RICKY Mitchell made a rare appearance alongside his half-sister Amy last night.
But the teen let EastEnders fans scratching their heads as they are convinced he had been recast.
BBC One viewers took another trip to Albert Square last night and saw businessman and detective Jack Branning (played by Scott Maslen) meet with fellow police officer Callum Highway (Tony Clay) and his husband Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden).
The trio bumped into one another in Kathy’s Café, while Jack appeared alongside his two children, Ricky and Amy.
While Jack poked fun at Callum for his recent modelling gig, eagled-eyed fans of the soap spotted his kids picking out a cake to share – and were stunned to see Ricky tower over his sister.
Ricky’s appearance was jaw-dropping for many viewers and many swarmed over to Twitter to share their amazement.
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“Is that a new actor for Ricky or has it just been a while since he’s been on screen?”, one fan asked.
Another commented: “Oh my god Ricky’s been recast?!”
A third jumped in, admitting they had mistaken Ricky for fellow Walford youngster Will Mitchell: “I thought Ricky was Will for a moment.”
A fourth was convinced Ricky’s impressive appearance could only be explained by his mother Sam’s imminent return.
“Ricky’s made an appearance with a new head, Sam Mitchell’s return must be very close!”, the fan wrote.
But was Ricky really recast?
Fans of the long-running drama may be surprised to find out the character has been played by the same actor, Frankie Day, since 2018.
Frankie took over the role from Henri Charles who played the part for two years.
Brother and sister duo Amy and Ricky haven’t been in a while as they last appeared on screens in EastEnders’ Christmas special.
The pair have understandably changed quite a bit since then.
Although he has taken a backseat from all the drama in recent months, Ricky will be pushed centre stage as fans eagerly wait for his mother’s return.
Kim Medcalf will be reprising the role of Sam Mitchell next week.
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Sam left her son Ricky with his father Jack back in 2016, unable to cope with the single mum life.
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
