EastEnders tease Ian Beale’s dramatic exit as he becomes ‘the most hated man in Walford’

EastEnders have teased Ian Beale’s dramatic exit from the soap as he’s set to become the ‘most hated man in Walford’.

The departure will coincide with actor Adam Woodyatt, 52, taking an extended break from the BBC show, after playing the businessman for 35 years.

Adam’s exit comes amid reports that he has split from wife Beverley Sharp after 22 years of marriage.

Fans of the show will know that Ian is hiding a devastating secret that he was involved in the death of his best friend Sharon Mitchell’s son Denny earlier this year.

And with that ‘unexploded bomb’ lingering, soap bosses have hinted that it will play a big role in Ian bowing out of Albert Square. 

Speaking at the soap’s virtual launch ahead of its return to screen’s next month, executive producer Jon Sen told how Ian’s life will crumble around him as scenes pick up from where it left off after the soap went off air in June.

After stating the character would become the ‘most hated man in Walford’, Jon continued: ‘Ian’s creating as many enemies as before, and those stories are carrying on from before.’

Meanwhile, Senior executive producer Kate Oates added: ‘Sharon doesn’t know about Ian’s role in Dennis’ death, so that’s an unexploded bomb.

‘The irony is that she is defending him as he becomes increasingly unpopular with other people in the Square and members of his own family.

‘So we’ll be watching that unfold.’

Discussing how Ian’s storyline was affected by the halt in filming amid the coronavirus pandemic, Jon said: ‘We have a responsibility to reflect those seismic shifts of what has been going on in the country, but we just adjusted stories that we have. 

‘We have really embraced that. The huge impact of domestic violence, we really touch on that and it’s a really powerful story.’

It comes as it was revealed this month that Adam was being ‘written out’ of EastEnders as he is taking an ‘extended break’ from the soap.

Adam was said to be having a prolonged ‘holiday’ with his part being ‘written out’ of upcoming episodes, just as the show prepares to return to air.

The long-time character will be off screen for around 10 weeks due to an ‘explosive plot twist’, a BBC source has claimed, according to the Daily Star.

Another source added: ‘Writers are staying tight-lipped about what happens, so it’s not known yet what the future will hold for the character.’

Meanwhile, it was reported that actor Adam left his estranged wife Beverley Sharp ‘blindsided’ when he ended their 22 years marriage, according to a new report.

The couple separated in August of last year but news of their split only came to light last week when it was believed they only recently started telling friends about their decision. 

And now friends close to Beverley have said that the soap star has shown her ‘no respect’ after he walked out of their family home with no explanation. 

According to The Sun, the 55-year-old has remained radio silent on the split for the sake of their children; Jessica, 27, and Samuel, 23, but their break-up has been anything but ‘amicable’.

A source said: ‘Bev has kept a dignified silence for the sake of the children but this isn’t the amicable split that’s being portrayed.

‘Adam walked out on Bev nearly a year ago without explanation. She didn’t even know where he’d gone. She’s only seen Adam once since he left and she’s no idea why he walked out on her. He’s shown her no respect at all.

‘The media briefings all seem to be about protecting Adam’s reputation and that of EastEnders. Bev’s obviously hugely upset about the way she’s been treated.’ 

MailOnline has contacted Adam’s representative for a comment. 

News of their split only came to light days ago and a friend told The Sun at the time that Beverley was ‘very upset’ but added that it’s a ‘straightforward separation’.

Adam and Beverley have been married since 1998 and have two children – Jessica, 27, and Samuel, 23.

A spokesperson for the actor said: ‘Beverley and Adam separated in August last year and we ask that the family’s privacy is respected.’   

Elsewhere, Eastenders bosses have revealed the soap will be back on air on September 7.

The long-running drama is currently on a 12 week break after it ran out of episodes while filming was halted amid the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.

After almost three months off air, BBC bosses joked that they ‘can’t wait for series two’, after the soap previously ran uninterrupted for 35 years.

The announcement was made across Eastenders’ social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The new shorter episodes will only be 20 minutes long and the programme will be shown four times a week on BBC One.