonald & Dodds (BBC)In upcoming scenes, Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) starts to prepare for Lola to come hom, which doesn’t go down with Ben who thinks she shouldn’t leave the hospital.
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Struggling to accept her prognosis, Jay later lashes out at Honey (Emma Barton) and Billy (Perry Fenwick) as he accuses them all of accepting what’s happening to Lola too easily.
Although Jay decides Ben’s behaviour has gone too far as he decides to confront him at the Arches.
Speaking about what’s in store for Ben over the upcoming months, actor Max Bowden teased there’s trouble ahead.
Max said: “I think this is a now-or-never time for Ben. He’s got to try and grab control of what’s making him tick.
“It’s time that he needs to work on himself, he needs to be aware of his faults, he needs to not be so damn hard on himself and also maybe allow time for some professional help, but it’s looking bleak and it’s looking tough.“