Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Janus Womack)

[Perdita]

EastEnders bosses have released first-look spoiler images previewing Ronnie Mitchell's release from prison.

Samantha Womack has been filming out on location for scenes which see Ronnie free again following a two-year stretch behind bars.

Jessie Wallace has also been working on the scenes as her character Kat Moon is waiting for Ronnie when she leaves the jail.

Scroll through our gallery below for all the pictures of Ronnie's release:
EastEnders: Ronnie's Return
Ronnie is released from prison.


Copyright: BBC

Womack announced her return to EastEnders in May, promising that she would be back for a six-month stint.

Speaking at the time, she commented: "I am thrilled to be returning to the role of Ronnie for the next six months. Ronnie is coming out of prison and her reappearance in the Square is going to create havoc. I can't wait to be a Mitchell once again!"

Show bosses have said that Ronnie's return will form part of a big autumn season for EastEnders, with new and returning characters sparking fresh dynamics on Albert Square.

Ronnie's comeback will see her face those she wronged when she stole Kat's baby son Tommy in 2011. However, there is also lighter material ahead as she joins forces with her sister Roxy once again.

[tammyy2j]

I thought Roxy and Jack said she was already released

[Perdita]

The surprise scenes, to be screened this autumn, are the latest twist in one of the soap’s most *controversial storylines.


Ronnie is greeted by Kat

ISOIMAGES

EastEnders babysnatcher Ronnie Mitchell steps out of jail...to be met by the woman whose infant she stole, as these exclusive Sunday People pictures show.

Kat Moon was distraught when crazed Ronnie grabbed her new-born Tommy from his cot and replaced him with her stillborn child

But as our pictures show, when the shrill-voiced jailbird gets “aaght” from a two-year stretch Kat, played by Jessie Wallace, 41, is there to greet her with sympathy.

The surprise scenes, to be screened this autumn, are the latest twist in one of the soap’s most *controversial storylines.

The BBC received almost 9,000 complaints about the baby snatch and actress Samantha Womack, 40, quit with exhaustion.

But now Samantha says: “I am thrilled to be returning to the role of Ronnie. Her re-appearance is going to create havoc.

[Perdita]

EastEnders star Samantha Womack has revealed that she decided to reprise her role as Ronnie Mitchell due to 'unfinished business'.

Ronnie will return to Walford this Autumn after a two-year stint in jail for abducting Kat and Alfie Moon's baby Tommy.

Speaking to Hello magazine, Womack said: "It all started to feel like it was unfinished business. I even got a bit jealous not seeing her on screen.

"I've missed playing her and I know the fans have too -- every day since I left I've had messages saying, 'We're missing Ronnie. Send her back'.

"I've really missed the cast too. They're like my extended family, so it feels like your first day at school."

Womack also added that Ronnie will be a lot stronger upon her return to Albert Square than the last time viewers saw her.

"Ronnie was a broken bird at the end, but after serving time in prison she'll be steely and a bit of a matriarch with a lot more power and backbone. She's found her old inner strength. A bit like me."

[Kim]

I'll be surprised if Kat does take pity on Ronnie again. She forgave her before she went to prison but it just seemed forced, and that was changed in the scripts then as a result of the complaints. I thought that Alfie was due to ditch Roxy as she gets closer to Ronnie again, and he in turn grows closer to Kat.

[Perdita]

Albert Square's residents are in for a shock on EastEnders next week as Ronnie Mitchell returns after being released from jail.

Ronnie had planned to jet off to Ibiza with her sister Roxy upon her release, but when her sibling isn't there to greet her at the prison gates, she heads back to the Square to get answers.

Here, Samantha Womack - who plays Ronnie - chats about her much-anticipated EastEnders return and what's in store.

How is Ronnie feeling about her release? Does she feel that she's done her time, or is she worried about people pointing the finger?
"I wanted to make sure there was a change in her. I didn't want her to come back as the same damaged creature that she left as, mainly because I've played that and I think the audience have seen enough of that. I think I was crying out - as the audience were - for that old steely Mitchell sister back again.

"It's been quite tricky because although I want to colour that very quickly, there needs to be echoes of the storyline that just happened in terms of sensitivity. So in the performance I'm showing that everything Ronnie is taking in - and any kind of trauma she's got around her - she's just having to process quite slowly.

"There's no collapsing, there's no self-pity, but she's assimilating all the information and you're watching her gaining strength, as opposed to actually coming back having already done that.

"That's quite an interesting thing and I'm still finding my feet with it a little bit, because every now and then something happens that clearly would knock you back. There are certain reactions from certain people, and that kind of feeling that she's not in a Square that was the same as when she left it, as it's changed.

"But she won't take too much, because she feels like she's done her time and she's lost a child, so she's fair but she's steely."

What kind of reaction is she expecting?
"I don't think she's thought about what the reaction's going to be. I assume that she's had lots of counselling inside. I spoke to family friends who are in quite a similar strain of work, dealing with women who've had trauma, and it's all about forgiveness of oneself first. So I think she's been so busy self-healing, processing all the information and how she relates to it, I don't think she's even considered what the reaction is going to be from anyone else. It's all a surprise - I don't think she knows what to expect."


