It’s almost two months since Ben Mitchell was last seen on Albert Square...
While Ben Mitchell’s presence is sorely missed on the square – actor Harry Reid admitted he is ‘glad’ that show bosses decided to write him out of his role on EastEnders.
While he previously revealed that it wasn’t his choice to leave the BBC1 soap, Harry appears to have now come to terms with the decision as it has allowed him to explore new roles.
Speaking on Sunday Brunch today, Harry said: ‘There's obviously an essence of job security there.
‘As an actor, it is such a hard thing – you want to pay the bills and you want to do the job you love. So you do have to make a choice.
‘Obviously, I told you last time they wrote me out so they kind of gave me that push, but it was one that I'm glad they did, because now I can go out and do other stuff.’
‘Me and my management always had talks about it,’ he added. ‘I always did want to renew because I loved the character but it was always in the back of our heads at some point to leave, because I did want to do other stuff.
‘And, as we know, in castings you do get type-cast if you're there for too long, no matter how good you are.’
Harry now has his work cut out for him trying to convince an audience of his innocence in Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution, marking his on-stage debut.
The actor plays Leonard Vole, a man accused of murdering a widow to inherit her wealth, and has to convince the jury – and the audience – of his innocence to escape the hangman.
He said of the role: ‘The language is a little bit old-school, old London, which is easy enough for me to slip into. It's a really great show.’
