The Carter family

[alan45]

EastEnders bosses have cast Timothy West and Annette Badland as the newest additions to the Carter family.

West has landed the role of Stan, who is the father of Mick, Shirley and Tina, and Badland will play the Carters' maternal 'Aunt Babe'.


Timothy West
© PA Images / Brian O'Sullivan/EMPICS Entertainment



Annette Badland
© Rex Features / Jonathan Hordle


Billed as a retired Billingsgate fishmonger who is fighting a battle against old age, Stan has been lonely since his wife left him 30 years ago and is delighted to have his children back in his life.

However, opinionated and curmudgeonly Stan isn't all he seems, and he won't waste time in manipulating the Carter clan once he's settled into Walford.

Meanwhile, Aunt Babe is described as a "no-nonsense, bustling busybody" with a big heart. However, beneath her bubbly front is a tough, shrewd and canny woman.

She is thrilled to be back with her family, and is determined not to let Stan ruin things for them again.


Speaking of his new role, West said: "I am excited to be joining EastEnders for the first time. Stan is a wonderful character and I look forward to seeing what is going to happen to him."

Badland added: "I'm thrilled to be joining the cast of EastEnders as I've always admired the show and everyone involved in it seems so warm-hearted. Aunt Babe is a fabulous and complex woman and I can't wait to get stuck into the role."


Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said "We are reinvigorating EastEnders' older generation with the arrival of Stan and Aunt Babe, who will start to fill in some holes in the dark Carter family history.

"Tim and Annette are national institutions and such gifted, nuanced actors, bringing a real touch of Dickensian magic to the screen. It's an honour to have them join our company".

West appeared as Eric Babbage in Coronation Street earlier this year, and his previous credits also include Bedtime, Bremner, Bird & Fortune, Bleak House and Poirot. He was appointed CBE for his services to drama in 1984.

Badland, who has previously appeared in Doctor Who, Wizards vs Aliens, Cutting It and Little Voice, has also been seen in Coronation Street and Doctors.

Stan and Aunt Babe will appear in EastEnders from the end of January.

[kayuqtuq]

Blimey, Timothy West must be hard up!

[tammyy2j]

She looks like Heather

[alan45]

EastEnders' new Carter arrivals faced the media for the first time as a group this week as they attended a Christmas and New Year press event on the show's set.

As fans already know, film actor Danny Dyer has been cast in the part of Shirley Carter's brother Mick, who is moving into the Queen Vic with wife Linda (Kellie Bright), daughter Nancy (Maddy Hill) and son Johnny (Sam Strike).

Here, we reveal what Danny, Kellie, Maddy and Sam had to say as they discussed their roles and what's to come.

How does it feel to have joined EastEnders?
Danny: "It's very, very surreal. You know, when you're doing it, it's a different process to seeing it. To see yourself on the Square is a moment, it's a beautiful thing, I'm loving it."

Did you feel under pressure when you joined the show?
Kellie: "I think you put yourself under a lot of pressure, just generally as an actor. You want to come in and do the best that you can do. We've been given some really great material. That's where the pressure comes from, rather than anything outside of you."
Danny: "It's EastEnders, so of course it's pressure. Obviously the cast are already here, we're taking over The Vic and it's massive - you can't hide from it."
Kellie: "It's like hitting the ground running - like jumping on a rollercoaster that's in full motion. It doesn't slow down, it's definitely not going to stop, you just gotta jump in, get on the ride. It's amazing - everyone is very lovely and really welcoming. We're really lucky to have come in as a family."
The Carters arrive in the square.