Can you tell us about the scene where Ronnie and Kat come face-to-face again?
"It's really good. It was made ever so more menacing because we were in a real prison. That really added to the mood. It was very menacing with the sound of coming out, the doors and the locks and the bolts and keys. All those sounds really help in terms of that first entrance back into the real world - it felt quite surreal in that environment. And it would be a complete surprise to see Kat there - that was completely unexpected, and quite terrifying."

Is there any tension between them?
"I think it's unexpected. It needed to be mature because of the subject matter. Because of all the controversy beforehand, we're trying to make sure we're executing it properly in terms of two women talking about their feelings and their experiences - that was very important to everyone. We didn't think fighting and screaming would be apt for that situation."

Do you think Kat is going to move on more easily than Alfie?
"I think Kat feels she's looking at a woman who's lost her child from the perspective of a woman who felt like she'd lost her child. It sounds really petty, but I do keep trying to remind people that she didn't go out there to steal Tommy, she went and picked the baby up and then Jack came back and she got sidetracked. She got lost in this vortex. She didn't harm the child, it's a strange one.

"Kat's definitely a lot more understanding and I think those screaming matches between us, we did that, it would have been boring to do that again."


Do we find out anything about Ronnie's time in prison?
"She alludes to the fact that it was going quite well, but then obviously the other women inside found out what she was in for and she got into a bit of trouble. The way in which it's written, it sounds as if she took care of herself quite well. I always think she's someone who, because of her father and that continual bullying by him, knows how to handle herself."

How easy has it been to go back and adjust to playing the character again?
"It's been really strange because I'd just finished doing comedy for Mount Pleasant and the character is so different. Her voice, movement and speech are all different - she's very big and smiley and over the top, and I had about three days in between that job and coming back here. So I think at first I had assumed I was going to slip back into the character because I played her for three years.

"My first day I felt like I should have done a bit of research or something, because I felt completely ill-prepared. Luckily, my first scene was with Scott Maslen. What was really interesting was, he spoke first and I was straight back. It's really weird how that happens because you've got that history with someone - all the work's done for you, really. You suddenly remember all the things you've been through just by looking at that person's face, you're straight back there again, so that was a really cool first scene for me to do. It was great."

Did you need much persuading to come back?
"I really felt like I was excited. It was bugging me that she… I felt like she'd lost her way and I wanted her to come back and gain strength. Beforehand I'd felt she needed a rest. I definitely felt that the character and the storylines had exhausted themselves in that scenario. I think she just couldn't have stayed on screen with the situation that happened. It would have been almost impossible to play any situation for real, as there was nowhere to go. I'm able to come back with new boots on, which I really wanted to do."


How did the return come about?
"A year after I'd left, I'd find myself watching bits and pieces when I wasn't working, and there were silly things - someone would mention me and I'd think, 'She wouldn't do that'. You become quite owner-ous about them and I got quite excited again about the prospect of playing her. All of a sudden it was like, 'What would she be like, and how would she fit in?' Presumably she'd have a completely different dynamic, so I started to get excited about the character again.

"I'd had my fix of doing other things. Sometimes when you've stayed in the character for three years, you get tired and the audience gets tired. I was in heavy storylines continuous for three years. I got a chance to do lots of other things, so it felt fresh for me coming back again. It doesn't feel like I'm going back to something I've already done - it feels like I'm creating something new, but with all that history."

Is Ronnie forming different alliances this time?
"For me it's about the Mitchell clan. As an old EastEnders fan, and I am, I remembered the days when I watched it. The Mitchell scenes for me were the strong clan like a stick of rock - they've always been through the centre of EastEnders and I like the idea where we feel Ronnie is rallying the Mitchells. I did a scene yesterday that felt very exciting, rallying the troops in the kitchen. It felt like the old days, getting all the Mitchells back together and dusting themselves off."

How is it when Ronnie first sees Jack?
"Well, the same as it was for me! It's just lovely when you're working with someone that you trust in that way, and we've got so much history - on screen and off. I'm very close with him off screen, so it's just a very easy way to work with someone, the first scenes are just a dream."

Does Ronnie still love Jack?
"I think she does, yeah. Certainly what I'd like to play, and I don't know how far we'll go down this road, is that it's very complicated for someone who'd been through this much. You really want to take it back to reality as much as you can do, but the nature of the genre means that you've got millions of traumatic storylines that have happened to someone.

"So in order for me to make that work, I feel like she has to remove herself from love now, in terms of male love, child love. For her to survive now, she needs to try to switch that part of herself off and it becomes very different. She becomes a matriarch, someone who is fighting for survival of her family.

"I don't feel she'd want to open up that side of herself. That's quite interesting to play because obviously we need to wait for that person who will come along and tweak her, but it will be really nice to just play her as calm, collected and removed."


Would it have been hard to see Jack's character go if you weren't involved somehow?
"Yeah, that was part of my reason for coming back - I feel a huge loyalty to Scott as well. Really our characters were very successful together and there's tribute videos to Ronnie and Jack, that secretly I watch! They're really good! I get quite weepy with them, they're set to sad music. I felt a loyalty to come back and serve that storyline - it wouldn't have felt right him leaving without Ronnie being there."

