Arthur Simpson-Kent will face trial in the autumn over the murder of EastEnders actress Sian Blake and her two children.
The 48-year-old hairdresser is accused of killing his 43-year-old girlfriend and their sons Zachary, eight, and four-year-old Amon between December 12 and December 16 last year.
The trio vanished on December 13 and their bodies were later found buried in the garden of the family home in Erith, south east London, on January 5.
Simpson-Kent was arrested at Heathrow Airport last week after agreeing to be extradited from Ghana.
He appeared before the Recorder of London, Nicholas Hilliard QC, at the Old Bailey via video-link from Wandsworth Prison.
Bearded Simpson-Kent wore a grey sweatshirt and spoke only to confirm his name.
The judge fixed a plea and case management hearing for May 3 ahead of a provisional trial on October 4.
No application for bail was made and the defendant was remanded in custody.
Ms Blake, who was suffering from motor neurone disease before she died, played Frankie Pierre in 56 episodes of EastEnders between 1996 and 1997.
