Who is BBC EastEnders icon Bert Atkinson star Dave Hill as he makes surprise return
After leaving Alber Square many years ago, actor Dave Hill has reprised his role as Bert Atkinson in EastEnders. aily Star has taken a look into his return and why he's back
EastEnders Jay Brown was recently left heartbroken after he discovered that Jase Dyer was not his biological father.
In a nail-biting episode, which featured only Jay and Phil Mitchell, the east-end hardman revealed that he had murdered Jay’s real father in a car lot fire years prior. With Jay left feeling gutted in recent episodes, fans have called for Jay’s grandad Bert Atkinson to return to the soap to provide his grandson with the answers he desperately needs.
And on Monday (October 23) fans were in luck when Bert returned to Albert Square. But will he be able to provide Jay with further insight into his past?
Since his epic return to the BBC soap, Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside actor Dave Hill’s life while trying to determine the reason why he’s back.
Who is actor Dave Hill?
British actor Dave Hill was born in Skipton, West Riding of Yorkshire, where he attended Ermysted’s Grammar School for boys. He has appeared in a number of TV shows including The Full Monty as well as many other TV series such as Holby City, Doc Martin and Porridge.
The actor may be more familiar to audiences playing the role of Bert in EastEnders from 2006 to 2007. Bert was described as “brash, witty and refreshingly honest, with the ability to be both charming and offensive at the same time. He is always up for a laugh and is a great story-teller. Bert won’t take any nonsense from anybody.”
When he first appeared on the show, Bert was a friend of Joe Macer – Pauline Fowler’s second husband. He is also the father of Jay’s mother who sadly passed away when Jay was younger.
Why did Bert leave Albert Square?
Bert decided to leave Albert Square after Jay’s ‘dad’ Jase Dyer returned to the scene. After a very hostile reception between the two men, Bert allowed Jay to become acquainted with his father.
After witnessing Jay and Jase bond and being assured that Jay was well looked after, Bert packed his bags and left Walford for good. But unbeknownst to Bert, Jay was in trouble.
Why is Bert back?
After a very long half hour of Phil trying his best to explain that Jay’s dad was the homeless fella he accidentally killed in 1994, the long-serving character later got on the phone with an unknown person and admitted to lying about the story. But with Jay still not sure what’s going on, the coming episodes will continue to explore the repercussions of Phil’s baffling fibs.
With Jay in such a bad way, it makes sense that Bert would be reintroduced himself. This will provide Jay with some much-needed support.
However, will Bert be able to fill in the missing gaps in Jay’s life? Viewers will have to wait and see.
Dave’s time on EastEnders
Although he was only in EastEnders for a little over a year, Dave’s character Bert certainly left his mark on the residents. After taking an instant liking to Mo Harris, the pair enjoyed a fiery romance until Bert cheated on her with market trader Ina. Bert later reignited his flame with Mo, but he cut ties with her once and for all in order to focus on his dying ex-wife Evie.
Bert’s other big storylines included his troublesome antics with lifelong friend Joe, looking after Jay when he moved to Walford, and suffering from a serious eye condition called glaucoma which almost saw him blind.
