Dayle Hudson is joining ‘EastEnders’ as Peter Beale.
Ian Beale’s (Adam Woodyatt) son Peter will head back to Walford in 2020 after five years away, and Dayle is "very excited" about taking on the role, which was previously played by Ben Hardy.
He said: "I am really grateful and excited to have the opportunity to work on such an institution of British television, alongside some incredible actors.
"Peter has been away for some time so I can’t wait to find out what he’s been up to and I’m very excited to see what the future holds for him."
Peter left Albert Square after struggling to cope with the news that his half-brother Bobby Beale was responsible for his sister Lucy Beale’s (Hetti Bywater) death.
Jon Sen, Executive Producer of ‘EastEnders’, added: "As soon as I met Dayle, I knew he’d be the one to bring Peter Beale back to Walford.
"Peter’s a young man with a big heart but a bruised soul and Dayle’s a talented actor who captures his complexity perfectly. I welcome him to the company and can’t wait to start working with him."
Peter headed to New Zealand with Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) in tow.
Ben previously admitted leaving ‘EastEnders’ was "scary", but insisted it was a move he had to make to see what else he could act in.
He said: "Sure, it’s a great role and there’s a lot of security being at ‘EastEnders’.
"It was a scary thing to do, but I suppose it was a leap I have to take, because I would have been wondering what else I could have done."
Since departing ‘EastEnders’, Ben has gone on to star in movies ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, and recent action film ‘6 Underground’.
Dayle Hudson joins EastEnders as Peter Beale
