EastEnders' six Ben Mitchell actors now and why they were controversially recast
Ben Mitchell's face has changed so many times that you'd be forgiven for mistaking him for Doctor Who.
A staggering six actors have played the iconic EastEnders character since his first on-screen appearance in 1996. During the last 26 years, soap bosses have chopped and changed Phil Mitchell and Kathy Beale's son relentlessly to the point where it has become an ongoing joke.
Some of the changes have been controversial, with viewers pointing out that Ben's physicality and personality change drastically, as the once innocent Lady Gaga-loving lad turned into a killer and wannabe gangster.
There was even a hilarious scene back in 2020 where three different Bens appeared on-screen at the same time because of various photos. One Ben was kicked off for bad behaviour, while another had to be consoled after finding out he was getting the chop.
With Max Bowden now in the role, here is a look at what happened to his predecessors.
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Matthew Silver (1996 - 1998)
Matthew Silver played Ben as a baby (BBC)Only die hard EastEnders fans will remember the very first Ben Mitchell.
Bouncing baby Ben first arrived on our screens in 1996 and was played by Matthew Silver for the first two years. According to his IMBD profile, Matthew only appeared in 14 episodes and made his final appearance in April 1998.
The character remained off-screen for a year before returning with a new infant playing him, which makes sense as it's not uncommon for very young actors to be replaced. It doesn't look like the famous baby went on to pursue a career in acting after his two-year EastEnders stint.
Morgan Whittle (1999 - 2001)
Morgan Whittler was the second Ben Mitchell (BBC)The second actor to play Ben was Morgan Whittle, who also lasted just two years in the role. But this time he had a dramatic exit as mum Kathy fled Walford for a new life in South Africa with her little boy.
Morgan starred in 11 episodes of EastEnders, which is less than his predecessor. Similarly to Morgan, Matthew's only acting credentials appear to be on the BBC soap as nothing else appears on IMDB. It would be five long years before Benny would grace our screens again.
Charlie Jones (2006 - 2010)
Ben Mitchell was played by Charlie Jones when he came back (BBC)After the off-screen death of Kathy in a car accident, which we later discovered was fake and she was very much still alive, Ben returned to Albert Square.
The shy young schoolboy was played by Charlie Jones, who became the first actor to play an all-singing all-dancing Ben. He returned to Walford to live with half-brother Ian Beale, before eventually moving in with dad Phil and then evil stepmother Stella Crawford.
This was the beginning of some seriously dark storylines for Ben, who was then written out of the soap amid a revamp under new executive producer Bryan Kirkwood in May 2010.
Distraught Jones, who was 13 at the time, had to be "consoled" by his chaperone after discovering he was being axed after four years, according to the Daily Star.
Noughts and Crosses viewers were shocked to spot Charlie (BBC)At the time, an EastEnders spokesperson commented: "It's common practice in continuing drama to recast actors employed as children to take on more challenging adult storylines."
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The character left Walford in 2010 once again after being sent to a juvenile detention centre for hitting pal Jordan Johnson over the head with a spanner. In an infamous scene that is still watched on repeat to this day, Ben grabbed a spanner and told the nasty bully that he "needs slappin' daaaan".
Not much was seen of Charlie since then, until March 2020 when Nought and Crosses viewers got a pleasant surprise. Fans of the BBC One drama were left in disbelief during the very first episode after recognising the actor playing Danny as the former Enders star.
But his time on screen was short-lived as his character was beaten unconscious by police then murdered in his hospital bed in a tragic twist. That year he also appeared as a Mail Courier in Netflix movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
Joshua Pascoe (2010 - 2012)
Joshua Pascoe took over the role of Ben (BBC)It only took EastEnders bosses eight months before they decided to bring Ben back again - with a completely different face. With Charlie written out of the soap, Joshua Pascoe took over the role to play a Ben who looked at least five years older.
Pascoe was excited to get part and admitted he didn't think would get on such a big show ahead of his first episode in December 2010.
