EastEnders fans were treated to a touch of star power during Wednesday’s episode, as a beloved Premier League star made a surprise appearance as part of Billy Mitchell’s stag party.

As part of the soap’s 40th Anniversary celebrations, West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen recorded a special video message for Billy, a lifelong Hammers fan.

Billy (played by Perry Fenwick) is set to tie the knot with longtime love Honey next week, and in the episode, viewers saw the groom watch the message from Jarrod, who offered his best wishes for the couple ahead of their big day.

He said: ‘Hi Jarrod Bowen here. Teddy told us you’re about to tie the knot and I just wanted to say a mᴀssive congratulations, and good luck from myself and all of us at West Ham.

‘Enjoy your special day. Hopefully see you at the London Stadium soon.’

As Honey asked her fiancé: ‘Who is it then?’ Billy replied: ‘It’s Jarrod Bowen!’ 

EastEnders fans were treated to a touch of star power during Wednesday’s episode, as a beloved Premier League star made a surprise appearance as part of Billy Mitchell’s stag party

The cameo came as a surprise to some viewers, who shared their delight over Jarrod’s appearance on X.

Albert Square shares its famous E20 postcode with the home of West Ham United, the London Stadium, and the long-running drama has seen no shortage of West Ham supporting characters.

The West Ham attacker’s appearance in the show is also somewhat of family affair with future father-in-law Danny Dyer and fiancé Dani Dyer both appearing in the programme. 

Danny spent nine years as Mick Carte’ the landlord of the famous Queen Vic pub, whilst Dani appeared in one episode back in June 2021, as a taxi driver named Jeanette. 

This is in addition to former Club manager and much-loved member of the West Ham Family, Harry Redknapp, who has also made a guest appearance in the show.

Speaking on his appearance on the show, Jarrod said: ‘It’s great to be part of the EastEnders 40th anniversary celebrations and appear on the show. 

‘EastEnders is loved by so many people and obviously has a strong link to the east London community, so to represent West Ham United in this very special episode is a really nice moment for everyone connected with the club.’

Chris Clenshaw, Executive Producer EastEnders said ‘We’re thrilled that Jarrod agreed to take part in our special celebrations as we lead up to our 40th anniversary.

As part of the soap’s 40th Anniversary celebrations, West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen recorded a special video message for Billy, a lifelong Hammers fan

The cameo came as a surprise to some viewers, who shared their delight over Jarrod’s appearance on X

The West Ham attacker’s appearance in the show is also somewhat of family affair with future father-in-law Danny Dyer and fiancé Dani Dyer both appearing in the programme

‘EastEnders has many dedicated West Ham fans, both on and off screen, so it’s a real honour that we can now say we have had the West Ham captain and England international appear in the show.’

EastEnders will celebrate its momentous 40th anniversary next week, starting from Monday 17th February with all episodes will drop simultaneously on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7:30pm. 

A special hour-long episode will air on the show’s anniversary (Wednesday 19 February), followed by a full live episode on Thursday 20 February, which will not only reveal who Denise chooses, but will conclude an explosive week of drama in Walford.

As part of the soap’s anniversary celebrations, the BBC have also confirmed that none of next week’s episodes will be available to view on iPlayer before they hit screens in the evening.

Usually, BBC iPlayer uploads the episodes at 6am on the day they’re set to hit screens, but next week’s anniversary specials will only be available after they have aired on BBC One. 

Shocking EastEnders pictures have teased that the Queen Vic will be going up in flames – and potentially taking one character down with it.

Dramatic new promotional sH๏τs show the iconic pub burst into flames and one cast member lying down on the ground in the rubble.

A show insider told The Mirror: ‘The Queen Vic explodes as part of the show’s red H๏τ storyline in the coming days.

‘It comes after a car smashes into the pub and is sure to cause chaos and might mean the end of the road for at least one star.’

The new teaser sH๏τs showcase the huge explosion taking place, and have left fans worried about who could be on the chopping block.

EastEnders will celebrate its momentous 40th anniversary next week, with a devastating explosion set to rock the Queen Vic

Previous pictures from the £87million set reveal Albert Square as viewers have never seen it before – with the windows of the Queen Vic blown out and the surrounding streets strewn with rubble.

The sensational storyline, designed to entice audiences back to the BBC’s flagship show after a steady decline, sees an explosion rip through the fictional pub, whose landladies have included Peggy Mitchell – played by the late Dame Barbara Windsor – and Anita Dobson’s Angie Watts.

There is even what appears to be blood on the pavement, raising fears that some of the show’s best-loved characters could be at risk.

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An industry insider said producers are ‘pulling out all the stops’ for the anniversary special, which will air next week.

It is hoped the show will go down in history alongside other memorable episodes.

Ratings winners over the years include the revelation that Lucy Beale was killed by her brother Bobby to mark the show’s 30th anniversary.

As well as the Christmas Day episode in 1986 which saw ‘Dirty’ Den serve his wife, Angie, with divorce papers rather than a turkey (watched by a record 30million people), and Kat Slater’s 2001 bombshell when she revealed to her ‘sister’ Zoe that she was, in fact, her mother. 

Soap bosses have also surprised fans with a new spin-off show which Walford legend Ross Kemp will host for the soap’s 40th anniversary. 

EastEnders: 40 Years on The Square, a documentary that tracks iconic moments from the show over the years, will see a string of iconic stars return to screens.