EastEnders finally reveals who mystery gang boss is as casting is confirmed

Actor Anthony Skordi has joined the cast of EastEnders.

The star’s career began with guest roles in Soldier Soldier and The Bill. He went on to feature in dramas including Law & Order: Organised Crime, CBS’s Scorpion, and Prime Suspect 1973.

Gaming fans will recognise Anthony’s voice, as he portrayed The Dealer in Hand of Fate, Tenebrae in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Admiral Garrick Versio in Star Wars Battlefront II.

His voice is also recognisable as Pythagoras in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Anthony will make his arrival to Walford next week as a crime boss called Russell Delaney.

The evil character has been troubling Mark Fowler (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) for months, but it’s all happened off screen. Russell told Mark to kill a police informant within his drugs gang, and eventually discovered it was Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).

Mark and Ravi were involved in a showdown in the woods, but it came to an end when Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) and the Mitchells arrived.

Russell now wants £100,000 from Mark and in order to show him that he absolutely isn’t messing around, the gangster has Mark bundled into a car in upcoming episodes.

Mark’s disappearance is seriously badly timed, as the Mitchells are also busy preparing for Nigel Bates’ (Paul Bradley) funeral.

On the morning of the funeral, Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) receives a call from Mark’s boss Russell, demanding full payment. However, things escalate further when Russell overhears Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) on the call, and it turns out they have history.

When Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) hears of what’s been going on, he’s determined not to let it derail his best friend’s funeral, and gets a reluctant Grant and Sam to put off finding Mark until proceedings are over.

Despite their agreement, Phil, Grant, Sam and Billy decide to go and find Mark immediately, and with unfinished business between Russell and Sam, a tense standoff breaks out.

‘Everything escalates very quickly,’ explains Kim Medcalf, who plays Sam. ‘Although the plan is initially to try and save Mark after the funeral, they realise they can’t leave him there and agree that Nigel would have wanted them to act. 

‘It balances huge emotion with flashes of humour and nostalgia – there’s some classic Mitchell moments. 

‘Between the attempted rescue mission and Nigel’s funeral, they’re reminded who they are as a family,’ she adds.

When the Mitchells do return to Walford, they join Nigel’s loved ones at the church where those closest to him deliver the most emotional of tributes.

Speaking of filming those scenes, Kim reveals: ‘It was incredibly emotional. Seeing the packed church really felt like the whole community had come together to honour Nigel. Everyone adores Paul too, which made it even more moving.