Brothers Return: Phil & Grant MitchellBrothers Return: Phil & Grant MitchellRoss Kemp is making a Beeb comeback alongside The Office star Ricky Gervais.

And bosses are hoping it will clear the way for a return to ailing soap EastEnders.

The 40-year-old actor, famed for his hardman roles, will appear in Gervais' new comedy Extras, reports The Sun.

And speculation is rising that he will also return to Albert Square, in which he played psycho publican Grant Mitchell before leaving six years ago.

Kemp ditched the soap to sign a lucrative deal with rival channel ITV.

But he reportedly met up with EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan last week. It is hoped Kemp is the man to turn around the soap's fortunes.

His screen mum Peggy - played by Barbara Windsor - and brother Phil (Steve McFadden) are also both to return.

BBC drama boss John Yorke, who is in charge following the departure of executive producer Kathleen Hutchinson, is said to be determined to halt the soap's slide.

He is said to have binned up to six months' worth of scripts and banned any storyline which echoes plots on rival soap Coronation Street.