"I've always watched the programme and it will be great to work with fantastic actors such as Steve McFadden and Linda Henry," said the actor. "I'm really looking forward to this fantastic opportunity and making the role of Ben my own."
It soon became apparent why the change was made as they turned Ben into a criminal. It was also around this time that he began to grow confused over his sexuality, before sleeping with Lola Pearce and getting her pregnant.
EastEnders boss Bryan Kirkwood admitted that viewers may have struggled to connect with the new portrayal of Ben, so Pascoe took a break in May 2011 ahead of a rethink.
"We will see a softer side to Ben when he returns, but the character has evolved. The character has been brutalised in his young offenders' institute and he's also the son of Phil," confessed Kirkwood.
Pascoe's time in the role came to an end in 2012, when Ben shockingly killed Heather Trott and was charged with murder, before being given a four-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
In real-life, the actor's stint with the soap ended in controversy after he was expelled from stage school over claims of bullying. Years later, Pascoe was caught in a late night vile racist rant after losing his wallet in central London in August 2017.
The former child star was filmed ranting in the streets to strangers, fuming about having no cash, claiming: "Some f****** P*** probably took it [his wallet]."
A passer by was so shocked they started filming the racist rant, after being disgusted by the child star's language. A shocked witness told The Sun: “He appeared to think that kind of racist language was nothing to be ashamed of. Many of the people who overheard were offended.”
Since leaving EastEnders, Pascoe starred in two films in 2017 - Just Charlie and A Suburban Fairytale.
Harry Reid (2014 - 2018)
Harry Reid was the fifth Ben Mitchell (BBC/Kieron McCarron)Following two years in the shadows, Ben emerged once again after being released from prison in the form of Harry Reid.
The new actor became one of the longest serving actors in the role, lasting four years until the character was written out again in January 2018. It wasn't suggested at the time that the character would be recast, with Ben fleeing Walford after stealing cash from dad Phil and gangster Aidan Maguire.
But newly-installed EastEnders boss Kate Oates revealed the reason she had replaced Harry and given the role to someone else. "I just want to take the character in a different direction and that's why I've gone for somebody different," she told Digital Spy in 2019. "And I know that recasts sometimes ruffle some feathers and I know that sometimes people think they won't gel with that character the same way they used to."
When Waterloo Road star Max Bowden was announced to be the new Ben, Harry actually reached out on Twitter to show there were no hard feelings. But his tweet was tinged with frustration over the producer's decision to get rid of him, as he pointed out it's always hard to be re-cast.
Tweeting the actor, he wrote: “@MaxBowden Mate, just wanted to wish you the best of the luck. Re-casting can be hard on us, but they will grow to love you! Enjoy Ben as much as I did! Welcome to the Clan...I anoint you Ben the 6th. H x."
Harry was replaced by Max Bowden (BBC / Jack Barnes)
Harry Reid poses for a topless selfie (Instagram)Max responded to the message, thanking him for his support amid the understandably awkward situation, writing: "Mate thank you so much, that honestly means a hell of a lot. I hope I can give it as much brilliance as you did," he tweeted.
Harry has now turned his attention to the stage and swapped the BBC One soap for a major new production of Agatha Christie's classic courtroom play - Witness for the Prosecution.
When asked whether he would have liked to continue in the role, he told the Metro: "Yes I would have. I always said I would have gone back. I’m disappointed because I love playing the character – it was a real pleasure as an actor to play a character like that. It’s a shame I won’t get to continue his journey but it’s the name of the game, it is what it is."
Admitting the door was now fully closed to an EastEnders comeback, Reid admitted he was in the same position as when he originally left.
"With another person playing the character, slowly but surely when you think of Ben Mitchell, you will think of his face instead of mine but in terms of my profession, what it does is it closes my chapter at EastEnders meaning that I am out of that world now.," he added. "If I were to go into a similar show, those doors then become open again. There are always silver linings."
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