Ricky Groves open to EastEnders return

Actor Ricky Groves has said he’d be more than willing to return to BBC One soap EastEnders.

The actor played Garry Hobbs in the London based soap between 2000 and 2009. He was introduced along with the Slater family in 2000 as the boyfriend to Lynn Slater (Elaine Lordan) who had something of a ‘roving eye’ for the ladies – or liked to think he did. Following the departure of Lordan from the soap the character was paired up with the character of Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi) in a comedy double-act.

The actor was written out of the soap in 2009 along with actress Kara Tointon, who played Dawn Swann, with their characters leaving together. Two years on and actor Ricky Groves told Inside Soap magazine he would return to EastEnders if asked and already had a storyline in mind ‘I always had this idea that Garry would return and pretend he’s won the lottery – but all he’s won is 50 grand on a scratch card and now he’s blown it….So he turns up in a Mercedes to prove he’s done all right, but then truth comes out and he crumbles. Hopefully he’d still be with Dawn though. It was a privilege to do a job like EastEnders, and I’d love to go back. If they wanted to reintroduce Garry, then I’d be there.’

In recent years EastEnders has brought back a number of characters from the past for short returns such as Lisa Fowler (Lucy Benjamin), Diane Butcher (Sophie Lawrence), Sam Mitchell (Danniella Westbrook) and Sonja Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) while others have returned on a more permanent basis such as Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) and more recently Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton).