BBC EastEnders confirms icon's return in new photos for bombshell family reunion

While she continues to advocate for her sister Sonia to be freed from prison, Bianca Jackson finds herself in a sticky situation when she's thrown in the reunion of a lifetime.

Bianca Jackson is set to face one of her biggest shocks as her estranged father David Wicks will be returning to Albert Square to help her.

The EastEnders favourite portrayed by Patsy Palmer returned to Albert Square this week, after finding out that her sister Sonia Fowler had been thrown in prison for the murder of Debbie Colwell.

Viewers of the long-running BBC One drama will remember that Debbie was smothered to death with a pillow by her own husband Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman), who was desperate for her life insurance money to fund Sonia's rounds of IVF.

Convinced the nurse is innocent, Bianca has taken aim at her fiancé Reiss, but when Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) grilled her over how she'd been coping with her depression, it was clear Bianca was willing to sweep it under the rug.

In recent scenes, Kat had enough of watching Bianca avoid her problems and dialled a mystery phone number before engaging in a cryptic conversation, during which she urged whoever was at the end of the line to get to Walford as soon as possible.

Coming up, Bianca continues her attempts to free Sonia from prison but these eventually backfire, landing her in trouble. However, when her estranged father David Wicks rocks up the Square, he quickly realises that she needs him now more than ever. How will she welcome him?

As mentioned, Bianca was diagnosed with depression, unbeknownst to anybody, though she hasn't done much to recover. Kat has notably urged her to get the help she needed but with Sonia behind bars and Reiss roaming free, Bianca has made it her mission to expose the accountant for who he really is.

This comes after actor Michael French was tipped to be reprising his role as David Wicks, the son of Pat Evans and Pete Beale. During his first stint in Walford, which began in 1993, David was smitten with Bianca but when his ex-girlfriend Carol Branning saw his attraction to her, she quickly informed that Bianca was his daughter.

David and Carol once dated as teenagers but things went south when Carol wound up pregnant at the age of 13, triggering tensions in Walford. Many tried to pressure Carol into having an abortion and when David left, he still had no clue if she'd gone through with it.

Though she was frosty and embarrassed when David told Bianca he was her father in 1995, the pair went on to build a strong bond. Sadly, back in May, Bianca admitted she hadn't spoken to David in years and he was last seen in the Square in 2014.

Teasing his big comeback, actor Michael spilled: "I feel honoured to be asked to reprise the role of David Wicks once again. It may only be a brief visit, but we know from his past that David never fails to create a lot of drama in a very short time."

The return forms part of the show's lead up to its 40th anniversary in February next year, while it isn't known how long he will be sticking around for. Ian Beale's half-brother is set to bring trouble with him - but what will it mean for Bianca and everybody else in Walford?

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