Neil McDermott returning to EastEnders

Neil McDermott is returning to 'EastEnders'.

The 42-year-old actor has agreed to reprise his role as Ryan Malloy for a brief stint as part of the ongoing underage pregnancy story involving his on-screen daughter Lily Slater (Lillia Turner), who he had with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).

While it was Neil's first time working with Lillia, he was delighted to reunite with Lacey and Shona McGarty, who plays his on-screen sister Whitney Dean.

The actor - who was last seen in Albert Square in 2016 - said: “When I heard what the story was I was really pleased that the stars aligned and I was able to revisit Ryan and set foot back on the Square.

"It was so lovely to see so many old friends and to work with Shona and Lacey again, as well as to meet and work with Ryan’s daughter, played beautifully by Lillia."

And soap bosses were delighted to have him back.

Executive producer Chris Clenshaw added: "It’s wonderful to welcome Neil back to the role of Ryan Malloy. Although we haven’t seen Ryan for some years, his character is still intertwined in the history of two of the show’s major characters, Stacey and Whitney.

"We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him back for a short while as he’s thrust into the heart of the drama."

Neil joined the soap in 2009, when Ryan tried to establish a relationship with Whitney, and left in 2011 when his alter ego accidentally killed Rob Grayson in Southend.

But he made guest appearances in both 2014 and 2016 to check on his daughter following troubling times for Stacey, and he eventually handed himself into police in 2016, but was released from prison due to a lack of evidence and made a surprise return to Walford, where he told his loved ones he was moving to Yorkshire with his new love, a prison officer named Helen.