Jane Beale made a shock return to EastEnders last night, leaving Cindy Beale reeling – but why is Jane back and what does she want with Ian?

EastEnders hinted at Jane Beale’s return nine months ago – in a clue you definitely missed.

Jane, portrayed by Laurie Brett, was last seen in Albert Square in 2017 when Max Branning chillingly told her to leave Walford. Despite her absence since then, Ian Beale made his way back to the soap alongside his former flame Cindy Beale, which left everyone reeling – as Cindy was presumed to have died during childbirth. However, it was later confirmed she was living in witness protection.

Jane made her return this week. Speaking about being back on the show, she said: “I was quite nervous on the first day, thinking, ‘Gosh, do I remember how to be Jane?’ But even though I was nervous, I’d had quite a lot of time to think about it, having had the scripts for a while, so it was just about getting back into the swing of it.

“When I walked on set and saw Adam (Woodyatt) and Michelle (Collins), and also our director Karl Neilson, who directed the live episode in 2015, plus loads of the crew that I knew, all my worries melted away. There were so many familiar faces who were so welcoming. So, about half an hour in, it was like I’d never been away.”

However, some eagle-eyed fans are convinced her return has been in the works for a long while. Back in November, they spotted what they believe to be Laurie in the back of a behind-the-scenes TikTok video featuring Linda, played by Kellie Bright. One eagle-eyed viewer pondered: “Is it just me or does this look like Jane Beale behind linda on her day in the life on tiktok?”

Now we know Laurie is back, she has teased drama ahead between the warring Cindy