EastEnders casting news: Dean Gaffney is heading back to Albert Square

Actor Dean Gaffney, who plays Robbie, said he felt “honoured” to be returning to EastEnders, and revealed the first person he phoned with the good news was co-star Natalie Cassidy, who portrays Robbie’s sister Sonia Fowler.

Dean, who was last seen on the show in 2010, revealed he still watches the soap religiously with his twin daughters, now aged 19.

He said: “My daughters are at an age where I constantly bore them and I stop the show, whenever there’s a scene in the Jackson house.”

Viewers last saw his character walking his sister Bianca down the aisle, before then heading to India following news his wife, Nita, was pregnant.

He will be back for six episodes, and while Dean has not seen any of the scripts yet, he said: “All they’ve told me is that Robbie, as always, is hapless in love and business, so I think this trend is continuing. And I believe he comes back with a son.”

He returns as part of Lindsay Coulson’s exit storyline but could not reveal any details about her departure. The actress plays Robbie’s mum Carol Jackson in the soap.

He said: “I would actually surrender me coming back for Lindsay to stay, I think it’s a shame for the show she’s leaving, but I think she’ll go on to bigger and better things.”

The actor revealed he was shopping in a supermarket with his good friend, Coronation Street’s Ryan Thomas, when his agent broke the news of his return.

“My agent said, ‘Are you sitting down?’ He said, ‘They want you to come back to do a stint on the show’,” he said.

“I’m standing with Ryan, so then I had to put the phone down and we couldn’t scream because we were in a supermarket.

“When I got outside, I just let off a big scream.”

Shooting for his scenes starts mid-July and they are expected to air six weeks afterwards.