On leaving "EastEnders" in 2002, Ryder, then aged 21, performed as Justin Timberlake on "Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes" (which he won), appeared in the pantomime "Sleeping Beauty" at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and was cast in a recurring role on Five's "Family Affairs" which he pulled out of when he learned that the series was soon to be axed. In 2004, he played a role in the ITV crime drama "" and appeared in a play broadcast on BBC Radio 4.