Star of huge EastEnders Christmas whodunit plot looks unrecognisable with grey hair and moustache 14 years after soap

WITH his greying locks, glasses and salt and pepper moustache, an EastEnders hunk looks worlds away from the days when he was at the centre of a huge festive storyline.

The actor in question was one of the suspects in the ‘Who Killed Archie Mitchell?’ whodunit, which gripped the nation during Christmas 2009.

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The EastEnders hunk, right, snapped here with his wife looks rather different from his time in the SquareCredit: Instagram

Collage of nine suspects from EastEnders around the time of Archie's death.

The murder of Archie Mitchell was just one juicy plot he was involved inCredit: Handout

Neil McDermott with a child, both holding balloon animals, at a restaurant.

Have you guessed the actor’s identity yet?Credit: Instagram

The hunky fella joined EastEnders earlier that year, where he was revealed to be the mystery half brother of a Walford favourite.

He has been involved in a gang and was fleeing the police when he turned up in Albert Square.

And the handsome chap certainly caught the eye of plenty of ladies while he was a resident of E20.

There was a fling with Ronnie Mitchell, a marriage to Janine Butcher and he also fathered the child of a Slater sister.

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Have you guessed it yet?

Yes, our mystery man is none other than actor Neil McDermott, who played Ryan Malloy in the long-running BBC soap.

Ryan was of course the estranged half sibling of Whitney Dean, and father Stacey Slater’s baby daughter Lily – the revelation of his paternity powering a plot that kept soap fans on the edge of their seat for weeks.

During his first Christmas on the Square, Ryan was one of many residents who was suspected of killing evil Archie in the pub.

As devotees of the saga will recall, Archie, played by Larry Lamb, met his maker when he was based over the head by the bust of the Queen Victoria.

Ryan was in the frame, along with several other Walford favourites, because he was in a relationship with Janine, who was Archie’s fiancee.

His background with gang violence also didn’t help his case with the police.

After weeks of red herrings, however, it was revealed during the February 2010 live episode that it was actually Stacey who killed Archie.

Her motive for committing the crime was that Archie had raped her.

When Ryan discovered Stacey’s guilt, he tried to protect her and run away with her, but in the end she fled the Square alone.

Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott)

Neil played Ryan Malloy in EastEnders, initially joining in 2009Credit: BBC

Ryan Malloy in a fake mustache and open shirt laughs with Janine Butcher.

His impressive physique caught the eye of Janine ButcherCredit: Handout