EastEnders star Sid Owen returns to Walford after a decade

Owen starred as mechanic Ricky Butcher from 1988 until 2000

EastEnders star Sid Owen is set to return to Walford after a decade away.

The 50-year-old actor is best known for his role as mechanic Ricky Butcher – married to Patsy Palmer’s Bianca – on the long-running BBC series.

He starred as Butcher from 1988 until 2000, after which he made occasional appearances on screen up until 2012.

Owen told Digital Spy that he is “delighted” to be reprising the role.

Speaking about his return to the soap, the actor said: “I’m delighted to be back at EastEnders. I can’t wait to see what Ricky Butcher has been up to these past few years and how he’s going to react to seeing some familiar faces including old flames.”

He continued: “I’m excited to see the drama unfold.”

Chris Clenshaw, executive producer of EastEnders, added: “Sid helped to create such an iconic character in Ricky who became so synonymous with the show and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back for a while.

“Ricky has so much history in the Square to explore and while a lot of time has passed since we last saw him, it’s fair to say wherever Ricky goes, he always finds himself slap-bang in the middle of mayhem.”

Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer in 2008 (Alamy/PA)

The sister of Owen’s character – Janine Butcher, played by Charlie Brooks – also recently returned to the series.

Brooks reprised her role as Janine last year after exiting the series in March 2014.

News of Owen’s return follows after fan-favourite star Rose Ayling-Ellis, who won Strictly last year, announced that she had filmed her final scenes and would be exiting the programme.