Ciara Maguire (Denise McCormack)

[Perdita]

EastEnders bosses have brought in a new mystery character as part of Aidan Maguire's backstory.

Actress Denise McCormack has been cast in the role of Ciara Maguire, who made her first appearance in Tuesday night's hour-long episode (January 2).

Ciara is the ex-wife of Aidan, and seems to be just as involved in the criminal world as he is.

The no-nonsense newcomer has been pulling the strings of the men who were driving the van that Aidan targeted on New Year's Day.


Ciara Maguire in EastEnders
© BBC

Thanks to Aidan's shambolic-yet-successful heist, Ciara is now seriously out of pocket and wants her money back – already suspecting that he and Phil Mitchell are both involved.

What's more, it's been heavily hinted that Ciara could have a connection to Melanie Owen, who's returning to the Square imminently.

Making a phone call to an unknown person, Ciara instructed: "Pack a bag. Looks like you're coming back to your old haunt, love."

Surely Ciara could only have been talking to Mel, who's heading back to Walford with a "dark" new direction next week?

If all of the excitement surrounding Ciara wasn't enough, EastEnders' latest episode also revealed another secret motive behind Aidan's job – revenge against Vincent Hubbard.

In 2010, Vincent turned in three of his accomplices in a drugs ring for a reduced sentence. One of those men was Aidan's brother Connor, who later took his own life in jail.

Vincent narrowly escaped being killed by Aidan when he offered to sell The Albert and give him the proceeds, wanting to make up for the past. We wonder how he'll explain that one to Kim...


Digital Spy

[mysangry]

I sat watching this sorry episode last night wondering what on earth I was actually watching

I thought Joan Rivers had arrived on the square to do a comic stint
What on earth was going on in the square, you lost me this time

Aidan has eyes in the back of his head, his "wife" turns up and sends the detectives packing
Then she has a rendezvous in the undertakers with her "husband" and did she really make an in appropriate remark over the deceased in the coffin?

WEll I think EE has taken the "mickey" well and truly with this storyline and I don't mean Mick:

Please get rid of this lot quick, send them to REdwater fast:moonie

[lizann]

denise and patrick both are from red rock soap

[parkerman]

Aidan has eyes in the back of his head, his "wife" turns up and sends the detectives packing

Yes, absolute nonsense. A gun shot is reported, three people are tied up in the back of a van, two people, Phil and Vincent - both already known to the police as unsavoury characters, are acting very suspiciously, there is blood outside the Queen Vic. Along comes a known criminal or criminal associate and tells the police nothing's happened, so they pack up and go away. Please!!!!!!!

[Perdita]

EastEnders newcomer Denise McCormack has hinted that she won't be staying in Walford long-term.

The BBC soap introduced the Irish actress as Aidan Maguire's ex-wife Ciara last week as part of the ongoing heist plot.

Fans may have recognised Denise prior to her Albert Square debut as she played the equally no-nonsense role of Bridget Kiely in Irish serial drama Red Rock for four series. She also starred in Irish drama Love/Hate.

But despite her dramatic entrance in EastEnders, it doesn't look like Ciara will be sticking around for that long as Denise has a Hollywood film role lined up.

"I have just been cast in a film," she told RTE. "It's an MK1 production who did Young Offenders and MarVista in LA.

"It's a Christmas movie for the American market that is being filmed in Ireland. I've got a nice role in it. That starts filming in February."

However, Denise was full of praise for EastEnders as she revealed how grateful she is to have been given the opportunity to work on the show.

She said: "It's an amazing set, everything is real. The cobblestones are real, nothing is wonky as some soaps can be. You do have to pinch yourself and think, 'This is great!"


Digital Spy

[tammyy2j]

The "heist" is stupid