It's been confirmed that noughties soap villain Graham Foster (Alex McSweeney) will be returning to EastEnders 18 years after he was last seen on screen. Although it's been almost two decades since his last appearance, if you’ve been a fan of the BBC One soap for a long time then you’ll probably remember the notorious ‘00s villain from his harrowing storyline with Little Mo Slater (Kacey Ainsworth).
Graham, also known as Gray, was a punter in the Queen Vic who befriended Little Mo over their shared love of crosswords. But, when they were alone in the pub one night, Graham’s real intentions became apparent when he tried to kiss Mo.
Despite rejecting his advances and trying to flee the pub, Mo was unable to get away and she was raped. This led to her conceiving her son Freddie, who returned to the Square as a teenager last year.
With his son Freddie (now played by Bobby Brazier) back in Walford and rumours swirling that Little Mo could make a comeback, viewers have been wondering whether the truth about Freddie’s father will come to light and if so, whether Graham will return to the Square.
Graham was sentenced to eight years in prison for raping Mo and was last seen on-screen in January 2005 when Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) visited him in prison. During the visit, Graham teased Billy about the fact he wasn’t Freddie’s real dad and hinted that he could return to Walford when he’s released from prison.
Despite his ominous warning, Graham is yet to return to Albert Square. However, it seems that's all about to change as Alex has confirmed he will be reprising his role as Graham very soon.
Freddie doesn’t know that Graham is the father as Little Mo has kept her rape a secret from her son and was under the impression that her ex-husband Billy was his dad when he first arrived in E20.
Viewers have seen Freddie begin to search for answers about his father and it seems that the truth is finally set to come to light. Speaking about playing Graham again, Alex told The Mirror, "I’m grateful to be asked to reprise the role of Graham as I thought it was important for Freddie to be given some answers about his dad.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working with the talented Bobby Brazier.”