James Willmott-Brown, one of EastEnders most notorious villains returned to the show on Friday night – and his comeback isn’t going to be about him settling in for the quiet life.
No siree, Mr W-B wants Walford to pay for what it did to him (or what he thinks it did to him when actually he was the rapist).
After we discovered James is the true mastermind behind Max Branning’s revenge plot, and the one who’s been pulling the strings all this time, we now have a little more info about what he’s up to.
In a meeting with his brother-in-law, who we finally know is actually called Hugo after we’ve been calling him ‘The Chairman’ since his first appearance in January, Willmott-Brown is determined to step things up a gear.
The two are discussing business in Monday night’s episode while looking at a map of Walford and making their plans – the area won’t know what’s hit it and Willmott-Brown is determined to take no prisoners.
Friday night saw mean Max collect his former cell mate, Luke, from prison and take him home. There, his sister Fi, half-brother Josh and Uncle Hugo – AKA The Chairman – were all waiting for him.
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And, for the first time, Maxy met his boss – and his lover’s dad – James.
Okay, so who is JWB and why is he such a baddie? Well, back in the day when Kathy was married to Ian’s dad, Pete, there was a posh wine bar in the Square – yes, kinda like the little-seen Albert.
This one was called The Dagmar and it was run by JWB, and Kathy worked for him.
James was madly in love with Kathy, in fact, we’d go as far as saying he was obsessed with her. One night, James asked Kathy to stay behind for a drink and he raped her.
Kathy got justice when JWB was sentenced to three years in prison for his attack. He returned to the Square in 1992, when he was released, but was soon ousted by the residents who didn’t want him there.
Back to present-day Walford. We know Max has been working with Weyland & Co. in order to take control of Albert Square and get revenge on all who wronged him.
But we didn’t know who he was working for. Max himself has no clue about Willmott-Brown’s past in Walford and only knows that – like Max – he claims to be a wronged man.
James and his family will all work to take over the Square. And, of course, there is one person firmly on his agenda – Kathy Beale, the woman who ruined his life.
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EastEnders has been secretly plotting this comeback for months, the dark horses, and it will come to a head over the next few months.
William Boyde, who played JWB in 80s, has reprised the role that will send shockwaves throughout Walford.
He said: “I’m delighted to immerse myself once more in the fascinating world of soap land.”