Every cast member on the show has a mentor. Who's looking after you?
Maddy: "Mine is Jessie Wallace - Kat. That was so mental for me - she was my idea of EastEnders when I was watching it most avidly, so I was like 'whaaaaaaat!'"
Kellie: "Rita Simons (Roxy) is mine - she's fabulous and brilliant and has obviously been behind the bar here and has been a great help. More than that, it's about having someone for me, who's also a mum, who understands all that thing about being a working mum. The hours are long here and she's been really great about all of that and has been very, very helpful."
Sam: "Mine is Jamie Northwick (Jay) Jamie is very helpful - he's been accommodating and sort of gave me a call after my first meeting here to make sure I was feeling alright about everything."
Danny: "Mine is Shane Richie, but I don't see him to be honest! (Laughs.) He's lovely Shane, really lovely, but it is just more to show you around I think. When you first come here it's like being in a new school."

What can you tell us about your characters? Do you share any similarities with them?
Kellie: "Yes, there are definite similarities between me and Linda. Mick and Linda have been together since they were kids, real kids, and they've really grown up together. It's a weird thing when you've known someone your whole life - you're more than just husband and wife. You're something else. That whole relationship has been incredibly important and informative of who she is as an individual. She's the hot headed one of the two, I would say."
Danny: "She's a nightmare!"
Kellie: "I knew I would have to be careful of how I answered that! She's not a nightmare. She has a lot to cope with, she's got a big heart and she grew up in a pub."
Danny: "She's loveable."
Kellie: "She becomes friends with Sharon, who also grew up in a pub. She eats and breathes The Vic - it's her domain."

Are they good parents?
Sam: "Yeah, it's a tight family unit, definitely."
Maddy: "There are ups and downs, obviously, but it wouldn't be EastEnders if there wasn't."
Danny: "It's good coming together - it'd be a lot harder coming in on your own. We have come in, we've experienced things together. I think for me, the more you can make your character like yourself the better. There's nowhere to hide in this show - HD and all that! It's about being real I think. Even though we're acting, you can't pretend, you gotta try and get as much of yourself in there, it makes the job a bit easier."

Is Mick a nice person?
Danny: "He's just like a normal guy - loves his family, protective of them, a grafter. But there's definitely something there - just don't cross him."

We've heard that Mick will be seen in a pink dressing gown?
Danny: "He's quite in touch with his feminine side. He's got his dressing gown and keeps nicking Linda's dressing gown. We have a big row where she wants it back. It's showing a side to me that no-one has really seen before and that's why I was so interested in the role."

How would you describe the Mick and Linda relationship?
Kellie: "I'd say they're madly in love with each other, wouldn't you?"
Danny: "Passionate. Filth! Filth the pair of them! They've just got that thing, that lust between them."
Kellie: "That fire. There's fire there - there's a real fizz between them still. I think they're kind of tearing each other's heads off or tearing each other's clothes off."

Are they like Den and Angie?
Kellie: "No, I think Den and Angie were Den and Angie, and Mick and Linda are Mick and Linda."
Danny: "I've got a bit of the Butcher about me - I'm trying to bring a bit of Frank back!"

Tell us about the Carters' pet bulldog Lady Di.
Maddy: "Do you remember that first scene we did with her in the car? We were trying to pick up cues and everything but we couldn't hear anything because of the dog, who was sat in the back panting!"
Kellie: "She is a sweetheart, a real sweetheart. Everyone goes potty over her when she comes in. She's great, it's lovely to have a dog - I'm really pleased to have come in with a dog."

How did you prepare for scenes behind the bar? Did they give you any training?
Danny: "A little bit - how to pull pints and stuff. But I think it's just the general day to day stuff."
Kellie: "We all went to a pub."
Danny: "It's just keeping yourself busy in general. It's like anything - you've got to make sure you look like you live and work there. It's a stage. It's a little stage, and it's an honour because it's the hub of the show. Everyone comes in there and has their little business."

Have you worked with June Brown (Dot) yet?
Kellie: Yes, she's amazing. She's just an incredible woman. She's kind of the company royalty, she's just amazing and she's so good. You'd definitely keel over if you met June, there's no doubt about it. She's lovely and she's brilliant."
Danny: "It's harder doing it in the launderette with her, 'cause that's her little manor. When I had my scene in there I just could not get my nut round it. You're looking at her little face, and you're like 'There she is'. And she's grafting, she's 86 and she's so on it!"

