By Liam de Brun

Copyright manchestereveningnews

EastEnders fans are calling for the return of a character not seen in nearly two decades after a popular actress departed a rival soap. It’s been a busy period for the BBC soap in terms of former faces coming back, with Zoe Slater’s Michelle Ryan and Max Branning actor Jake Wood both back on the programme. In a twist no one saw coming, it was revealed that the pair were engaged in an affair earlier in the year, teeing up Max to make his full time comeback later in the year. The returns arrive at a time where a number of stars are preparing to say goodbye to Walford, including Freddie Slater actor Bobby Brazier and Stacey Slater’s Lacey Turner . It’s not just EastEnders that’s experiencing a switch-up amid its cast, with Hollyoaks confirming a major exit ahead of its 30th anniversary celebrations. Despite only coming back to the Channel 4 soap as the evil Clare Devine earlier this year, it emerged this week that Gemma Bissix is leaving. Clare debuted on Hollyoaks in 2006, going on to become one of UK soap’s most hated characters through Gemma’s stellar performance. The character was brought back for brief stints in 2009 and 2013, where she was apparently killed off, only to pop back up earlier in the year. Confirming her exit, a source told Metro: “Gemma has absolutely loved being back but a character like Clare can never stick around for too long, given everything she’s done. “There’s a lot more to come before the final scenes air but it promises to be an exhilarating ending. Fans may be disappointed to hear that she is going so soon but it also is likely to come as little of a surprise given the nature of the character and the storyline. “Her comeback has proven to be a real success and a pivotal part of the build-up to the 30th, and a real representation of what Hollyoaks does best when it comes to iconic characters. She’ll be a huge miss!” Gemma introduced herself to the world in her acting debut on EastEnders in 1993 in the role of Clare Bates, the daughter of Debbie Tyler and stepdaughter of Nigel Bates. Leaving alongside Nigel in 1998, Clare was last seen in 2008 when she had a short-lived affair with the late Bradley Branning. Following the news of Gemma’s career change, EastEnders fans rushed to X, previously known as Twitter , to predict the return of Clare. @sharonsstacey said: “Clare is coming home now surely.” @rants_ofc added: “CLARE BATES RETURN LOOMS #Eastenders #Eastenders2025.” @babesmithh wrote: “Her short stint looms.” @SallyBrunton3 posted: “Let’s hope she can go and pay a quick visit to EastEnders for the end of the dementia story.” @Dirty-Den10 commented on Reddit: “We totally will! She’s gonna be playing both her Claire’s in the same year.” @everydays_lyk_sunday noted: “They handled her last return very poorly. hopefully this time they’ll get it right.” A return for Clare would likely see her helping out with Nigel amid his battle with dementia , with her stepdad returning to Walford late last year amid his health issues.