A news thread for all general peices of news regarding the show and the cast. I.e Digitial Spy news reports etc.
For big news stories, please feel free to set up a thread of it's own.
Printable View
A news thread for all general peices of news regarding the show and the cast. I.e Digitial Spy news reports etc.
For big news stories, please feel free to set up a thread of it's own.
Rex Features
Former EastEnders actress Louisa Lytton has been linked to the next movie in the American Pie franchise.
The Daily Mail reports that Lytton, who played Ruby in the BBC One soap, will take on the role of an English woman called Imogen in American Pie: Book Of Love.
The part would mark the first big screen outing for the 20-year-old, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2006 and most recently appeared as PC Beth Green in The Bill.
A report in January said that a fourth cinematic release in the movie's franchise had been proposed. It is understood that American Pie 4 will focus on the characters of Jim and Michelle following their wedding.
As well as sequels American Pie 2 and American Wedding, a trio of straight-to-DVD spinoffs have also been released.
Anybody suffering from withdrawal sympton because she is not on tv at the moment will be pleaed about this. :lol:
Emma Barton has revealed that she is willing to make a return to EastEnders.
The actress made her debut as Honey Mitchell on the BBC One soap in 2005, but was axed last year after producers decided that the character had "come to the end of her storyline".
Barton is currently appearing as Roxie Hart in a touring production of the musical Chicago and hopes to land further TV roles once she completes the run.
Speaking to the Daily Record, she explained: "There's no immediate plans for me to return to EastEnders and I'm off doing my own thing.
"But who knows? Honey could have walked from the Square for good or she could be back on screen two years down the line.
"I'd love to do something totally different on TV like a period drama, but if I did go back to soap acting, then it would have to be with EastEnders. I just couldn't go anywhere else."
Barton admitted that she was "gutted" to be axed last year. She later claimed that producers had made the decision too hastily.
Another ex EE member doing their Yosser Hughes "Gies a Job" impression no offence to Emma but her character was lame and limp and the viewers don't want that. It doesn't matter what soap or drama the public watch the character has to make an impression and cause a reaction that is why Nick Cotton is one of EE best loved characters he has the viewers talking on the bus or tube in the morning on the way to work.
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here winner Joe Swash has hinted that he might return to EastEnders at some stage in the future.
Speaking at last night's Digital Spy Reality TV Awards - where he picked up gongs for favourite winner and favourite celebrity contestant - the actor admitted that he would "never say never" to revisiting Albert Square.
"I don't think [I'll be back] anytime shortly, but I would never say never because you never know what's round the corner. At the moment, I'm going to try and do a couple of things of my own, but in a couple of years - three or four years - who knows? They might not even want me back!" he explained.
Swash, who played Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap, added that he still watched the show, saying: "I was a big fan of EastEnders before I was even in it, and it's better now because I don't know any of the storylines!"
EASTENDERS bosses have finally found a hunky replacement for heart-throb Rob Kazinsky.
Adam Croasdell will set pulses racing as Albert Square’s new medic Al Jenkins.
And he’s not the only sexy fella heading to Walford.
Hollywood actor Danny Dyer is also in talks to join the show.
EastEnders has been on the hunt for new male stars after it lost Rob, 24, who played Sean Slater, last year.
Now they are thrilled Adam, 28, who has starred in Peak Practice and Holby, has put pen to paper.
And he is set to become a potential love interest for Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner, 31).
The source said: “Adam is a fantastic signing for us. I reckon there will be quite a few women who will need to pop down to his
surgery!” Boss Diederick Santer, 39, recently admitted the soap needed a “new Wicksy-style charmer”.
Meanwhile, 31-year-old Danny confirmed he is in talks with the show’s top brass.
He said: “I love the show and we have had a few meetings. Ideally I’d love to play against type and not always be the hard man, but it’s all down to how they see you.”
