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EastEnders fans thrilled as show star returns – and beg bosses to ‘make him a permanent character’

EastEnders fans thrilled as show star returns – and beg bosses to ‘make him a permanent character’

EASTENDERS fans reluctance with soap bosses to make DI Xiang a regular character ahead of his return next week.

BBC viewers will be left swooning over DI Xiang (portrayed by Arthur Lee) as he returns to Walford.

DI Xiang makes an appearance after eight months

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DI Xiang makes an appearance after eight monthsCredit: BBC
The police arrive to arrest Reiss and Sonia

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The police arrive to arrest Reiss and SoniaCredit: BBC
Sonia has no idea what Reiss has been up to

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Sonia has no idea what Reiss has been up toCredit: BBC

Now, EastEnders fans are begging soap bosses to give the character a permanent role.

Taking to reddit, one fan wrote: “Our favorite Detective is back next week 👮‍♂️ Hopefully DI Xiang will be a permanent role. It’s been a while since we last saw him.”

Another added: “I would trade both Jack and Callum in to have had as a main character.”

A third penned: “They should make him a permanent character !! Let him fill the Kush/Kheerat shaped hole in my heart 😭😭 Also kinda wild that there hasn’t been a single main East Asian character in 40 years.”

Upcoming scenes will see the hunky detective go into The Queen Vic pub to arrest Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy).

The husband and wife to be celebrating their engagement until the police arrive to arrest them both.

Viewers know that Reiss has taken drastic action as he has been struggling financially.

He has stolen money from Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) under the guise of an investment scheme, sold Debbie’s engagement ring and smothered Debbie to death to get out of paying her care home bills.

Meanwhile, Sonia has no idea what her fiancé has been up to.

Will Reiss continue to lie and try to get himself out of it by blaming it on her?

‘A special type of stupid’ rage EastEnders fans as they slam iconic character as partner spins bigger web of lies

DI Xiang was last seen onscreen in December 2023, where he questioned Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) over the disappearance of Eve Unwin (Heather Peace).

In the run up to the festive episodes, Nish ordered Ravi to murder Eve in the woods due to his jealousy over her relationship with his ex wife Suki.

However, Ravi couldn’t go through with it, so he demanded Eve to leave for good and never return, while he lied to his dad that he killed her.

But when Eve returned to the square, The Six got revenge on Nish as they lured him to The Queen Vic to confront him.

Forgotten soap storylines

The nation’s soaps have had many gripping storylines play out over the years. However, some plots proved to be far less memorable. Here are some forgotten stories from Weatherfield, Walford and more…

Coronation Street

  • Ken and Audrey’s romance (2015): After the death of wife Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), Coronation Street original Ken Barlow (William Roache) started to move on in his life. He started to develop a spark with old friend Audrey (Sue Nicholls), with then-Corrie boss saying it would be like “Ross and Rachel”. In the end, nothing ever came of it and the two remaining platonic pals.
  • Beth’s bigamy (2016): Despite being happily married to Kirk (Andrew Whyment), a troubling secret came to light about Beth Tinker (Lisa George). It transpired that she had never divorced from her first husband, Darryl (Paul Loughran), father of her son Craig (Colson Smith). Although Craig and Kirk were shocked – and Beth was arrested – the storyline didn’t go much further.

EastEnders

  • Kat Slater’s secret son (2017): Capitalizing on the popularity of Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie (Shane Richie), the two received a spin-off back in 2017. Titled ‘Redwater’, it saw the two travel to Ireland where they met long-lost son Luke, now called Dermott Dolan, played by Oisín Stack. Despite the high-tension events during Redwater, Kat seems to have put the experience behind her as Dermott’s not been mentioned since.
  • Alfie’s brain tumour (2015): Having learned in 2015 that he had a brain tumor, Alfie kept the news from Kat until their trip to Ireland. At the time, actor Shane Ritchie revealed fans would see a change in Alfie as he battled the illness. It would appear that at some point after leaving the Square, was told the tumor was non-malignant. By the time Alfie returned in 2022, fans were left confused over what had happened to the storyline.
  • Kathy and Buster’s affair (2016): In 2016, Walford legend Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) fell into the arms of convict Buster Briggs, played by Karl Howman. Buster was the long-time lover of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and fathered both her sons – Mick (Danny Dyer) and Dean (Matt Di Angelo). When Buster left, he begged Kathy to join him, but she refused for the sake of her family. Meanwhile, Buster didn’t even stop to say goodbye to Shirley before exiting with a broken heart. Fans expected a showdown between the two women, but this never came to pass.

Emmerdale

  • Jacob’s OCD (2016): After his dad, David (Matthew Wolfenden), was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This manifested in the form of cleaning. Jacob’s OCD made a brief return one year on, after David had another scare after finding a lump. Jacob frantically searched the bins for a “lucky coin” that had accidentally been thrown away. Despite stressful situations – such as being groomed by his teacher Maya, losing his fiancee Leanna to a serial killer, dealing with mum Leyla’s drug addiction, and surviving a stabbing – the condition doesn’t appear to have returned.
  • Marlon and Charity’s fling (2003): Few fans would likely remember few will remember the one-night stand between Charity (Emma Atkins) and Marlon (Mark Charnock) in 2003. The pair slept together when Charity was staying with Marlon while still under suspicion for husband Chris’s supposed “murder”.

Holly Oaks

  • Alex Browning’s revenge plot (2014): Fans expected a confrontation when Dr Browning’s son Alex (Ojan Genc) mer stepmum Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). After all, Mercedes, with Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) and Lindsey Butterfield (Sophie Austin) had murdered Alex’s dad, double-murderer Dr Paul Browning, after he kidnapped and attacked his new wife. In fact, the soap teased Alex would seek revenge for his father’s death upon arrival. However, he instead gave Cindy’s son Hilton (his half-brother) a life-saving transplant, became his godfather, and leaving the village soon after.

The night ended up with the deadly murder of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), while Nish lived to tell the tale.

But now, Nish has recently discovered that Suki and Vinny (Shiv Jalota) are planning to steal all his businesses when he dies from heart failure.

The pair have no idea that Nish knows what they are up to.

Since then, Nish has mentioned that he has something special planned for Vinny, but he must wait to find out what it is.

What is Nish planning?

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on 7:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

DI Xiang was last seen in December 2023

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DI Xiang was last seen in December 2023Credit: BBC
What is Nish planning for the Panesar family after he's gone?

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What is Nish planning for the Panesar family after he’s gone?Credit: BBC