John Bardon is all set to return to BBC soap, Eastenders, despite suffering a massive stroke last June.

John plays Jim Branning in the soap, and the characters absence has also been put down to a stroke which has left him so unwell that he needs to reside in a nursing home.

Recently EastEnders executive producer Diederick Santer visited John to talk about his comeback.

A show source told The Sun: “John is doing really well and we’re overwhelmed he wants to return.

“Other people who have suffered serious strokes can be given a boost by watching John.”

John will go back to the EastEnders studios in Elstree, Herts, in the summer. It just goes to show, that you can’t keep a good dog down!