This is the real reason 'EastEnders' recast Liam Butcher

Last week on EastEnders, Tiffany Butcher and Whitney Dean were surprised by their brother Liam Butcher turning up in Albert Square out of the blue. The character has been out of the soap since 2015, when he left Walford to move to Germany with his dad Ricky and his girlfriend Cindy Williams.

However, many fans were disappointed to see that Liam had returned to the Square with a new head. Previously played by James Forde, the role has now been recast to newcomer Alfie Deegan, who is now the eighth actor to play the character.

Why did EastEnders recast Liam?

But the ex-Liam actor isn’t upset about the recast. James hasn’t taken on any acting roles since he left EastEnders six years ago aged 19 and his Twitter bio reads ‘Ex Actor , now Bob the Builder’. Taking to Twitter to comment on the news, former Liam actor James Forde wrote:

Appreciate the love people but don’t be upset 😂 I chose myself to be a builder and not an actor and I am genuinely more happier than ever right now 💪🏼🙌🏼 do what works for you and be happy

Who is Alfie Deegan?

Not much is known about new Liam Butcher actor Alfie Deegan. He previously starred in the film Perfect 10 and also has a short film called Taylor in post-production. It’s not clear how long he’ll be sticking around on EastEnders but it’s reported that he’ll only be on the show for a short stint.

Personally, we’d love to see him stay longer and for girlfriend Cindy to make a return too - played by Mimi Keene. That being said, she might be too busy after finding widespread fame with her role as Ruby on Sex Education.