Christian Clarke is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by John Partridge. He first appeared in the show's 3,509th episode, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2008, and was introduced as the brother of established character Jane Beale (Laurie Brett). He was introduced as a new homosexual character for the show, following the popularity of Coronation Street's Sean Tully (Antony Cotton). Christian and Partridge's casting were announced on 20 November 2007. Christian's storylines have mostly revolved around his relationship with Syed Masood (Marc Elliott), but his other storylines have included a friendship with Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) and being involved in the coming out storylines of Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe). On 17 September 2012, it was announced that Partridge would be leaving his role, following Elliott's decision to leave the show. They left together in the 4,532nd episode, originally broadcast on 15 November 2012. Partridge returned to the show for two episodes in May 2014 which saw Christian attend the funeral of Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater). Christian appeared in two episodes on 19 and 20 May 2014. In January 2015, it was confirmed that Partridge would be returning for the show's 30th anniversary celebrations in February 2015. Partridge appeared in four episodes between 17 and 20 February 2015, including a fully live episode, which saw Christian attend Jane's wedding to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). On 8 April 2016, it was reported that Partridge would reprise the role again in "early summer" 2016. Christian returned on 26 May 2016 and departed again on 30 May.