Who is David Wicks in EastEnders? BBC Soap Legend Michael French Makes an Epic Return to His Role

Ah, the charming chaos that is Albert Square – where the bricks are worn from the weight of secrets, and every character is simply a dramatic subplot waiting to unfold. Enter David Wicks, returning from some mysterious abyss, and just in time for Bianca Jackson’s melodrama of the week. Bianca, played to perfection by Patsy Palmer, is on a mission more serious than a toddler at nap time: freeing her sister Sonia from prison, who’s been wrongfully framed for the murder of Debbie by none other than her own fiancé. Talk about family dysfunction!

But alas, it seems that while Bianca’s intentions are as pure as a freshly laundered shirt, everyone else in Albert Square is clutching their pearls in disbelief. The ever-concerned Kat Slater, bless her heart, has taken it upon herself to bestow unsolicited advice upon Bianca, urging her to seek help for her creeping depression. Because, you know, nothing says 'love' quite like critiquing a friend’s mental health over a cup of tea.

And just as you think things can’t get more chaotic, in strolls Freddie Slater, a beacon of teen angst and dubious diagnoses, telling Bianca she might have ADHD. This conversation, of course, is met with the same enthusiasm as a lukewarm coffee – which is to say, none at all. So, as the episode wanes, Bianca seeks solace in a pint at the Queen Vic, only to find herself tossed out by the unyielding landlord George Knight. It’s tough love with a side of irony.

Just when you think it can't get worse, picture this: Bianca finds herself amidst a pile of bin bags, the physical embodiment of her emotional state. And then lo and behold, David Wicks makes his dramatic entrance, looking as though he just popped out of a time machine from the ‘90s. Now, for those who have been diligently watching the soap opera of their lives – and let's be real, who hasn't? – you'll recall that David is the son of Pat Evans. Ah, the complicated family trees of Walford rival any soap opera plot twist!

David's escapades in Walford have been akin to a rollercoaster ride, with his first stint beginning in 1993 and his departure in 1996, only to return in 2012 and then flit away again. His romantic history is as tangled as a ball of yarn in a cat’s paws. Who could forget his youthful entanglement with Carol Branning, leading to one of those melodramatic one-night-stands that sets the stage for familial calamity? Spoiler alert: David never did find out what happened to that abortion he was dragged into.

Fast forward through misguided marriages, breakups, and one catastrophic affair with his half-brother Ian’s wife, which quite literally exploded into a scandal that left a trail of wreckage. He’s bailed on more relationships than I’ve changed my hairstyle, and let’s be honest, that’s saying something. And what awaits David now in this well-trodden terrain of love and regret? Will he and Bianca finally find that father-daughter connection? Or will their relationship be as predictable as a soap opera plot twist?

As we bid farewell to another episode, you can’t help but wonder: when it comes to the tumultuous lives of the denizens of Albert Square, is there ever really a happy ending? Or are we all just waiting for the next dramatic entrance? Stay tuned, my friends. Who knows what kind of chaos David Wicks will bring this time around?