Kellie, this isn't your first time in EastEnders is it?
Kellie: "It was a long time ago. I was at Michelle's and Lofty's wedding in… I think it was '86. I was 10 and I was just a little girl at the wedding. I had to ask to go to the toilet and I sort of ran up the aisle and back again. I was talking to Tish Dean about it the other day actually."

Is it true that you've been offered a role before?
Kellie: "No. I was never offered a role. I have been up for numerous roles in EastEnders - the one that I got the closest to playing was Tanya Branning. I screen tested with Jake Wood, and it was between me and Jo. It wasn't my time."

Did you go for Melanie as well?
Kellie: "Oh I might have done! You know what, there have been quite a few! I might have done, but that's going back a bit. Obviously I remember reading with Jake. When I saw Jake here for the first time here, he just went 'Welcome back'."

Danny, did you nearly take a role as well?
Danny: "They've come to me a couple of times. The last time was going to be the Carl thing. I'm so glad - it wasn't the right time for me. I think it was a good path but there was no mileage in it."

So why now?
Danny: "Well I think it's the right time in my career and like I said, its an honour to come in and do what we're doing as a family and not come in as a character on the peripheries."
Kellie: "It would have been an obvious thing for Danny to come in and play the bad guy. It's much more interesting to have Danny come in as a family man. That's what's clever about it, it's nice for all of us."
Danny: "And it's just Mick's energy and stuff. I was sold within two minutes, you know?"

Tell us a bit about Nancy and Johnny.
Maddy: "Nancy is boisterous, a little more boisterous than me. She's a total tomboy and she's pretty good at sports."
Sam: "Johnny is quite an introvert. He's open and lively around his family because he trusts them, but he's by no means a lad. Even though he's close to his mum and his dad, he's closer to his mum in the sense that he was never the football kid. It's kind of a case where they like going to see musicals together and stuff."
Kellie: "He's the youngest as well, he's my baby."


Mick and Linda also have another son, don't they?
Kellie: "We've got an older son called Lee. He's in Afghanistan. We are yet to meet Lee."

Who are your favourite landlords and landladies of The Vic?
Kellie: "Well I've always said this and I stand by it, for me, it's Angie Watts. I think she epitomised for me, what a landlady is. The great thing about Anita Dobson was she was headstrong, but she had this incredible fragility and vulnerability about her that just made you love her. That for me is just what makes her so special."
Danny: "Frank Butcher, all day long. I loved everything about him, I loved the fact that he was a real east Londoner. He was a great actor, he was so funny, he just had a real great presence about him. Behind the bar, you believed it, and he had that warmth, so he was the one for me. I should say Den but it was always a bit of Frank really."

Apparently the Carters will be hosting a New Year's Eve Party…
Danny: "Well we've been told it's one of the best ever New Years Eve episodes. It's up there, you know. It was early days for us as well, very early days. We were making our mark and stuff. We were in straight in the deep end, with all the characters. We're entertaining them and it's a really strong episode - you're gonna love it."
Kellie: "It was great fun to film actually, it was good. We met a lot of people, you've got a lot of people in the pub, all the cast members. It's like being thrown in and the deep end, but it's good, it's really good."

How do you feel about Timothy West playing Mick's father Stan?
Danny: "He's a great actor - it's exciting. Also Annette Badland is playing Aunt Babe."
Kellie: "I'll also just say a little bit about Linda Henry and Luisa Bradshaw, who are also Carters. They have been so brilliant to work with. Linda obviously has been here quite a long time and she's just been the best to have around, she's so good."
Danny: "And Luisa, they're great."

Was it difficult to keep the roles secret before the announcement?
Danny: "We had to get it out; we had to do this press shot. The driver came to pick me up - she didn't have a clue who I was, she thought she was picking up Rylan… so not a good start to the day! (Laughs.) We got closer to the studio and then she said, 'Put your head down, we've got to tuck this blanket over you'. This was about three months ago. It was the first time I met Kellie as well. I bought the old woman with me, to keep her sweet, and I brought my little girl to show her around. Then we met and we sort of clicked."

