Dad's Army star Ian Lavender is preparing to return to EastEnders for a special Christmas plot on the BBC soap.
The actor best known for playing Private Pike in the classic BBC sitcom by Jimmy Perry and David Croft was last seen on Albert Square in 2005, but is set for a seasonal visit to Walford where he will reprise his role as Derek Harkinson.
Fans of the BBC1 soap will remember that Harkinson was a friend of late soap star Wendy Richard's character Pauline Fowler, who made a move on him but was turned down when he revealed that he was gay.
Derek stuck around in the square and became something of a father figure to Pauline's son Martin, but eventually decided to move away to spend more time with his family.
The return to EastEnders will see him reunited with Martin, now played by James Bye, but producers are keeping details of his storyline secret, saying only that he "will be seen in a number of episodes over the festive season as part of a storyline involving a number of the residents".
Lavender said: "It was a lovely surprise to be back and I had a great time.
"It was brilliant to work with some old friends again, especially those who I only briefly got to work with before."
Lavender will make his comeback on screen later this month, 15 years after his first appearance in the programme in November 2001.
