Why did Martin leave EastEnders? James Bye had to beg producers to let him tell one co-star first
Martin Fowler was the first baby ever born on EastEnders, arriving in Walford on 30 July 1985 — so when the soap killed him off in its live 40th-anniversary episode in February 2025, it cut one of the show's deepest roots.
James Bye, the third actor to play Martin and the face of the role since 2014, had been in more than 1,000 episodes.
So why go? And what did he have to fight the bosses over first?
Why he decided to leave
The decision came from Bye himself. In his farewell statement, he explained that after ten years in the role, and with the show's epic 40th anniversary on the horizon, "the time felt right" — and that leaving on a storyline of that magnitude was an honour. Executive producer Chris Clenshaw called his live performance "nothing short of outstanding" and said Bye would always remain part of the EastEnders family.
"This fruit and veg man will always hold a special place in my heart," Bye said in his exit statement.
The one co-star he insisted on telling himself
The exit was kept under strict secrecy — but Bye drew one line. Speaking on The One Show in one of his first interviews after the episode aired, he revealed he'd told soap executives that he wanted to be the one to break the news to Lacey Turner, who plays Stacey Slater and whom he calls his best friend. Given how Martin's final scenes played out, it's easy to see why.
How Martin died
In the live episode, The Queen Vic exploded with several residents inside. Martin went into the wreckage to save Stacey, was crushed under a fallen beam, and used his final moments to finally declare his love and propose to her — before dying of cardiac arrest in her arms as paramedics tried to save him.
Turner later paid tribute on social media, thanking Bye for holding her hand "on and off screen" for ten years and calling him her best mate and partner in crime.
What happened after
Martin's death rippled across Albert Square for months:
- Bex came home — Jasmine Armfield returned as Martin's daughter for the funeral, her first appearance since 2020.
- The stall burned — grieving daughter Lily torched Martin's fruit and veg stall.
- Then it reopened — Ian Beale relaunched it as a legacy for Martin's kids, with Peter Beale working the first shift.
- The anniversary was marked — the soap revisited Martin's death in February 2026, one year on.