With an explosion set to rip through the Queen Vic in the coming weeks, one EastEnders star has prompted speculation their character could be killed off in the blast.
James Bye, who plays Martin Fowler in the BBC soap, got tongues wagging after curiously removing the show from his bio on Instagram.
Eagle-eyed fans have noticed the change to his page and have wondered whether this means Martin may not survive the explosion.
Pictures taken from the EastEnders set showing the aftermath of the explosion have already confirmed at least one fatality, with floral tributes seen having been left outside the Vic barrel store.
One fan posted on X: ‘Guys i’m scared for martin… james bye has taken eastenders out of his instagram bio and it was definitely there before…’
Another wrote: ‘James Bye has removed EastEnders from his IG bio. Be ready to say goodbye to Martin Fowler.’
On Reddit, fans have also pieced together more clues that suggest Martin is set to be killed off, noting how his current partner Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton) and both ex-wives Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) are all leaving in the coming months.
One wrote: ‘Ever since Sonia was confirmed leaving, I’ve been fully convinced! All three mothers of his children are leaving!’
Another said: ‘The 3 people who are closest to Martin are all leaving, there are flowers by his stall, he’s constantly been talking about his legacy, he celebrated his 40th birthday last year by mistake, and now this. He’s dying.’
Another noted his friends mistakenly thinking Martin was 40 last year could also be a clue, adding: ‘A year since we had the fake birthday last year. Killing the OG Baby on the 40th anniversary, just shy of his own 40th, is definitely memorable.’
However, some fans have suggested James removing EastEnders from his bio could be a deliberate misdirect.
‘I so want this to be an epic troll and he’s just done it because of rumours,’ one wrote.
‘I respect actors so when they do this, they like to keep fan in suspense, Jaime [Borthwick] did the same thing when Jay had that car crash,’ another wrote.
A third said: ‘Kellie Bright did post photos on Instagram with the words “The End” when we all thought Linda was dying, maybe this is a similar tactic.’
James was recast in the role of Martin when the character returned to Walford after a seven-year break in 2014.
James Alexandrou previously played Martin between 1996 and 2007.
The character originated with child actor Jon Peyton-Price from 1985 to 1996, and the character was the first baby to be born on the show.
Last year, James Alexandrou spoke of handing the mantle over to James Bye during an interview on Johnny Seifert’s Secure The Insecure Podcast.
He recalled: ‘I found out old Jimmy Bye, James Bye got the job,’ he said. ‘I got his number off Natalie Cassidy, I think, so he didn’t know that I had his number, and I just text him out the blue.
‘I said, listen, it’s James Alexandrou. I’m really happy for you. You know, go do whatever you want with [Martin], have fun. And I think he’s done a great job.’
The two ‘Martins’ ended up meeting on the Albert Square set when James Alexandrou made a surprise return to the show – but this time behind the camera.
‘I shadowed as a director. You go and follow the director and see how they direct the show,’ he explained.
’It just so happened that James Bye was on, on the day that I was shadowing.
‘He apparently caught wind of it, and he came on to do a scene, and he kind of went, “Oh, it’s you!” It was a strange moment, it was a really strange moment, because we don’t know each other at all, and the only thing that bonds us are these words on a page called Martin Fowler. It was a really nice moment.’
