It's probably not surprising for you to hear that many fans of EastEnders were far from pleased to hear that the soap had recast the part of Ben Mitchell.
Recasting is not a new phenomenon in soap, it happens all the time. Just look at Lauren Branning, Bobby Beale, Dennis Rickman, Lucy Beale, Peter Beale . . . well you get the idea. But why should you give the new Ben Mitchell a chance?
Soap bosses don't decide to recast characters because they don't like the previous actor, they simply have a vision to take the character in a whole different direction, so recasting is usually needed.
You can look back at the different Ben Mitchell's throughout the years, and each of them bring something very different to the role.
 |
| Look Magazine |
Charlie Jones' Ben was happy and colourful. He sang along to Lady Gaga and loved dancing, something that Phil was not happy about.
Now when you look at Charlie's exit storyline, the character attacked Jordan and uttered the unforgettable phrase: "You need slapping down" - Now these scenes were a little cringeworthy to watch, and that's not the actors fault, it's down to the direction the writer's wanted to take the character.
When Ben was due to be released from prison, the show had to recast because the character was going to be darker, and with murder in mind, they recast the role with Joshua Pascoe. EastEnders wanted to transition the character from his early teens to early adulthood.
 |
| BBC |
With an older actor now playing the part of Ben, writers could experiment with different storylines, They would look at the characters change in personality, due to his time in the young offenders, and also to explore his sexuality.
After Joshua's Ben was arrested for killing Heather Trott, the soap had two years before Ben was to return to Walford, and this time they decided to focus on the characters redemption.
In 2014 EastEnders recast the role with Harry Reid, the most popular of the Ben Mitchell's to date. EastEnders wanted the character to become part of the community once again.
 |
| BBC |
Once the dust had settled, Ben started to rebuild the trust of the locals and soap writers started to show Ben's softer side, but also slotted in a few dodgy storylines just to remind us that he was a Mitchell at heart.
The main reason Harry Reid was so loved playing this character was because they made him relatable to many viewers. We watched him struggle with his sexuality, including that disastrous relationship with Abi Branning. He fell in love with Paul Coker and defied his father by publicly declaring his love for the undertaker's grandson.
 |
| BBC |
Also, we watched when the character wrestled with the guilt after Paul was murdered. Since then, the character started to stagnate, this was mainly down to EastEnders changing executive producers every five minutes, and getting rid of every LGBT character except him, Tina and Sonia.
A year after Harry's Ben left our screens, the news came that Ben was returning and with a different head, this time played by Max Bowden.
Max revealed that he auditioned for EastEnders but had no idea it was for the role of Ben Mitchell: ‘When I found out I got the part I actually wasn’t told I was playing Ben.
‘I was told that I was playing someone else because there was a lot of privacy stuff that was going on with it.’
‘When I found out I was going into EastEnders, I was with a girl that I was seeing at the time having champagne breakfast,’ he added.
So why should we give the new Ben a chance? - When EastEnders recast Lauren Branning, Peter Beale, Lucy Beale, Dennis Rickman, Sam Mitchell, Martin Fowler, and even when Lorraine Stanley played two different characters just a few months apart, the negative comments flooded social media.
 |
| BBC |
Although Ben Mitchell is to become a character we love to hate, we will soon see him as Ben Mitchell, not an impostor. Recently Harry Reid admitted to the Metro: ‘With another person playing the character, slowly but surely when you think of Ben Mitchell, you will think of his face instead of mine'
EastEnders have clearly brought back the character for a darker storyline, and the new Ben won't care who he hurts along the way.
Apart from Max Bowden being close to the actual age of the character, Max once worked with Steve Mcfadden (Phil Mitchell) when he was just 9 years-old, and that adds to the chemistry on-screen.
The actor has an impressive CV spanning 13 years on TV, working on shows such as Waterloo Road, Casualty, Doctors, Demolition Dad, and Saved.
