EastEnders fans distracted from last night’s show as they notice something hilarious about Peter Beale

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Did you notice this?

Last week's anniversary episodes of EastEnders saw residents of Albert Square fighting for their lives as the drama on a Thames party boat unfolded. But as well as Denny's shocking death, we fans were also left surprised by Peter Beale making a return to the soap.

The Albert Square favourite, who is the son of grouchy businessman Ian Beale, fled to New Zealand back in 2015, following the tragic death of his twin sister, Lucy.

Peter was then played by actor Ben Hardy, but the role has now been filled by actor Dayle Hudson.

Lucy Beale was murdered by her and Peter’s little brother, Bobby, who has now returned from jail and is living back with Ian and his grandmother, Kathy.

Peter Beale EastEnders

Peter has returned to Walford, but fans have noticed something different about him (Picture: BBC) (Image credit: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)

Bobby was recently seen being attacked by a gang of thugs and ended up in hospital with a bleed on the brain - leaving his family terrified that he might not make it through the ordeal.

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Last night, Ian and Kathy were seen at Bobby’s bedside, discussing the death of Sharon's son Denny, who drowned in last week after Ian locked him in the party boat's basement as punishment for targeting Bobby online.

But as the family gathered around for the deep chat, Peter walked into the hospital room, leaving Ian stunned.

Peter Beale in EastEnders

Peter Beale (now played by Dayle Hudson) arrived at the hospital to see his brother last week (Picture: BBC) (Image credit: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)

As he emerged through the door, a teary Ian ran up to embrace his son in a hug.

But as viewers watched the reunion, they couldn’t help but notice that Peter seemed to have grown pretty tall during his time away on the other side of the world.

One wrote, ‘Since when did Peter become a giant?!

Just because Peter went to NZ doesn’t mean he had to grow a foot taller,’ added another, while a third chipped in, ‘I still can’t get over how tall new Peter Beale is they did not think scene framing through when they cast him?

Any idea why the new Peter Beale is 7 foot tall? #Eastenders,’ asked another.

Will Ian and Peter manage to build bridges now that they're both in Walford? Only time will tell.

EastEnders airs Monday and Friday at 8pm and Tuesday and Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Caitlin Elliott

Caitlin is Junior News Editor for woman&home, covering all things celeb, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. 


Having set her sights on becoming a magazine journalist when she was a child, Caitlin took on work experience stints at local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree and has interviews with celebs, reality stars and the Archbishop of Canterbury under her belt (of course, she couldn't resist asking him about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry). After leaving uni, she dabbled in fashion PR as a Press Assistant for Topshop before becoming a part of the Now team at Future for her first real job in the world of online journalism, joining the ranks as a Digital Writer in 2019. Caitlin went on to add the likes of Woman, GoodtoKnow, WhatToWatch and woman&home to her writing repertoire before moving on to her current role. 


When she's not working you'll find Caitlin sipping bubbles at brunch with her besties, thinking about her next iced coffee, trying to close the rings on her Apple Watch, scrubbing up on her royal family knowledge or scrolling through the Zara app, trying to resist tapping 'check out' again.