EastEnders spoilers: Ben Mitchell survives and a mischievous character returns

It's been a dramatic few days on EastEnders as Paul Coker died and Ben Mitchell survived – much to viewers' shock – but it has now been reported that Ryan Malloy is set to make a surprising return to Albert Square.

Bad boy Ryan, played by actor Neil McDermott, is rumoured to have already started filming top secret scenes at the BBC's Elstree studios in time for a small screen comeback this September.

Locked up behind bars, Ryan will soon be released and re-emerge in Walford, causing mischief no doubt. He is said to have a tear-jerking reunion with his half-sister Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty).

"Ryan is never far from Whitney's mind and she has always stayed in touch as much as possible," a source told The Sun.

"Although Ryan will only be appearing in a couple of episodes it's fair to say that when he's around drama usually follows."

Ryan's main storyline is thought to involve him reaching out to heartbroken Whitney after she discovers that her fiancé Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard) cheated with her close friend, Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald).

To add insult to injury, she later finds out that she's contracted chlamydia from her unfaithful partner, while carrying his child. Whitney is set to be faced with the shocking truth next Friday in an explosive EastEnders episode.

Meanwhile, EastEnders viewers were left flabbergasted when Paul Coker (Jonny Labey) died as a result of a violent attack, but his boyfriend Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid) turned up alive, much to the Mitchell family's relief.

Last night's (19 July) episode saw Ben greet his loved ones covered in bruises as he explained what happened. He revealed that he and Paul left a club and were beaten up and mugged – before getting separated from one another.

Ben was not aware that Paul was killed in the attack, and was heartbroken when he learned of the tragic news. He was further aggravated when his father Phil referred to Paul as his "friend" instead of his partner – inferring that he had still not accepted their relationship even though Paul is dead.

EastEnders viewers took to Twitter to praise Reid's performance as Ben. One user wrote: "absolutely fantastic actor!Like Tom Hardy portrayal of Ronnie Kray he has made Ben Mitchell sexuality insignificant #Eastenders," while another put "Well done, @HarryReid16. That ending scene was heartbreaking."

See more of the Twitter reaction to the Ben Mitchell storyline below.