Former EastEnders actress Michelle Ryan has described her stint with the BBC soap as a "great foundation" but reaffirmed that she has no plans to return.
The 24-year-old, who played the role of Zoe Slater for five years, quit the Walford-based soap in 2005 'out of boredom'.
It was recently reported that Ryan's screen mother Jessie Wallace (Kat Slater) is eyeing up a potential return to Albert Square, while earlier this week, producers announced that Danniella Westbrook is to make a shock comeback to the soap in the summer as Sam Mitchell.
Patsy Palmer (Bianca Jackson), Sid Owen (Ricky Butcher) and Charlie Brooks (Janine Butcher) have also made returns to the programme over the last year.
However, despite the influx of past characters returning to the show, Ryan is adamant that she won't make a comeback herself.
Speaking on The Paul O'Grady Show last night, Ryan said: "I wouldn't go back. I've had so much fun since, it's nice to go to work and do stunts. It's great to do EastEnders and [it was] a great foundation, a great apprenticeship, but to go in and cry all the time…"
She added: "I don't mind a little bit of that but it's nice to do something different."
Since EastEnders, her TV credits have included Jekyll, the now-axed US remake of The Bionic Woman and a short stint on BBC fantasy drama Merlin. She also appears in the Doctor Who Easter special Planet of the Dead this Saturday.
Last year, John Yorke - controller of continuing drama series and head of independent drama at the BBC - warned against relying on old characters in soapland.
Makes a change for somebody not to want to come back :)
i'll give Joe Swash 6 months before he says he would like a return to EE.
EastEnders star Samantha Janus has admitted that she felt anxious after hearing that Danielle would be killed off.
The actress, who plays Ronnie Mitchell on the BBC One soap, expected a backlash from fans who were hoping for a happy ending to Danielle's (Lauren Crace) seven-month storyline.
Danielle was killed in a car accident last week, just moments after telling Ronnie that she was her daughter.
Speaking about her concerns in an interview with We Love Telly! magazine, Janus explained: "I wasn't sure how the audience would react. I thought if everyone was expecting a happy ending they'd be angry. But I still think it had a lot of impact."
In recent days, thousands of fans have signed an online petition to express their unhappiness over the plot's conclusion.
However, the soap's executive producer Diederick Santer has defended the twist, claiming that it was an "inevitable" storyline move.
EastEnders veteran June Brown has hinted that John Bardon is to make a return to the soap in June as her screen husband Jim Branning.
The 82-year-old BAFTA nominee, who plays Walford's Dot Branning, yesterday spoke of her Bardon's ongoing improvement since his stroke in June 2007.
She told The Mirror: "John is coming back in June and he is improving all the time. You just keep all your fingers crossed that Jim will be back. He won’t be grumpy and he will talk as much as he can."
Bardon has since filmed three brief appearances as Jim, who has also suffered a stroke in the soap's storylines. Jim first returned to the Square for his birthday on August 11. On December 4, his son Jack (Scott Maslen) paid him a visit in the care home and later that month, he surprised Dot by turning up on her doorstep on Christmas Day.
Speaking of Bardon's potential return, executive producer Diederick Santer yesterday told DS: "I saw John last week and he's in good form. He's keen to come back and we just have to work around him to make sure that he's comfortable when he's here."
He added: "All things being equal, we'll definitely be seeing him again in the show before too long."
:cheer:
EastEnders actress June Brown has joked that she is now wary of award statues after one of her old trophies nearly flattened her.
Last month, the 82-year-old was given a BAFTA nod for her groundbreaking single-hander episode of the Walford soap.
The 27-minute monologue saw her chain-smoking character Dot Branning record an audio message as part of a compilation for husband Jim Branning, who had suffered a stroke like John Bardon, the actor who plays him.
Speaking of how she learned of her BAFTA nomination, Brown told The Mirror: "Diederick Santer, our guv'nor, rang me up quite early in the morning, so I wasn’t best pleased because he woke me up. But it was nice of him.