Are you all going to be watching on Christmas Day?
Kellie: "Of course, I'm not in the Christmas Day episode - Danny is."
Danny: "I was thinking of watching a bit of Downton! (Laughs.) No, I'll be all over it!"
Kellie: You get to see Linda already next Thursday, the 19th, when Shirley and Tina come to our pub looking for Mick - but he's not there and I am. You get to see a little bit of me, and then he turns up on Christmas Day and then we all turn up on Boxing Day."
Danny: "It's a great entrance, a great entrance I tell you."

There's also some bad feeling in the family…
Kellie: "Linda and Shirley don't see eye-to-eye. It's brilliant to play."
Danny: "I'm constantly in the middle of it - they're constantly at each other's throats."

Are you excited or nervous about people seeing the new episodes?
Maddy: "All of it!"
Danny: "I think we've done our job - we're happy with what we've done. We've shot about 30 episodes, haven't we? So that's been intense, I'll tell you that now. We're at Valentine's Day now, so it's been a bit crazy for us. We've had our roast and Christmas. Now we have a real Christmas. It's very exciting to see what sort of reaction we're going to get, as actors we can't be any happier with what we've done."
Kellie: "Yeah exactly, you can only do what you can do. I just think everyone, not just us, is working really, really hard to make this show brilliant, and every day is like that and that's all you can do."

[alan45]

EastEnders' new Carter arrivals faced the media for the first time as a group this week as they attended a Christmas and New Year press event on the show's set.

As fans already know, film actor Danny Dyer has been cast in the part of Shirley Carter's brother Mick, who is moving into the Queen Vic with wife Linda (Kellie Bright), daughter Nancy (Maddy Hill) and son Johnny (Sam Strike).

Here, we reveal what Danny, Kellie, Maddy and Sam had to say as they discussed their roles and what's to come.

How does it feel to have joined EastEnders?
Danny: "It's very, very surreal. You know, when you're doing it, it's a different process to seeing it. To see yourself on the Square is a moment, it's a beautiful thing, I'm loving it."

Did you feel under pressure when you joined the show?
Kellie: "I think you put yourself under a lot of pressure, just generally as an actor. You want to come in and do the best that you can do. We've been given some really great material. That's where the pressure comes from, rather than anything outside of you."
Danny: "It's EastEnders, so of course it's pressure. Obviously the cast are already here, we're taking over The Vic and it's massive - you can't hide from it."
Kellie: "It's like hitting the ground running - like jumping on a rollercoaster that's in full motion. It doesn't slow down, it's definitely not going to stop, you just gotta jump in, get on the ride. It's amazing - everyone is very lovely and really welcoming. We're really lucky to have come in as a family."
The Carters arrive in the square.

Every cast member on the show has a mentor. Who's looking after you?
Maddy: "Mine is Jessie Wallace - Kat. That was so mental for me - she was my idea of EastEnders when I was watching it most avidly, so I was like 'whaaaaaaat!'"
Kellie: "Rita Simons (Roxy) is mine - she's fabulous and brilliant and has obviously been behind the bar here and has been a great help. More than that, it's about having someone for me, who's also a mum, who understands all that thing about being a working mum. The hours are long here and she's been really great about all of that and has been very, very helpful."
Sam: "Mine is Jamie Northwick (Jay) Jamie is very helpful - he's been accommodating and sort of gave me a call after my first meeting here to make sure I was feeling alright about everything."
Danny: "Mine is Shane Richie, but I don't see him to be honest! (Laughs.) He's lovely Shane, really lovely, but it is just more to show you around I think. When you first come here it's like being in a new school."

