EastEnders fans sobbed at a powerful mention to soap legend Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) during last night's episode (Thursday, February 2) amidst Zack Hudson's (James Farrar) HIV storyline.
In EastEnders, Zack has been struggling to cope with his HIV diagnosis and forgot that it was Mark's birthday — the brother of his best friend Martin Fowler (James Bye).
To remember him on his birthday, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) showed Martin an old photo of his beloved brother that Michelle Fowler (Jenna Russell) had sent her.
Mark first stepped onto the Square in 1985 as a troublesome teenager and later returned to Walford in 1990 as a changed man.
He went down in history as the first mainstream soap character to be diagnosed with HIV and was at the forefront of some major storylines during his time on the Square.
Mark lived with HIV for 13 years before tragically losing his life to an AIDS-related illness in 2004.
Fans got emotional at the thoughtful tribute to Mark on his birthday, whose diagnosis made a huge impact in raising awareness of the issue and went down as Walford's most memorable residents...
Sharon and Martin looking at the old photo of mark that michelle sent because it would’ve been his birthday 💔#EastEndersFebruary 2, 2023
Michelle sending photos of Mark 💔😭#EastEndersFebruary 2, 2023
#EastEnders such lovely memories photo of mark.🥺February 2, 2023
"If he'd have got sick 15 or 20 years later he'd still be with us." Powerful to see a nod to Mark Fowler on tonight's #EastEnders. We worked with the BBC on Mark's HIV diagnosis in 1991. His story had a huge impact on public perceptions of HIV and we hope Zack's will too. pic.twitter.com/4yhZJ5y7MZFebruary 2, 2023
The touching tribute comes as Zack was recently diagnosed as HIV positive after sharing needles with his old friend Brett when taking steroids together in the past.
Currently, Zack has only told his friend Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) and is yet to tell his family and friends, in particular Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) who he is expecting a baby with.
After the poignant mention of Mark, could this encourage Zack to tell Martin about his diagnosis and get the support he needs? After all, Martin would understand what Zack is going through following Mark's diagnosis.
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
