EastEnders star Neil McDermott has teased some dramatic moments for the Slater family following his dramatic return as Ryan Malloy.
Seven years since he left Walford behind, Ryan is set to return to the Square after finding out that his 12-year-old daughter Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) is pregnant.
Ryan first arrived in EastEnders in 2009 as Whitney Dean's (Shona McGarty) half-brother and after a chaotic two years in Walford, plus a stint in prison he's finally back on the Square.
But for the Slaters, Ryan's arrival is sure to cause drama as they try to deal with the fallout of Lily's pregnancy.
Talking to What to Watch and other media, Neil revealed that there are going to be some tense moments between the family as he tries to help his estranged daughter.
He said: "Ryan comes back with a bit of an agenda of his own. He’s of course not been around for a while, so whatever he thinks should be the right thing, isn’t going to be taken too well by Stacey and other members of the Square — he hasn’t been around, so why should he have a right to say anything at all, which I understand.
"In Ryan’s mind though, something massive has happened here and he tries to be of some help. We learn that he’s doing alright for himself and has money that could help the situation. He’s carefully trying to tread his way through to become a bigger part of Lily’s life, but it's whether or not Stacey, Lily and the family want him around."
Ryan fathered Lily after a one-night stand with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), which resulted in their affair while he was married to Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks).
Although the former lovers are at loggerheads on-screen, Neil shared that he loved working alongside his good friend Lacey again during his short stint in Walford.
He gushed: "We’re good pals from when we worked closely together before, likewise with Shona. It’s really nice to come back and work with the guys again and see what they’re up to in their lives and catch up.
"We very quickly tried to get back into the rhythms of our characters; the way they would talk to each other and how they feel about each other. It was really nice to revisit."
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