What can you tell us about your characters? Do you share any similarities with them?
Kellie: "Yes, there are definite similarities between me and Linda. Mick and Linda have been together since they were kids, real kids, and they've really grown up together. It's a weird thing when you've known someone your whole life - you're more than just husband and wife. You're something else. That whole relationship has been incredibly important and informative of who she is as an individual. She's the hot headed one of the two, I would say."
Danny: "She's a nightmare!"
Kellie: "I knew I would have to be careful of how I answered that! She's not a nightmare. She has a lot to cope with, she's got a big heart and she grew up in a pub."
Danny: "She's loveable."
Kellie: "She becomes friends with Sharon, who also grew up in a pub. She eats and breathes The Vic - it's her domain."

Are they good parents?
Sam: "Yeah, it's a tight family unit, definitely."
Maddy: "There are ups and downs, obviously, but it wouldn't be EastEnders if there wasn't."
Danny: "It's good coming together - it'd be a lot harder coming in on your own. We have come in, we've experienced things together. I think for me, the more you can make your character like yourself the better. There's nowhere to hide in this show - HD and all that! It's about being real I think. Even though we're acting, you can't pretend, you gotta try and get as much of yourself in there, it makes the job a bit easier."

Is Mick a nice person?
Danny: "He's just like a normal guy - loves his family, protective of them, a grafter. But there's definitely something there - just don't cross him."

We've heard that Mick will be seen in a pink dressing gown?
Danny: "He's quite in touch with his feminine side. He's got his dressing gown and keeps nicking Linda's dressing gown. We have a big row where she wants it back. It's showing a side to me that no-one has really seen before and that's why I was so interested in the role."

How would you describe the Mick and Linda relationship?
Kellie: "I'd say they're madly in love with each other, wouldn't you?"
Danny: "Passionate. Filth! Filth the pair of them! They've just got that thing, that lust between them."
Kellie: "That fire. There's fire there - there's a real fizz between them still. I think they're kind of tearing each other's heads off or tearing each other's clothes off."

Are they like Den and Angie?
Kellie: "No, I think Den and Angie were Den and Angie, and Mick and Linda are Mick and Linda."
Danny: "I've got a bit of the Butcher about me - I'm trying to bring a bit of Frank back!"

Tell us about the Carters' pet bulldog Lady Di.
Maddy: "Do you remember that first scene we did with her in the car? We were trying to pick up cues and everything but we couldn't hear anything because of the dog, who was sat in the back panting!"
Kellie: "She is a sweetheart, a real sweetheart. Everyone goes potty over her when she comes in. She's great, it's lovely to have a dog - I'm really pleased to have come in with a dog."

How did you prepare for scenes behind the bar? Did they give you any training?
Danny: "A little bit - how to pull pints and stuff. But I think it's just the general day to day stuff."
Kellie: "We all went to a pub."
Danny: "It's just keeping yourself busy in general. It's like anything - you've got to make sure you look like you live and work there. It's a stage. It's a little stage, and it's an honour because it's the hub of the show. Everyone comes in there and has their little business."

Have you worked with June Brown (Dot) yet?
Kellie: Yes, she's amazing. She's just an incredible woman. She's kind of the company royalty, she's just amazing and she's so good. You'd definitely keel over if you met June, there's no doubt about it. She's lovely and she's brilliant."
Danny: "It's harder doing it in the launderette with her, 'cause that's her little manor. When I had my scene in there I just could not get my nut round it. You're looking at her little face, and you're like 'There she is'. And she's grafting, she's 86 and she's so on it!"

Kellie, this isn't your first time in EastEnders is it?
Kellie: "It was a long time ago. I was at Michelle's and Lofty's wedding in… I think it was '86. I was 10 and I was just a little girl at the wedding. I had to ask to go to the toilet and I sort of ran up the aisle and back again. I was talking to Tish Dean about it the other day actually."

Is it true that you've been offered a role before?
Kellie: "No. I was never offered a role. I have been up for numerous roles in EastEnders - the one that I got the closest to playing was Tanya Branning. I screen tested with Jake Wood, and it was between me and Jo. It wasn't my time."

