Shane Richie’s EastEnders return saves Jessie Wallace from axe as show bosses try to revive soap’s flagging fortunes
SHANE Richie is back on EastEnders as Alfie Moon in a move that saved shamed co-star Jessie Wallace’s skin.
His character will be reunited with Kat Slater — reviving a stormy relationship which had viewers hooked.
Jessie, who plays Kat, was spared the sack after drunkenly attacking a policeman last month.
Beeb bosses hope reuniting the Alfie and Kat will help reverse the soap’s flagging fortunes.
A TV insider said: “Albert Square devotees will be thrilled that Alfie Moon is returning — he’s one of the most-loved characters in the soap’s history.
“It also secures the future of Jessie as Kat, because together they deliver one of EastEnders most captivating love stories.
“Having them on the cast is seen as a dynamite combination that might get more diehard fans tuning in again.
“Losing Jessie would have been a disaster for producers who are pinning a lot on new storylines they’re going to be at the centre off.”
READ MORE EASTENDERS
Last night thrilled Shane, 58, said: “It’s an absolute honour and privilege to be asked back to my TV home of Albert Square.
“I’m looking forward to catching up with some old cast mates and meeting some new ones.
“The new exec producer Chris Clenshaw has been instrumental in wanting to bring Alfie Moon back with some wonderful storylines . . . and who am I to say no?! I can’t wait.”
Fans are now likely to speculate about what drama will be stirred up by Alfie’s return.
Most read in The Sun
First he will have to deal with Kat’s new partner Phil Mitchell — the man he stole money from before leaving Albert Square.
If he can win her back, there is a possibility they might restore themselves as the Queen Vic’s bosses.
But the BBC’s plans for the duo were nearly scuppered when Jessie, 50, attacked a policeman, kneeing him in the privates, and told him: “F*** off you fat c***”.
The incident saw her slapped in cuffs and bundled into a police van in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
Jessie — who accepted a conditional caution for assaulting a cop and drunk and disorderly behaviour — faced being axed by the BBC but was spared with a warning.
In 2020, Kat was written out of the script for two months so the actress could “sort herself out” while she served a suspension for allegedly boozing on set.
And in 2018 she was booted out of the British Soap Awards before it started for being “too drunk”.
If she had been sacked it would have overshadowed the return of Shane, who joined EastEnders in 2002.
With his trademark floral shirts, Alfie’s cheeky chappy character injected much-needed humour into the soap, which critics argued had been lacking.
Alfie married Kat in 2003 but Shane and Jessie left the show in 2005 and their characters divorced.
Shane returned from 2010 to 2016, before he and Jessie starred in their own ill-fated spin-off drama, Kat & Alfie: Redwater.
He was back for a brief stint in Walford from 2018 to 2019.
Shane’s return later this year is likely to coincide with the departure of Danny Dyer, 44 — who announced seven months ago that he was leaving Albert Square.
He has played Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter since 2013.
Shane spoke about returning to EastEnders when he appeared on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity in 2020.
He said: “I would love to go back” and added “I speak to Jessie a lot”.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
The most recent EastEnders episode, on Thursday, was watched by an average of just 1.96million — compared to an average of 3.3million who tuned in for Emmerdale on ITV around the same time.
In 2010, more than nine million viewers watched Alfie and Kat renew their wedding vows.
Alife and Kat's best five moments
ALFIE FINALLY GETS HIS GIRL: Kat is about to tie the knot with gangster Andy Hunter when Alfie storms into the church and stops the wedding.
ALFIE AND KAT MARRY: Pair wed after Alfie initially bribes dodgy vicar to marry them as, at that stage, his divorce had not come through.
WE’RE MILLIONAIRES: Alfie nets £1m on a scratchcard. Pair use it for new life in Spain, but Alfie has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
BABY SWITCH: Kat and Alfie believe son Tommy dies of Sudden Infant Death syndrome. But Ronnie Mitchell swapped her dead baby for him.
ALFIE DITCHES ROXY: He weds Roxy Mitchell despite Kat’s bids to stop him. But Roxy soon concedes he is still in love with his ex-wife.
