EastEnders will be waving goodbye to a sixth version of Peter Beale when Ben Hardy leaves the soap at the end of his current contract.

Ben has played Peter since 2013 and is the sixth actor to take on the role of Ian Beale’s (Adam Woodyatt) son, but the BBC One programme has confirmed that he will leave once his contract is up, according to the Radio Times.

Ben Hardy as Peter Beale
Ben Hardy as Peter Beale (BBC)

Since joining the soap, Ben’s storylines as Peter have included grieving for twin sister Lucy (Hetti Bywater) after her murder earlier this year, and getting together with close friend Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).

Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt)
Ben plays Ian Beale’s (Adam Woodyatt’s) son

It hasn’t yet been revealed what the 23-year-old’s exit storyline will be or when exactly he will bow out of Walford.

Recently, there has been speculation that Ben is being considered to play a young version of Cyclops in X-Men: Apocalypse, which is being cast now for a 2016 release.

Last week it was announced that Sam Strike, who plays Danny Dyer’s character’s son Johnny Carter and had a well-received coming out storyline earlier in the year, will also be leaving the soap.