EastEnders' Ronnie Mitchell gets a big shock next month when her first love - and the father of her daughter Danielle - Joel Reynolds turns up in Walford. Joel is played by Cavan Clerkin, best known for his role as Karl in the BBC3 sitcom Pulling. Ronnie, played by Samantha Womack, is stunned to see Joel sat in the Queen Vic after all these years - but is he the same Joel she remembers from her teenage years before her evil father Archie tore them apart? In the run up to Joel's arrival, fans of the BBC1 soap will see Janine scheming with Archie, who wants to manipulate Ronnie back into the family. But scheming Janine takes things too far and sets up a meeting between Ronnie and Joel. Cavan said of his new role: "It's fantastic being on set in Albert Square, it's such an iconic place and I'm really enjoying working with the wonderful cast especially Samantha Womack. "Joel is a nice guy who fantasises about a future with an amazingly beautiful woman so that's something a lot of men may relate too!" Diederick Santer, EastEnders executive producer, added: "We first heard about Joel - Ronnie's childhood sweetheart and the father of Danielle - nearly two years ago. And finally we get to see him. "Cavan Clerkin is a delightful and subtle actor with a big funny bone. He's grabbed this enigmatic and rather odd character and made it his own." Cavan is due to appear in EastEnders from early August. Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's new weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop
