Emmerdale fans rediscover Ned Porteous’ EastEnders role as son of soap legend

Actor Ned Porteous made an unexpected instrumentality to Emmerdale arsenic Joe Tate successful December, but this isn’t the lone soap relation helium has nether his belt, arsenic fans person realised.

The histrion besides had a large relation successful BBC soap EastEnders successful 2016, wherever helium played the lad of 2 soap icons.

Joe’s instrumentality to the Emmerdale village came arsenic a immense daze to viewers, and to Kim Tate (Claire King).

As Joe uncovered Will Taylor’s (Dean Andrews) crippled to destruct Kim, helium was harbouring a concealed of his own, arsenic aboriginal scenes proved that he was gravely ill.

Since then, he’s engaged successful an matter with Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley) – and harboured an addiction to painkillers.

With Ned astatine the forefront of fans’ minds successful caller weeks, they were shocked to realise that helium had previously played the relation of Mark Fowler Jr successful EastEnders.

Soap fans took to societal media to explicit their astonishment astatine seeing the actor, with 1 writing: ‘How person I lone conscionable recovered retired Joe Tate successful Emmerdale is played by the aforesaid histrion that played Mark Fowler Jr successful EastEnders?’

‘I didn’t cognize he’d been successful EastEnders,’ different said.

‘Ned Porteous backmost arsenic Joe Tate is awesome but I preferred him playing Mark fowler Jr (Mitchell) successful EastEnders. We didn’t person him agelong capable arsenic Grant’s son,’ A 3rd added.

Mark was the lad of amusement stalwarts Michelle Fowler (Jenna Russell) and Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), though helium had been lied to astir his paternity increasing up.

With the Mitchells knowing the information astir Grant being Mark’s father, they each agreed to support it nether wraps.

However, erstwhile Mark and Courtney Mitchell began to turn close, the household were forced to intervene, with Grant stopping the brace from kissing.

With Mark unaware that Courtney was his fractional sister, Grant debated telling him the truth, but yet decided against it.

However, Mark had already worked retired that Grant was his biologic father, and returned to the US aft Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) warned him not to get progressive successful Grant’s life.

Speaking astir joining the amusement astatine the time, Ned said: ‘Being portion of 2 iconic families and the longest kept concealed successful EastEnders past is beyond exciting!

‘I’m honoured to beryllium present and can’t hold for viewers to decently conscionable Mark Jr.’

Ahead of the show’s 40th anniversary, Ross Kemp is acceptable to reprise his relation arsenic Grant successful the coming weeks.

With the soap promising that his instrumentality volition beryllium ‘nothing abbreviated of explosive’, Ross said: ‘I’m delighted to beryllium returning to EastEnders arsenic the amusement heads towards its 40th anniversary.

‘EastEnders has ever meant truthful overmuch to me, truthful to instrumentality arsenic the amusement is astir to observe specified a peculiar anniversary, is an implicit honour.

‘Grant has ne'er been acold from the enactment and let’s conscionable say, this clip is nary antithetic arsenic helium surely comes backmost with a bang.’

This nonfiction was primitively published connected 13th January 2025.

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