"I don't believe anything is going to happen until it does, until you see your name on paper or it actually happens and you have something in your hand. So I don't get too excited.
She joked: "I have got quite a few awards already in the garage, one of them nearly flattened me. It fell off the cupboard and made a dent in the floor. So we are quite wary of awards, because they are heavy things."
She added: "The cast have been lovely. Everyone is almost more pleased than I am because I'm a grumpy old thing really."
Brown is the first soap actress to receive a BAFTA nomination since Coronation Street legend Jean Alexander for her portrayal of Hilda Ogden in 1989.
EastEnders is also nominated for best continuing drama at the ceremony, which takes place on April 26.
Danny Dyer turned down a starring role in a British soap opera - because he was terrified of the huge amount of publicity the show receives.
The movie tough-guy was approached to appear in hit U.K. show EastEnders, which chronicles life in London.
But Dyer rejected the role, which was devised with him in mind - because the series' stars regularly make headline news in Britain.
He says, "I met John Yorke, controller of drama production. He asked if I would be willing to go in and shake up a few of the characters.
"He said they would write a synopsis and then take me out to dinner and anything I wanted to change, I could change, which gives me a bit of power.
"I quite like the idea of it. But actually, in reality, I just got cold feet. Just from having a meeting it's all over the newspapers and it gave me the horrors. Imagine if I went in it.
"With the EastEnders thing the whole publicity gets out of hand. It's like a whole new beast. It's not something I fancy. I don't want to write if off totally but at this point in my career I think it would be madness."
BARBARA Windsor has revealed she’s like to jump ship to join the Corrie cobbles.
The EastEnders actress said she’d like a stint on the rival soap because it would add to her list of achievements.
The 71-year-old said: "I kind of have worked with most people I'd want to.
"I suppose I wouldn't mind having a go in Coronation Street for a bit, you know, see how they do it."
The Carry On star arrived in Albert Square as tough Peggy Mitchell in 1994.
SOURCE: The Sun Online
I look forward to alan's reply haha!
Former EastEnders actor Tom Watt will make a guest appearance in an episode of Doctors alongside familiar soap face Sue Jenkins.
The 53-year-old, who played the role of Lofty Holloway between 1985 and 1987, takes on the role of idle layabout Ray MacGyver, while Jenkins portrays his terminally ill screen wife Brenda.
Ray, who happily spends more time at the local watering hole or in the local police cell than with his family at their home on the local caravan park, knows his wife is ill, but is unaware of the true extent of her illness.
Meanwhile, both Ray and Brenda are forced to deal with the news that their wayward daughter Carly - played by Sue Jenkins' real-life daughter Emily Fleeshman - is pregnant by the local wannabe gangster.
Producer Fiona Pandelus said: "'The MacGyvers' is a brilliantly told story about a ramshackle family confronting very real issues of separation and loss. Capturing both the humour and the uncertainties of these characters is no mean feat and so we're absolutely thrilled to have such a superb cast in Tom Watt, Sue Jenkins and her real-life daughter Emily Fleeshman."
She added: "Together they bring the perfect blend of comedy and emotion to this cracking story by Paul Matthew Thompson - stand by to laugh and cry!"
Jenkins has previously appeared as barmaid Gloria Todd in Coronation Street, Jackie Corkhill in Brookside and Emmerdale's Bonnie Drinkwater. She previously appeared in two episodes of Doctors, titled ''Without You'' and 'If You Don't Know Me By Now'.
The episode, entitled 'The MacGyvers', was filmed earlier this month and is due to transmit on Thursday, July 30 on BBC One.
EastEnders actress Nina Wadia has revealed that her character was intended as Albert Square's new Pauline Fowler.
The 40-year-old, who joined the show as Walford's tough-talking Zainab Masood in May 2007, recently explained how her character was earmarked as the BBC soap's new matriarch from the outset.
