Actor Darren Jefferies, who played the village favourite from 1997 to 2008, confirmed earlier today that he is coming back to the soap after eight years away.
Opening up about his return, he said: “Now that I’m back, I’m most looking forward to working with Ellis [Hollins] – who plays Tom obviously.
“We’ve kept in touch over the years and we see each other quite often but the fact that I’m going to be working with him is really quite exciting.”
Darren went on to admit that it would be weird for OB to be back in the village without his best pal Max Cunningham.
The character died in 2008 after saving Tom’s life by pushing him out of the way of a speeding car.
OB was distraught after his best friend passed away in his arms and he decided to leave the village for good afterwards.
“Being back without Max will be strange for OB,” added Darren. “But his death gave OB a new perspective on life. I think he’s got more of a seize the day kind of attitude now.”
In a bid to drill up even more excitement about OB’s return to the show, producers posted a sneak peak video of actor Darren back on set.
The short clip features him wondering around the village, pointing out what has changed since he left.
His first stop on the mini tour is Price Slice – the local corner shop.
“Now, it looks quite classy, it’s quite upmarket – I can even see a bottle of olive oil,” he laughs. “The village has really gone upmarket since I left – is that a coincidence?”
