This article contains spoilers for Tuesday’s (March 26) EastEnders, which has not yet aired on TV but is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
Recent EastEnders scenes have seen Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) be arrested for fraud in America, with his family and viewers alike wondering if he was actually guilty of the crime.
Police interrupted Callum Highway’s (Tony Clay) birthday party in the Queen Vic, leaving his whole family shocked and upset, with Ben insisting that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
Though Ben continued to protest his innocence after being taken in for questioning, it was soon revealed that he was actually guilty of the crime when solicitor Ritchie arrived.
As she revealed exactly what he’d been accused of – stealing someone’s credit card and making a number of purchases while exploring treatment options for Lola Pearce in the States – Ben looked defeated, but wasn’t prepared to give up easily.
Despite the fact he had committed the crime, he begged Ritchie to pull some strings in order to get him out of serving a prison stretch in America, which Ritchie revealed could be anywhere between six months and six years.
However, Ritchie later returned to Albert Square alone, and revealed to Ben’s shocked family that he was indeed guilty.
While Callum reeled from Ben’s dishonesty, Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) wasn’t surprised.
It didn’t take Ben long to get in contact with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and ask him to do him a big favour.
He revealed that he couldn’t bear to be separated from daughter Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown), especially considering the fact that it hasn’t been long since she lost mum Lola.Will Phil come through with a favour for Ben, or is he set to go to prison without ever seeing his daughter again?
uring tonight’s episode of EastEnders (Monday, March 25), Ben organised a surprise birthday party for Callum in The Vic.
However, the police soon turned up and arrested him for committing fraud whilst in America.
But, is this Ben’s exit storyline? Will he go to prison? Here’s what to expect ahead of Ben’s exit from EastEnders.
EastEnders: Ben was arrested
Tonight, Ben had failed to organise any proper birthday plans for Callum. However, he soon found himself asking Phil for some advice but didn’t find it very helpful.
Ben then decided to arrange a surprise birthday party for Callum in The Vic, with Lexi letting it slip that these were all last minute plans.
As Ben, Callum and their family gathered in the pub for the celebrations though, the police arrived to arrest Ben.
Ben then asked if they could take the conversation outside as his family watched him get arrested for committing fraud whilst in America last year.
Viewers will know that Ben had spent some time in the States last year in a bid to help Lola get treatment for her brain cancer, although she died before Ben got home.
Now, it looks as though Ben was also up to no good whilst out in the States…
What’s next for Ben Mitchell?
Later on this week, Ben tries to explain that he’s innocent whilst being held at the police station.
With Phil getting Ritchie involved, tensions are high as Lexi begs to be included in the family discussions.
Lexi and Jay then go to visit Ben but it isn’t long before Lexi gets overwhelmed and leaves.
With Kathy becoming suspicious of Phil’s behaviour, she goes to confront him. As Ben continues to be held at the station, Callum uses his career to help his husband. But, can Ben’s family pull together and get him off the hook?
When will Max Bowden leave EastEnders as Ben Mitchell?
Fans of the BBC soap may know that Ben Mitchell’s character is set to leave the soap this year after actor Max Bowden was reportedly ‘axed’ from the show.
A source told The Sun last year: “He [Max] went in for a meeting as his contract was up for renewal next year. No one knew how it was going to go and following discussions, it was decided that he would leave. Bosses have yet to plan his exit storyline but Ben is not a character that they would kill off as we’ve already seen in all the previous recasts.”
With Max’s contract reportedly ending this March, Ben’s exit storyline will likely air in the coming weeks. Whilst no specific date has been given, this arrest looks set to pave the way for Ben’s upcoming spring exit from Walford.
