BBC Gone for good! EastEnders shatters Ben Mitchell re-cast theories with heart-wrenching final twist

This article contains spoilers for Monday’s (April 1) EastEnders which has not yet aired on TV but is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

EastEnders has shattered fans’ theories that Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) is set to be re-cast with a heart-wrenching final twist in the tale.

Ben was arrested last week for committing fraud in America, much to the horror of his family.

Though Ben protested his innocence, it later transpired that he had stolen someone’s credit card and made a number of purchases, after his own card was blocked.

When Callum Highway (Tony Clay) learnt that Ben had been denied bail and he’d missed his chance to say goodbye, he flashed his police badge and managed to get down to the cells, where the couple shared an emotional farewell.

Before saying goodbye and promising to wait until Ben came home, Callum asked him to plead guilty to his crime, against solicitor Ritchie’s advice.

In more recent scenes, Callum arrived in the Queen Vic with bad news for Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth).

He explained that ben had pleaded guilty and was set to be flown to America the following day.

Poor Kathy, who was already distracted by Sharon Watts’ (Letitia Dean) return and the missing murder weapon, was left distraught by the thought of losing her son.

As Kathy cried, heartbroken Callum tried his best to console her, as they contemplated what the future would look like without Ben.

Many fans have been wondering if Ben is set to be recast following Max Bowden’s exit, given that the character has been played by a number of actors over the years, though it seems that he may be set to spend a lengthy stretch of time in prison.

Will Ben ever return to Albert Square, or is this the last we’ve ever seen of him?