Actor Rob Kazinsky is returning permanently to EastEnders as Sean Slater this autumn, BBC soap bosses have revealed.
The 42-year-old actor has already been filming scenes for two weeks ahead of his full-time return to the BBC One soap opera, nearly two decades after first playing the role. Showrunner Ben Wadey promised that Sean will bring chaos, energy and unpredictability back to Albert Square.
EastEnders, which airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer, is a long-running British television drama set in the fictional borough of Walford in East London. Kazinsky first played Sean Slater in August 2006 before departing in early 2009. He subsequently reappeared in Walford for guest appearances in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Return of Sean Slater
Wadey revealed that despite 20 years having passed since Sean debuted on the program, the character has not grown up too much.
"I think Sean is one of the characters who just promises chaos and energy and unpredictability," Wadey said. "I was such a big fan of the show in the noughties when he was so prevalent in the show. And he's arriving at an interesting point for that Slater clan."
Wadey added that Sean retains connections across the Square, including briefly considering Amy as his child in previous storylines. "But he has connections all over the place, he saw Amy as his child briefly, and I think he still holds on to that a little bit," Wadey explained.
Clashes with Max and Jack Branning
The showrunner teased that Sean's arrival will spark immediate tension with established soap stalwarts, pointing out that Sean shares chequered pasts with both Max Branning and Jack Branning.
"So he's got those connections, him and Max have somewhat of a chequered past," Wadey said. "Him and Jack are also very complicated, so he's one of those characters that can land back in the show and immediately have conflict or love with everyone."
Discussing Sean's development, Wadey expressed interest in exploring the character as a 40-year-old while maintaining his classic fun. "I'm really interested in who is Sean at this age, who Sean is as a 40-year-old now, seeing him grow up a little bit, but not growing up too much because you still want the fun of classic Sean Slater, and it's been great," he said.
Wadey confirmed that filming with Kazinsky is already underway. "He's been filming for a couple of weeks now, and I get to go in and look at the daily footage and just watching some of those early scenes and being like, 'Okay, Sean's back. This is good.' So I can't wait for all of you guys to see him," Wadey said.
"We've got very exciting plans that we'll be talking about a bit more down the line," Wadey added.
Rob Kazinsky on his soap comeback
Kazinsky noted that he has always remained open to returning to play Sean and expressed excitement about being back home on the serial.
"I left EastEnders in 2008 as a 23-year-old boy and was lucky to spend the next 19 years of my life working around the world, always championing EastEnders and stating the fact that one day I wanted to walk in Sean's shoes again, but this time as a man to see who Sean the man might also be," Kazinsky said.
The actor emphasized his personal dedication to the character and viewers who supported him. "I wanted to do it for Sean, I wanted to do it for the fans that have supported me in every role since I left the Square but, mostly, I wanted to do it for me," Kazinsky explained.
"I'm home, and I can't wait to bring a new level of heartfelt chaos to Albert Square in the way only Sean Slater can," Kazinsky added.
Returns for Lee and Nancy Carter
Alongside Kazinsky's return, Wadey confirmed further major developments following news that Kellie Bright will leave EastEnders after 13 years playing Linda Carter.
"I'm quite close to Kellie and she's such a phenomenal actor and Linda Carter is one of the all time great EastEnders characters," Wadey said. "So losing her is such a big moment for the show and we wanted to make sure we see Linda at her best in her final few months."
To support Linda's departure storyline, the soap is bringing back two former fan-favourite characters, Lee Carter and Nancy Carter, for a period. "So we'll be welcoming Lee and Nancy back into the fold for a period in a story that I guarantee your jaws will drop when you see the first cliffhanger," Wadey promised.
Looking ahead to autumn storylines across Albert Square, Wadey noted that long-term plotting will include a special flash forward episode.
"There is plenty of stuff ahead for all of the Square, and of course there is a flash forward," Wadey said. "So we have been building to this for well over a year now, and it was so satisfying just watching these kind of final storylines coming together and having the scripts land and getting so excited about them, and sort of our longest serving and most talented writers putting their biggest brains across these episodes and they are quite something."
Wadey added that Max Branning will feature prominently in upcoming storylines over the autumn season. "There's going to be a lot going on and we're kind of playing a game over the autumn of how many people can Max Branning p**s off. The answer is quite a lot actually so you can kind of tick them off in your bingo lists," Wadey said.
EastEnders airs Monday through Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One, with episodes available each morning at 6am on BBC iPlayer.