She told the Daily Record: "That was in my brief on my first day: Zainab is the Pauline Fowler of the Square."
She added: "I felt they were big shoes to fill and I was very nervous of that description of her, but it's a huge compliment in a way."
In February, Wendy Richard, who played Pauline Fowler for 21 years, passed away after losing her battle with cancer.
NEW Enders hunk Adam Croasdell said he's feeling the pressure to fill in where Rob Kazinsky left off as the soap's new heartthrob.
The actor, who has previously appeared in Heartbeat and Smack The Pony, said following the Square's former lothario Sean Slater - played by Rob - is harder than it looks.
Adam, who plays Dr Al, gets a warm welcome from single mum Tanya Branning, who goes goo-goo whenever the dishy doc turns up in the Square.
And the actor is happy to take on Rob's duties.
Adam said: "Al is single and he likes to mingle!
"With the departure of Robert Kazinsky, I'm feeling the pressure if I've been hired to step into his shoes."
But the actor said he hopes his gorgeous GP character will have some meaty storylines as well as racy ones to get stuck into.
Adam said: "You hope that your storylines are going to be a little bit more than for flesh-fodder, but it's all good."
A NEIGHBOUR of EastEnders star Steve McFadden is pregnant with his baby, The Sun can reveal.
Mum-of-three Dr Rachel Green has left her surgeon husband for 50-year-old Steve — who plays Albert Square hardman Phil Mitchell.
The couple have been secretly dating for almost a year after meeting on the school run. Now Rachel is planning to set up home with him — in a plotline similar to one from the long-running BBC1 soap.
She is due to give birth to the actor’s fourth child in July.
A source said: “Steve and Rachel fell for each other last year.
“Steve had been single for a while but Rachel has been married for years. The pregnancy has been a bombshell for her family.
“Rachel has three young children, which has made the situation difficult for both families.
“She has been living between Steve’s house and her own for a few months now. They are trying to work out the best thing for their future with their kids.”
Steve lives a ten-minute walk from the brunette in East Finchley, North London, and they are often seen out together.
Rachel is separated from consultant urologist Dr James Green. Locals now refer to her as “Phil Mitchell’s missus”.
A neighbour said: “They act like a married couple and certainly don’t hide the fact they’re an item. She smiles occasionally to people round here but he keeps himself to himself.”
He added: “It’s a nice neighbourhood and a lot of kids live in the street. Steve sometimes takes a few to the park and playground at the end of the road.”
Just like his TV character, Steve has a complicated romantic past.
He has a son with childhood sweetheart Sue Marshall and two daughters with ex-girlfriend Angela Bostock. He also had a tempestuous affair with Albert Square co-star Lucy Benjamin, 38.
Rachel refused to comment yesterday. A spokesman for the actor said: “Steve is a very private man. He will not comment on his private life.
EastEnders star Scott Maslen has confirmed that he is keen to stick with the show for as long as possible.
The actor, who plays Jack Branning on the BBC One soap, hinted that he would only quit Walford if there was a drop in the quality of his storylines.
Speaking to We Love Telly! magazine, Maslen explained: "I've got a good life, got a house, got everything in place, so I'm happy to be there as long as it stays good."
The star added that he is often disappointed by the behaviour of his alter-ego Jack, who is currently torn between sisters Ronnie (Samantha Janus) and Roxy (Rita Simons).
"He's a bit of a louse, actually," Maslen admitted. "Why do people cheat? I always say: 'Not even a kiss, not even a dance'. I have a real issue with people being unfaithful."
Maslen tied the knot with his long-term partner Estelle Rubio in September last year.
Is this the poison dwarf's way of trying to line up a a new job when EE give her the axe as there are only so many times they can marry her off to a new character.
The Poison Dwarf will never appear on Corrie. Maria's unborn child is a better actor. Barbara Windsor suffers from delusions. She is barely good enough for a 3rd rate soap like Deadenders. She would be completely out of her depth on Britains most Popular Soap.
