Max Bowden to leave EastEnders’ Ben Mitchell role

Max Bowden is set to leave EastEnders in 2024.

The Ben Mitchell actor will be leaving the soap in the spring after his contract was not renewed.

A BBC spokesperson confirmed his departure: 

“Max will be leaving EastEnders next year. We wish him all the best for the future.”

The son of Phil Mitchell and Kathy Beale, Ben has appeared in the show on and off since he was born in March 1996. As an infant, Kathy took him away to South Africa, and he was reintroduced in 2006 after she had apparently died in a car accident.

Between 2006-2010, Charlie Jones played the role, followed by Joshua Pascoe from 2010 to 2012, and Harry Reid from 2014 to 2018.

Bowden made his first appearance in the role in April 2019.

Ben’s storylines have since seen him fall in love with Callum Highway, his rape at the hands of Lewis Butler, and a battle with bulimia.

The character’s impending departure has cast doubt on the future of Callum, Tony Clay’s character, who has been married to Ben since 2021.

EastEnders, Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer