William Boyde has revealed that he has been approached by EastEnders over a fourth stint playing James Willmott-Brown.
The character was at the centre of one of the soap's most shocking plots in the 1980s when he became obsessed with Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), going on to rape her in sickening scenes.
Wilmott-Brown had a brief comeback in 1992, then returned to Walford 25 years later as part of an ultimately-foiled plot to buy up all of the properties in Albert Square.
The last time he was seen on screen, Wilmott-Brown was in a hospital bed after suffering a heart attack - and with all of his children disowning him, the implication was that he had been left to die alone.
According to Boyde, however, the door is still open for one final return and claims that he was asked back as recently as last year.
"Last autumn, EastEnders called again," the 70-year-old told The Oldie. "The producer had planned a Jacobean tragedy where I'd come to a sticky end.
"They needed to keep my return a secret so that no one could spill the beans and leak it to the press.
"My parts in the scripts were for a 'Mr Echo', also the name on my dressing-room door."
Boyde's proposed return ultimately failed to come to fruition for reasons unknown.
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