This article contains spoilers for Thursday’s episode of EastEnders, which is already available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
EastEnders fans saw Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) revisit his history with estranged son Mark Fowler Junior (Ned Porteous) before his exit on Thursday.
Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) learned that Grant had spoken to her best friend and Mark’s mum Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully/Jenna Russell) to offer his condolences over the death of her brother Martin Fowler (James Bye).
As Sharon and Grant said their goodbyes, she asked if he had been tempted to reach out to Mark Jr, to which he said he would wait until Mark was ready to build a relationship with him.
But in case you need a recap of who Mark Fowler Jr is and where he fits into the family tree, we’ve got you covered…
Who is Mark Fowler Junior in EastEnders?
Mark is the son of show stalwarts Michelle Fowler and Grant Mitchell and was the result of a fling the pair had back in 1995.
Prior to leaving Walford for the US, Michelle only told her brother Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) – who her son was named after – of her baby’s real paternity.
After being born off-screen in 1996, Mark Jr had grown up believing his father was a man called Tim.
Fast forward to 2016, and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) found a letter in then-wife Sharon’s handbag addressed to his late mother Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor). It revealed that Grant was Mark’s real father.
After Mark Jr arrived in Walford having been contacted by Phil, Sharon and Martin begged Phil not to reveal the truth to Grant.
While Grant did find out, they were all forced to step in when Mark started getting close to Courtney Mitchell (Alice Noakes), not realising they were half-siblings.
Grant debated telling Mark he was his father but eventually decided against it before leaving Walford.
However, Mark had already worked out the truth and returned to the US after Sharon warned him not to get involved in Grant’s life.
This week, it was revealed that Grant had no clue that Mark had found out about his paternity, and he seemed bruised that his son had not attempted to contact him over the last nine years.
Who played Mark Fowler Junior in EastEnders?
Ned Porteous may now be best known for his role as Emmerdale’s Joe Tate, but his first soap role came when he landed the part of Mark in 2016.
Ned said at the time: ‘Being part of two iconic families and the longest-kept secret in EastEnders history is beyond exciting!
‘I’m honoured to be here and can’t wait for viewers to properly meet Mark Jr.’
Ned was only on screen for a month as Mark and went on to be cast in Emmerdale as Joe in 2017.
His first stint in the Yorkshire Dales lasted just over a year, but he made a shock return to the ITV soap over Christmas, with Joe now involved in a steamy affair storyline with Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley).