Did you go for Melanie as well?
Kellie: "Oh I might have done! You know what, there have been quite a few! I might have done, but that's going back a bit. Obviously I remember reading with Jake. When I saw Jake here for the first time here, he just went 'Welcome back'."

Danny, did you nearly take a role as well?
Danny: "They've come to me a couple of times. The last time was going to be the Carl thing. I'm so glad - it wasn't the right time for me. I think it was a good path but there was no mileage in it."

So why now?
Danny: "Well I think it's the right time in my career and like I said, its an honour to come in and do what we're doing as a family and not come in as a character on the peripheries."
Kellie: "It would have been an obvious thing for Danny to come in and play the bad guy. It's much more interesting to have Danny come in as a family man. That's what's clever about it, it's nice for all of us."
Danny: "And it's just Mick's energy and stuff. I was sold within two minutes, you know?"

Tell us a bit about Nancy and Johnny.
Maddy: "Nancy is boisterous, a little more boisterous than me. She's a total tomboy and she's pretty good at sports."
Sam: "Johnny is quite an introvert. He's open and lively around his family because he trusts them, but he's by no means a lad. Even though he's close to his mum and his dad, he's closer to his mum in the sense that he was never the football kid. It's kind of a case where they like going to see musicals together and stuff."
Kellie: "He's the youngest as well, he's my baby."


Mick and Linda also have another son, don't they?
Kellie: "We've got an older son called Lee. He's in Afghanistan. We are yet to meet Lee."

Who are your favourite landlords and landladies of The Vic?
Kellie: "Well I've always said this and I stand by it, for me, it's Angie Watts. I think she epitomised for me, what a landlady is. The great thing about Anita Dobson was she was headstrong, but she had this incredible fragility and vulnerability about her that just made you love her. That for me is just what makes her so special."
Danny: "Frank Butcher, all day long. I loved everything about him, I loved the fact that he was a real east Londoner. He was a great actor, he was so funny, he just had a real great presence about him. Behind the bar, you believed it, and he had that warmth, so he was the one for me. I should say Den but it was always a bit of Frank really."

Apparently the Carters will be hosting a New Year's Eve Party…
Danny: "Well we've been told it's one of the best ever New Years Eve episodes. It's up there, you know. It was early days for us as well, very early days. We were making our mark and stuff. We were in straight in the deep end, with all the characters. We're entertaining them and it's a really strong episode - you're gonna love it."
Kellie: "It was great fun to film actually, it was good. We met a lot of people, you've got a lot of people in the pub, all the cast members. It's like being thrown in and the deep end, but it's good, it's really good."

How do you feel about Timothy West playing Mick's father Stan?
Danny: "He's a great actor - it's exciting. Also Annette Badland is playing Aunt Babe."
Kellie: "I'll also just say a little bit about Linda Henry and Luisa Bradshaw, who are also Carters. They have been so brilliant to work with. Linda obviously has been here quite a long time and she's just been the best to have around, she's so good."
Danny: "And Luisa, they're great."

Was it difficult to keep the roles secret before the announcement?
Danny: "We had to get it out; we had to do this press shot. The driver came to pick me up - she didn't have a clue who I was, she thought she was picking up Rylan… so not a good start to the day! (Laughs.) We got closer to the studio and then she said, 'Put your head down, we've got to tuck this blanket over you'. This was about three months ago. It was the first time I met Kellie as well. I bought the old woman with me, to keep her sweet, and I brought my little girl to show her around. Then we met and we sort of clicked."

Are you all going to be watching on Christmas Day?
Kellie: "Of course, I'm not in the Christmas Day episode - Danny is."
Danny: "I was thinking of watching a bit of Downton! (Laughs.) No, I'll be all over it!"
Kellie: You get to see Linda already next Thursday, the 19th, when Shirley and Tina come to our pub looking for Mick - but he's not there and I am. You get to see a little bit of me, and then he turns up on Christmas Day and then we all turn up on Boxing Day."
Danny: "It's a great entrance, a great entrance I tell you."