WALFORD'S hottest new couple Marc Elliott and Preeya Kalidas are also dating OFF-SCREEN, we can reveal.
The pair, who play lovers Syed Masood and Amira Shah, were snapped strolling with their arms around each other after filming EastEnders in Elstree, Herts.
Seems Marc has really fallen for new girl Preeya, who recently claimed she was single.
But the pair are desperate to keep their romance under wraps. They walked separately for five minutes before they got together and started canoodling.
And when co-star Nina Toussaint-White (Syd Chambers) shouted at them down the street, they parted faster than Archie and Peggy after their marriage.
Gorgeous Preeya, 26, made her first appearance in Albert Square this week, leaving Syed's little brother Tamwar gobsmacked when she arrived.
From NOTW
EastEnders star Nina Wadia has revealed that she receives "kinky" letters from fans.
The actress confirmed that her bossy soap character Zainab Masood has attracted worldwide attention since she made her debut in 2007.
Speaking to The People, Wadia explained: "I get a number of letters from Germany and America. A lot of them are from people who want me to dress in a certain way - you can imagine the kind of thing we're talking about here - and visit them with a view to playing the dominatrix.
"Most of the letters are harmless enough - if more than a little bit kinky! I've only received one which gave me cause for concern and I took that to the EastEnders office to deal with."
She added: "There's a guy called Steve The Pipe Cleaner who is keen for me to visit him in his home and clean his very large pipe at some point. I've politely declined and also said no to visiting these people who want me to dominate them.
"I suspect some are just having a laugh and at least it shows they are tuning in to EastEnders."
Wadia went home with two prizes at the British Soap Awards in London last night. She triumphed in the best comedy performance category, while her character's relationship with Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) was also named best on-screen partnership.
June's tearing off her Cotton SOURCE: THE SUN ONLINE 11/5/09
EASTENDERS legend June Brown is planning her most revealing role yet — stripping NAKED, The Sun can reveal.
The soap veteran, 82, let slip she is considering dumping Dot Cotton’s trademark launderette overalls and stepping out in her birthday suit.
But June will not be shocking viewers of the BBC1 soap.
The nude caper is part of a top-secret project planned for later this year.
Speaking at the British Soap Awards on Saturday night she teased: “I can’t tell you because I might not be doing something.
“But if I do, I will be taking my clothes off.
“I don’t know if it’s a pretty sight.”
Last night pals of the popular star, whose character is now Mrs Branning, suggested the strip could be for a charity project similar to the Women’s Institute “calendar girls”.
The group of middle-aged women peeled off to raise cash for Leukaemia Research.
One friend said: “June may be getting on but she’s still an adventurous girl at heart.
“When you get to her age you are pretty comfortable in your body — no matter how many wrinkles it’s got.”
Others hinted it could be a ploy to win an AWARD.
One said: “Bafta snubbed her for best actress this year when she delivered the performance of her life, so you can’t blame her if she’s refocusing on another category next year.
“Don’t be surprised if she’s named sexiest actress at next year’s British Soap Awards.”
---->OMG she's brave! I wouldn't bare all for any amount of money:rotfl:
EastEnders actor Perry Fenwick has revealed his shock at learning his character Billy Mitchell's real age.
The 47-year-old, who has played the unlucky-in-life character for just over ten years, told DS at the British Soap Awards: "Billy's name's changed now. It was Billy Mitchell, but it's now Poor Old Billy Mitchell."
He joked: "I wasn't very happy with that, to be honest! I was labouring under the misapprehension that he was about 39! I got the scripts a couple of months ago, opened it up and went 'What?!'
"I was pleased to see on Digital Spy and lots of different forums that they said 'no way does he look 50!'"
I don't think he looks 50 :)
EastEnders actor Larry Lamb has returned to filming at the Walford soap.
