Bobby Brazier joins EastEnders legends in huge new role worlds away from Freddie Slater

Bobby Brazier has landed a major new TV role alongside three EastEnders legends just weeks after his return to the soap was confirmed.

Bobby, who plays Freddie Slater, took a break from the soap last year to compete in Strictly Come Dancing 2023 and it was announced that he will be returning to EastEnders alongside his great-grandmother Mo Harris (Laila Morse) this spring.

Now, the 20-year-old is set to appear in Paramount Plus drama Curfew, which is an adaptation of Jayne Cowie's novel After Dark.

He will star alongside some Walford icons, including Anita Dobson, Lucy Benjamin and Larry Lamb, who played Angie Watts, Lisa Fowler and Archie Mitchell.

The series, which started filming at the beginning of the year, is about a society where all men live under "The Women's Safety Act" and are limited to a strict curfew from 7pm to 7am every night, with their movements tracked by an ankle tag 24 hours a day.

However, when a woman is brutally murdered during curfew hours and her body is left on the steps of the Women’s Safety Centre, police officer Pamela Green tirelessly tries to prove her theory that a man is responsible for the crime.

Bobby will play a role very different from his EastEnders character as he joins the show as James, an outspoken schoolboy who is strongly against the rules imposed on them.

Lucy Benjamin stars as DCI Sue Ferguson, one of the policing team overseeing the investigation and Larry Lamb portrays Rhys Holden, a man who arrives in the UK from America and struggles to live under the restrictions.

Meanwhile, Anita Dobson will make her appearance as Janet, a woman who runs a refuge for women who don’t want to live with men.

Bobby's EastEnders exit storyline last year saw his character Freddie attack stalker Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis) in a fit of rage after he walked in on the twisted teacher trying to rape his cousin Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).

Following the attack, Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) walked in on the crime scene and attempted to make it look like Freddie acted in self-defence by planting a wrench in Theo's hand as he lay unconscious on the floor.

After being released on bail following his arrest for attempted murder, he went to stay with his mum Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth), where he has been ever since.

EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.