Max's Waterloo Road character, Justin Fitzgerald, was an unstable teenager with troubles in his home life. He was constantly trying to fit in, something that Ben Mitchell can definitely relate to.
Max's EastEnders colleague Jamie Borthwick, who plays Jay Brown, has admitted to the Metro newspaper that Max is a great fit for the role: "I’ll be honest, I can’t really believe how well Max has slotted into this little family, personally how well we’re getting on, we really hit it off straight away.
I can’t really say how well Max has slotted in into this little gang, it’s almost like he’s been here for years, and he’s doing some great work and he’s a wonderful addition to the show." he said.
Now us personally, we're completely unbiased when it comes to EastEnders. Walford East has no affiliation with the BBC or EastEnders, we just report on it. And as much as we loved Harry Reid as Ben, we honestly now see why Max has been chosen, especially after the recent revelation that Ben's back to take down his father.
Harry Reid recently opened up to the Metro about Max taking over the role of Ben Mitchell: "I’m in exactly the same position as I was in when I originally left. I’m an actor, I come into this game to play different parts – not to play one for my whole life.
It just means that the door is properly closed – but there are other doors.
"With another person playing the character, slowly but surely when you think of Ben Mitchell, you will think of his face instead of mine but in terms of my profession, what it does is it closes my chapter at EastEnders meaning that I am out of that world now."
Other EastEnders characters that have been recast in the past are Angie Watts, Peggy Mitchell, Mark Fowler, Janine Butcher, Shabnam Masood, Belinda Slater, Bobby Beale, Derek Branning, Vicki Fowler plus many more.
With Max now in the driving seat, what would you like to see happen with the character? - Would you like to see him find love? Or become head of the Mitchell empire? Let us know.
EastEnders air weeknights on BBC One.
EastEnders have clearly brought back the character for a darker storyline, and the new Ben won't care who he hurts along the way.
Apart from Max Bowden being close to the actual age of the character, Max once worked with Steve Mcfadden (Phil Mitchell) when he was just 9 years-old, and that adds to the chemistry on-screen.
The actor has an impressive CV spanning 13 years on TV, working on shows such as Waterloo Road, Casualty, Doctors, Demolition Dad, and Saved.
Max's Waterloo Road character, Justin Fitzgerald, was an unstable teenager with troubles in his home life. He was constantly trying to fit in, something that Ben Mitchell can definitely relate to.
 |
| BBC |
Max's EastEnders colleague Jamie Borthwick, who plays Jay Brown, has admitted to the Metro newspaper that Max is a great fit for the role: "I’ll be honest, I can’t really believe how well Max has slotted into this little family, personally how well we’re getting on, we really hit it off straight away.
I can’t really say how well Max has slotted in into this little gang, it’s almost like he’s been here for years, and he’s doing some great work and he’s a wonderful addition to the show." he said.
 |
| BBC |
Now us personally, we're completely unbiased when it comes to EastEnders. Walford East has no affiliation with the BBC or EastEnders, we just report on it. And as much as we loved Harry Reid as Ben, we honestly now see why Max has been chosen, especially after the recent revelation that Ben's back to take down his father.
Harry Reid recently opened up to the Metro about Max taking over the role of Ben Mitchell: "I’m in exactly the same position as I was in when I originally left. I’m an actor, I come into this game to play different parts – not to play one for my whole life.
It just means that the door is properly closed – but there are other doors.
 |
| ITV |
"With another person playing the character, slowly but surely when you think of Ben Mitchell, you will think of his face instead of mine but in terms of my profession, what it does is it closes my chapter at EastEnders meaning that I am out of that world now."
Other EastEnders characters that have been recast in the past are Angie Watts, Peggy Mitchell, Mark Fowler, Janine Butcher, Shabnam Masood, Belinda Slater, Bobby Beale, Derek Branning, Vicki Fowler plus many more.
With Max now in the driving seat, what would you like to see happen with the character? - Would you like to see him find love? Or become head of the Mitchell empire? Let us know.
EastEnders air weeknights on BBC One.
Comments
Post a Comment