Martin Fowler

[kaz21]

At dots I think.

[lizann]

well back married to ruby

[lizann]

james is doing strictly come dancing so what will time off be?

[Perdita]

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eas...emporary-exit/

EastEnders is lining up a temporary exit for James Bye's Martin Fowler amid the Lily Slater baby storyline.

Viewers will know that Martin's adoptive 12-year-old daughter Lily is pregnant, with Ricky Jr the father of the baby.

The turn of events will cause tension between the Slater and Branning households, though in new scenes set to air soon, Martin will depart Albert Square amid the storyline (though will return in the future).

Martin gets an offer for a few weeks' well-paid work abroad in Turkey, though he worries whether to accept due the the difficult circumstances Lily currently finds herself in.

Will he be able to bring himself to tell Stacey?

Before that, next week on the soap, all hell will break loose in the Branning household after Jack learns that Ricky Jr plans to help Lily bring up the baby.

When the families come together, Jack urges Stacey and Martin to talk sense into Lily, though Stacey says abortion is off the table. Jack later tries to discourage Lily by telling her about what life will be like as a teen mum.

This infuriates Stacey, who marches to No 27 and bans them from having anything to do with the baby. A devastated Ricky Jr calls Sam for support, while Denise tells Jack he was out of order over what he did to Lily.

However, Ricky Jr decides to move in with Sam, leaving Jack devastated as he desperately tries to bring him back home.

At her wits end, Denise is encouraged to get someone to talk sense into Jack, and she teams up with Stacey to get Martin to speak to him ? but will he be able to talk him round?

[lizann]

back soon, teases a dilemma for Martin and a potential new love interest

[lizann]

In a statement, James said: "Saying goodbye is not easy, but after 10 years at EastEnders and on the night of the show's epic 40th anniversary – the time felt right. It's an honour to leave on a story of this magnitude.

"A huge thank you to all the fans of the show – EastEnders wouldn't be what it is without you – and to the BBC and EastEnders team for trusting me with this role for so many years. This fruit and veg man will always hold a special place in my heart.