Two new characters have arrived in Walford in EastEnders, and one of them is played by a very familiar face.

Alex Walkinshaw is no stranger to soapland, but it’s been a little while since he’s been on our screens.

He’s now playing Ross Marshall, father of Joel (Max Murray) and partner to Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig). The three characters are in Albert Square ahead of Martin Fowler’s (James Bye) funeral, following his death in February.

It didn’t take us very long to learn Vicki and Ross are hiding a secret surrounding money, sparking another reason for their arrival.

Here, we take a look at Ross star Alex Walkinshaw’s history in the world of soap, and where you’ve seen him before.

Who is Alex Walkinshaw and who did he play in The Bill?

Alex is a 50-year-old actor from Barking. He bagged his first credit in the industry way back in 1990, when he played ‘Older Boy’ in a TV film called Death in Venice.

Alex became best known for playing Sgt. Dale Smith in popular drama The Bill. Also called Smithy, the character was on our screens from 1992-2010.

Smithy was involved in a great deal of drama at Sun Hill, including being held hostage, getting jailed for three months, and being stabbed.

Who did Alex play in Holby City and Casualty?

Alex is also known for playing the character of Adrian Fletcher in Casualty and Holby City.

The nurse, often referred to as Fletch was a single father and was regularly involved in storylines that saw him attempt to juggle working in the NHS and being a dad.

Fans also grew to love Fletch’s friendship with Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel). The two characters explored their chemistry at one point, but Jac broke Fletch’s heart (and ours) when she said they couldn’t ever be together.

Holby City ended in 2022, with the final episode strongly focusing on Jac, who died after her brain tumour diagnosis.

What else has Alex been in?

Away from The Bill and Holby City, fans will also recognise Alex as Jez Diamond, from BBC One school-based drama Waterloo Road.

Shortly after Holby City ended, he featured in an episode of Midsomer Murders.