- - EastEnders Casts Stephen Aaron-Sipple as Mark Fowler Jr.

Johnathon KornbleeJanuary 18, 2026 at 12:19 AM

0

BBC Press

Following the premiere of EastEnders’ New Year’s fast-forward episode, viewers were left speculating about the identity of the mysterious man lurking around Albert Square. Now, the BBC has confirmed who he is, and his return comes with a major legacy connection to Walrford.

The BBC has announced that Mark Fowler Jr. will be returning to Walford later this month, reuniting with his older sister Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) and reconnecting with the extended Mitchell family.

Actor Stephen Aaron-Sipple has taken on the role of Mark Fowler Jr. and began filming scenes in October, according to the BBC. The character was previously portrayed by Ned Porteous during Mark’s last appearance in 2016. Porteous currently stars on Emmerdale as Joe Tate.

Aaron-Sipple made his on-screen debut during EastEnders’ New Years Day flash-forward episode, where Mark was placed in the center of the Branning family’s unfolding drama.

While the BBC has not revealed specific details about why Mark has returned to Walford or what he has been doing during his time away, the broadcaster has teased that his arrival will come with secrets, and that not everything is as it first appears.

Speaking about joining the long-running soap, Aaron-Sipple said in a statement, “Having grown up in East London, EastEnders has been in my life since childhood and I’m excited to be joining not one, but two iconic Albert Square families! I’m looking forward to viewers seeing why Mark is back, and what Walford has in store for him.”

Executive Producer Ben Wadey added, “We are thrilled to welcome Stephen Aaron-Sipple to EastEnders and bring Mark back to Albert Square. Viewers had a glimpse of Mark in the New Years Day flashforward episode, with the circumstances around his upcoming involvement with the Brannings set to unfold throughout the year.”

🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬

Fans speculated that Aaron-Sipple was portraying the role of Mark Fowler Jr. after the audio description identified the mystery man as "Mark."

The audio description has identified the man Max waved at as ‘Mark’ - the same man mystery man who was part of that Lauren, Oscar, Peter, Jack conversation. Is this Mark Fowler Jr? Is this who Lauren is having an affair with? #EastEnders pic.twitter.com/d8AlIWJzwS

— Ryan Love (@RyanJL) January 1, 2026

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday in the United States on BritBox.

This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”