Is there any tension between Ronnie and Sharon?
"It's quite sweet actually, the scenes with Letitia. I know Letitia. Letitia's mum funnily enough was my school matron - I was in trouble with Mrs Dean quite a lot! Tish I'm really fond of, so we really have fun playing those scenes and although there's animosity, it's done with slightly comedic way. They're both ruffling their feathers, but it's not two women shouting and screaming, it's softer than that. It's nice."

Is it rather awkward now that Roxy is engaged to Alfie?
"It's a little awkward! Yes, he's not invited me to be a bridesmaid! Obviously, we've still got to deal with that storyline quite sensibly, and we've still got to deal with it as realistically as possible. So he really feels very threatened - he feels very protective towards his child, as you would feel, and we need to execute that storyline properly and realistically. How long it will go on for I don't know, but he makes it very difficult for the two sisters to be back together again."


Does Ronnie think that Roxy has betrayed her by getting together with Alfie?
"What's lovely about some of the scenes that we've done is that she doesn't. I love that about the relationship. With Ronnie being the oldest, she's always protected Ronnie. What's really interesting is even when Roxy does the worst possible thing and she rejects her, Ronnie always is the parent. She always forgives her because she knows what their childhood's been like and she knows what they've been through.

"Roonie forgives Roxy of everything because she's childlike in a way. Roxy wears her heart on her sleeve and she doesn't mean the things that she does, she just gets caught up in the moment, and it's lovely that they've written that. She doesn't become vengeful in any way, in fact it's completely the opposite, she says 'I understand, I completely understand'."

So Ronnie respects her decision?
"She wants Roxy to be happy, and I like that about the character, that she's mature in that way. I think in the past, the fact Roxy has needed her has made her feel empowered, but I think actually she needs to be on her own at the moment, she feels like an individual. In order to move forward, the old Ronnie needs to start to change and that means letting go of her sister a little bit."

Is there anyone in the cast who you're keen to share more scenes with?
"Michael French. I like what he's doing at the moment on screen, and he's someone I haven't worked with before so that would be good. And also Danielle who plays Lola - I really like her energy on screen. I think she's unusual for a younger actress, she's quite edgy. Because of course she's attached to the Mitchell clan now, I think Ronnie might have her sights set a little bit with her controlling ways."

They do have some scenes together with Lexi, don't they?
"Well, when I first went back into the meetings about whether this was a possibility or not, and whether the character would have a life in the show, I spoke to Simon Ashdown. We were talking about ideas and the biggest thing that I wanted to recapture was that I loved Ronnie when she was doing the scenes with Danielle - I loved that mother-like figure.

"I think that she really succeeded with that storyline because although she's quite hard, I thought you got to see a softer side of her with the Danielle scenes. So I quite like the idea that there's someone else that might access that part of her, so that was one of the requests that I had, to do some scenes with Lola and try and recreate that relationship. Luckily we've started to plot those in."


What would you like the future to hold for Ronnie?
"Pace, dynamic, strength. We've done the damaged bird now, we know the pain that she's been through, and it's nice that the audience know that. But it's much more interesting to see somebody pull themselves together and start to gain strength. I think that would be very interesting to see."

Are you going to be in the show just for six months or are you keeping it open?
"For six months at the moment, mainly because I didn't know if the character was going to succeed, and it's really tricky trying to go back and recapture something that was successful. I didn't want to be flogging a dead horse, so I thought right, I'll go back see if it works and then regroup in six months and talk about whether she's succeeded or not. The one thing I wouldn't want to do is take away what we achieved, which was this massive character."

[walsh2509]

See the writers are using Ronnie Roxy as an excuse to pair up Alfie and Kat again , they can just end the soap NOW !

[lizann]

See the writers are using Ronnie Roxy as an excuse to pair up Alfie and Kat again , they can just end the soap NOW !

any excuse and they are beyond repair

sounds like ronnie isn't leaving with jack she stays on longer

[lizann]

See the writers are using Ronnie Roxy as an excuse to pair up Alfie and Kat again , they can just end the soap NOW !

any excuse and they are beyond repair

sounds like ronnie isn't leaving with jack she stays on longer

[Perdita]

EastEnders star Samantha Womack has revealed that she is proud of her character Ronnie Mitchell's return.

Viewers will see Ronnie get released from prison tonight (September 9) after a two-year stint for abducting Kat and Alfie's baby son, Tommy.

Womack told ITV's Daybreak: "I like the idea that there's things happening with Ronnie and that she's not so soft anymore.

"I felt like she was unfinished. I didn't want her to finish like a wet blanket, I wanted her to gain her strength.

"It was so good what we did, I want to make sure that she's still got life in her. There would be no point in coming back and not trying to create something new."

Reflecting on her two years away from the soap, Womack said: "In some ways it's gone really quickly and in other ways, it's taken forever so coming back feels a bit weird.

"It was a controversial storyline obviously people got upset about, so we had to make sure that we executed it towards the end well and I hope that we did."

EastEnders airs Ronnie's return tonight at 8pm on BBC One.