There's also some bad feeling in the family…
Kellie: "Linda and Shirley don't see eye-to-eye. It's brilliant to play."
Danny: "I'm constantly in the middle of it - they're constantly at each other's throats."

Are you excited or nervous about people seeing the new episodes?
Maddy: "All of it!"
Danny: "I think we've done our job - we're happy with what we've done. We've shot about 30 episodes, haven't we? So that's been intense, I'll tell you that now. We're at Valentine's Day now, so it's been a bit crazy for us. We've had our roast and Christmas. Now we have a real Christmas. It's very exciting to see what sort of reaction we're going to get, as actors we can't be any happier with what we've done."
Kellie: "Yeah exactly, you can only do what you can do. I just think everyone, not just us, is working really, really hard to make this show brilliant, and every day is like that and that's all you can do."

[Perdita]

EastEnders airs Timothy West's first scenes next week as he is introduced as Stan Carter, the father of Shirley, Mick and Tina.

Stan is approached by the Carters for help dealing with some financial problems, but he refuses to hand over the cash unless Shirley (Linda Henry) is the one who makes the request.

When Shirley swallows her pride and asks Stan despite their long-standing feud, he gives away the money as promised. However, he also starts to manipulatively talk about family, and his words leave Shirley rattled…

Here, Timothy reveals his take on Stan's behaviour in a quick chat.

What kind of a man is Stan?
"I think he is quite tough. He lives on his own, he doesn't go out much, hasn't got many friends and I think he is a bit lonely. He would probably argue that he is perfectly happy being self-sufficient, but I think he is a bit lonely and is a bit concerned that as he gets older he doesn't have many people around him."

How does Stan feel when he finds out that his children are all living together at The Vic? Is he happy, or does he feel left out and a bit jealous about it?
"I think both, actually. He likes the idea of the family being together and is glad they are, but doesn't want to be left out and frankly wants to be in control - that's his game."

What is Stan's relationship with his children like?
"He had a very stormy relationship with their mother. He has clearly kept in touch with Tina, so they have the best relationship out of the lot of them.

"Mick and Stan give each other a wide berth, although Stan is delighted to see him. There is also a lot of tension between Stan and Shirley, he is very wary of her. We'll have to see what happens there…"

Why does Stan give Shirley the money?
"He's got the money to spare and I think he wants to see them all together in the pub. If they're in the pub he can drop in and use it as a way to get himself back in to their lives. Also giving someone money gives you a certain hold over them, a control, which is what Stan wants."

Shirley arrives to see Stan
© BBC
Shirley arrives to see Stan

Shirley and Stan have a long-standing feud
© BBC
Shirley and Stan have a long-standing feud

[Perdita]

EastEnders' executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins has confirmed plans to introduce more members of the Carter family.

The show's boss is hoping to expand on the success of the popular clan, who took over at the Queen Vic last Christmas.

Treadwell-Collins told The Sun's TV Magazine: "The Carters were a risk and I had a lot of sleepless nights about bringing them in. EastEnders is symbolised by The Vic - it's the main stage and it needs to have life, colour and noise.

"There are more Carters to come. I've made sure there's room for them, and some who have been referred to on screen, we could bring in."

Discussing some of his other future plans, Treadwell-Collins promised "a lot of twists and turns to come with the Charlie Cotton story".

He also revealed that Lucy Beale's funeral week, which begins on Monday, will feature a massive shock for the audience.

"Don't miss Lucy's funeral this week," Treadwell-Collins said. "There will be revelations and a massive twist - not necessarily regarding that storyline."

EastEnders continues on Monday (May 19) at 8pm on BBC One.

[kayuqtuq]

I can do without more Carters, thank you. There are enough of them already.

[Dazzle]

I can do without more Carters, thank you. There are enough of them already.

I agree. I think they're great and am really enjoying their storylines, but you can have too much of a good thing. Look at what happened to the Brannings.

[tammyy2j]

I think Mama Carter is the most likely the next Carter to come into the show and hope that will be it as too many will be overkill for the show