Jean Slater (Gillian Wright)

[Perdita]

Depends on how much screen time there is for him; lets think positive and give romance a chance... just for a change

[tammyy2j]

Jean deserves a happy ending

[Perdita]

EastEnders actress Gillian Wright is to star in a new play.

The actress - Jean Slater in the soap - will star in Steven Berkoff's Religion and Anarchy, which runs at Jermyn Street Theatre, London from September 24 to October 26.

Anthony Barclay, Lucy Hollis, Tom Lincoln and Clive Mendus are also set to be in the play. It is one of a season of short plays by writer, director and actor Berkoff.

They each centre around the theme of anti-Semitism that the dramatist believes still prevails within Britain.

Wright's last scenes on EastEnders will be aired in October. She is quitting the show after eight years as madcap character Jean.

She said at the time: "It has been a huge privilege to play Jean Slater these last eight years.

"I treasure the viewers' care and love for the character not only through her hard times but through all the laughter too.

"I will miss EastEnders enormously, but it is time for me to step back and enjoy other acting challenges.

"I would love Jean to return to The Square one day, so let's hope this is not goodbye, but au revoir."

[Perdita]

Jean Slater makes a big decision on EastEnders next week as she tells boyfriend Ollie Walters that she has bipolar disorder.

A nervous Jean (Gillian Wright) confides in Ollie (Tony O'Callaghan) after Alfie Moon urges her to be honest with him.

With the pressure of hiding the truth becoming too much for Jean to handle, Alfie fears that she will have another manic episode if the situation doesn't change.

Taking a leap of faith, Jean works up the courage to tell Ollie about her condition, but she's hurt when he doesn't know how to react.


Jean finally works up the courage to tell Ollie that she is bipolar.
© BBC
Jean confides in Ollie


Ollie later returns and tells Jean that he's been busy researching her condition as he believes they have a future together. Although Jean is delighted by his support, her concerns return when she sees that he isn't comfortable as her manic behaviour starts to resurface.

Believing that Ollie would never be able to cope with the dark times she can sometimes suffer, Jean makes the difficult choice to call time on their relationship, leaving both of them devastated. Is this the end for Jean and Ollie's story?

EastEnders airs these scenes on Thursday, August 29 and Friday, August 30 on BBC One.

[Perdita]

EastEnders star Gillian Wright has said that she is glad her character Jean Slater's story has changed the way people think about bipolar.

Jean will bow out of Walford next week to begin a new life with Ollie.

Speaking on ITV's This Morning, Wright said: "When I first hit the screens, people would shout derogatory terms at me in a funny way - nothing ever cruel. But as the years have gone on, that name calling has stopped.

"Jean's bipolar has taken her to the edge, certainly in the early years where she wanted to remove herself from this world, and she has come back from it.

"Those experiences have got her to a place where she knew what the signs were. We have seen how it affects the other people in the square and the family and friends who are also dealing with it. It doesn't always have to be about the extremes."

Jean leaves to start her new life.
© BBC
Jean leaves to start her new life.


Speaking about her decision to leave the role after eight years, Wright said: "I have got to a point where I felt that I just needed to step back from the character for a bit.

"I have played her so intensely for so long and needed to experience other acting opportunities."

EastEnders airs Jean's final scenes on Tuesday, September 17 at 7.30pm on BBC One.

[Perdita]

EastEnders bosses have confirmed that Gillian Wright is reprising her role as Jean Slater for a short stint.

Jean will be back on screen later this year, when she will be reunited with her daughter Stacey.

Fans know that Stacey is currently awaiting trial in prison after confessing to the murder of Archie Mitchell. However, there are more twists and turns ahead as Lacey Turner - who plays Stacey - is returning to EastEnders on a permanent basis in the summer.

Speaking of the upcoming storyline, Wright commented: "I feel very honoured to be asked to reprise my role as Jean Slater for a short while. The storyline promises to be challenging and exciting!

"I look forward to playing again with old friends and new, and to pick up the special relationship between Stacey and Jean."

EastEnders' executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins added: "We are so pleased to have Gillian back with us to reprise her role as Jean Slater, albeit briefly. Stacey and Jean have such a rich, loving but difficult history.

"There is still so much to plumb between them as we delve deeper into what it means to have bipolar disorder as a mother but also as a daughter. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes ahead for our audience."

Jean was last seen on Albert Square in September 2013, when she left to start a new life with her boyfriend Ollie. She has been part of the show on and off since 2004.

Wright's portrayal of Jean's bipolar disorder has been widely acclaimed over the years, with the storyline being recognised by the charity Mind at the Mental Health Media Awards in 2009.

I hope she will stay with Ollie and is not coming back because they have split!

[Perdita]

Jean Slater's EastEnders return storyline will see her plotting to get her daughter Stacey out of prison, it has been revealed.

Gillian Wright recently returned to the show's set to film a guest stint as Jean, while Stacey will be back on our screens on a permanent basis.

New details of Jean's return were revealed on This Morning today (July 10) as EastEnders released some exclusive story teasers to the ITV daytime show.

Soaps correspondent Sharon Marshall, also a regular scriptwriter for EastEnders, commented: "We know Stacey's on remand for Archie's murder, but her mother Jean thinks she's got a way of getting her out of prison.

"But how far is Jean willing to go to make her daughter listen?"

Last month, new pictures were released showing Wright and her on-screen daughter Lacey Turner filming scenes in a hospital together. The pair last shared screen time on Christmas Day 2010.

Gillian Wright and Lacey Turner behind the scenes
© BBC
Gillian Wright and Lacey Turner behind the scenes

Meanwhile, fans can also expect a storyline for cash-strapped Alfie Moon as the show explores how far he will go for his family in time for his newborn twins arriving this summer.

Mick and Linda Carter's relationship will also be taking a dark turn, while there is new drama for Phil Mitchell and Sharon Rickman in the build-up to their wedding.

[Kim]

From the latest spoilers, I'm starting to think that Jean is dying.

[tammyy2j]

Jean Slater is returning to EastEnders for another guest stint.

Gillian Wright, who plays the popular character, has already resumed filming at the BBC soap.

It's thought that Jean's return will see her getting married, after Wright was seen sporting a T-shirt reading "Bride-To-Be" in feel-good scenes filmed on location.

Wright's on-screen daughter Lacey Turner (Stacey Branning) and other members of the cast have also been spotted wearing wedding outfits for the upcoming storyline.

While no plot details have been confirmed by EastEnders bosses, fans know that Jean's current boyfriend is Ollie Walters (Tony O'Callaghan), a fruit and veg salesman she met in 2013.


The couple were last seen in EastEnders in summer 2014, when a new crisis for Jean prompted Stacey to appeal her prison sentence.

Jean's return could also tie in with the ongoing mystery of Stacey's key, which was given to her by her brother Sean and has an unknown connection to their father.

[lizann]

did sean kill his dad, did he tell tanya this?