The 65-year-old - who plays ostracised Mitchell clan member Archie - began shooting last week for his comeback episodes, which are due to air this summer.
He told DS on the red carpet at this year's British Soap Awards: "Archie's back in town now. He's starting to finagle his way back in. It's not easy. We just started this week, I started Tuesday morning. It's not easy for [Archie]."
He then teased: "He's got one ally within the family..."
Ex-EastEnders actor Rob Kazinsky has revealed that he would make a return to the BBC soap if his former co-star Rita Simons ever left the programme.
The 25-year-old, who played Sean Slater between 2006 and 2009, told DS at this year's British Soap Awards that if his on-screen wife Simons (Roxy Slater) ever quit the show, he would want to be part of her exit plot.
He said: "I've always said that whatever happens if Rita ever leaves, I want to be in her exit storyline... I'd love to do that."
Reflecting on the state of the programme at the moment, he said: "When I left, I didn't watch it for a little while - I took a long break - and I tuned in and I saw Josie Lawrence and I was like 'oh my God, that's amazing!'
"And then I came to this party today... and there's all these new people and they're all better looking then I ever was!"
He joked: "They're amazing looking people they've suddenly got in this show and I'm just like 'why didn't I stay?!' [Diederick Santer] has upped his game! I wish I'd stayed now... Preeya [Kalidas] - she's cute!"
A man charged with murdering two French students reportedly planned to burgle the home of EastEnders star Laila Morse.
The Old Bailey was told how Dano Sonnex, 23, had talked about robbing the south London home of Morse, who plays Little Mo in the BBC soap.
The 63-year-old actress called police at 5am after hearing disturbance outside her property, just half an hour after students Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez were stabbed to death 244 times.
A neighbour went on to describe the moment she saw Sonnex attempt to rob Morse's house.
"At about 4.30am I was woken up by a noise. Something made me get out of bed and go to a window," Metro quotes Sue Ann Blomfield as saying.
"I saw a man. He wasn't in the room but had his hands on the window frame. I had the impression he was going to try and climb in.
"I said, 'What the f' are you doing?' The man was standing on the conservatory. He put a hand up to cover his face.
"He said, 'Is this Mo's house?' I said, 'No, it's my house'. I was alarmed because I was expecting a cat. He said, 'I want her signature'. I again told him to f' off."
Sonnex, of Peckham, London, has admitted a count of burglary.
:eek:
EastEnders star Perry Fenwick has praised the show's producers for their "bold" approach to storytelling.
The actor, who plays Billy Mitchell, claimed that the BBC One soap is more "gritty" than its rivals Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
Last year, the programme sparked complaints from viewers after screening a paedophilia plot involving Tony King (Chris Coghill), teenager Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) and Walford favourite Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer).
The plot was later cleared by broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, which ruled that producers had tackled the issue "appropriately and sensitively".
Reflecting on the row, Fenwick told PA: "I think we dare to go a little bit further with certain stories. We've done the Tony and Bianca story and initially there was a bit of a kickoff about that - people were saying: 'Oh, it's all miserable, why are you doing that?'
"They don't realise that we actually get asked by charities and organisations to tackle these things because it can do a lot of good, because it's a massive audience. Usually the response is, once the stories have gone out, that phone lines get jammed and hopefully we help a few people out."
He added: "We do it to entertain and we hopefully act it well. We do all the other stuff that the other soaps do but we're just a little bit grittier."
A HOST of dazzlingly dressed stars from EastEnders turned out yesterday for the real-life wedding of Samantha Janus.
Among the guests were Lacey Turner with newly-blonde locks.
Others included Walford stalwarts Barbara Windsor and June Brown.
Co-star Rita Simons dressed down in a black top and Ugg boots.
Sam, who plays Ronnie Mitchell, wed long-time love Mark Womack in West London.
^ Lacey looks strange with blonde hair!:eek:
I think Lacey suits being Blonde.
Does anyone know how long until we see her new hair in Eastenders?