Harry Reid to leave EastEnders’ Ben Mitchell role

EastEnders star Harry Reid is leaving the show after three years in the role of Ben Mitchell.

The Sun reports that an ‘explosive storyline’ will lead to the character being written out of the BBC One soap.

“Fans of Ben and the Mitchell family will be shocked to see his departure from the soap. He will star in a big storyline before the end of the year and be written out of the show as a result.” – The Sun

On Friday (29th September) viewers saw Ben locking lips with Luke Browning (Adam Astill) in The Arches, unaware that Luke is the son of James Willmott-Brown who raped his mum Kathy. However, EastEnders fans will have to stay tuned to see whether this potentially tricky new romance will play a part in Ben’s departure from the Square.

“Harry has played the role for three years and done Ben justice – but it’s his time to move on from the programme. His contract has expired and he’s now free to work on other projects.” – The Sun

Ben is Phil’s (Steve McFadden) son from his marriage to Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth). He has appeared in EastEnders on and off since he was born in 1996.

The character’s storylines include coping with his mum’s apparent death; being abused by Phil’s partner Stella Crawford; coming out to his father; going off the rails and killing Heather Trott; his mum’s shock return to the Square and grieving for his boyfriend Paul after he was killed in a homophobic attack.

Harry is the fifth actor to have taken on the role of troubled Ben, replacing Joshua Pascoe in 2014. Joshua had last been seen in 2012 when Ben was imprisoned for giving Heather a bashing with a picture frame.

The first actor to play Ben as a speaking role was Charlie Jones between 2006-2010, whilst Matthew Silver and Morgan Whittle featured as baby Ben.

“We can confirm that Harry will be leaving EastEnders. Harry has been a great addition to the cast and we wish him all the best for the future.” – EastEnders Spokesperson