EastEnders teen Joel Marshall returns to Walford with new look

Joel Marshall, the troubled teenager from the BBC soap EastEnders, is back on Albert Square after serving a six‑month sentence in a Youth Offender Institution for assault, voyeurism and distributing indecent images. The character, played by Max Murray, has swapped his signature long “curtains” hairstyle for a closely‑cropped buzz cut.

His return is accompanied by his mother Cleo, who tells Vicki Fowler, Ross Marshall and Sharon Watts that she opposes Joel living with her. The confrontation leads Vicki to flee to a café and confide her worries to Sharon, while other residents such as Avani and Amy Mitchell react to the situation.