Enders denies reports of 'petition' to axe Wallace
EastEnders bosses have refuted claims that the soap's cast have filed a petition urging them to axe the return of "nuisance" Jessie Wallace. The Sun reports that senior cast members are furious about the return of 38-year-old Jessie, who is due to reprise her role as fiery Kat Slater in the BBC1 soap this autumn, saying it would be a "disaster" for morale. It was announced last month that Jessie, who quit the soap in 2005, would be returning along with screen husband Alfie Moon, played by Shane Richie, 45. A source told the paper: "A lot of the senior cast who worked with Jessie the first time round are livid. She was a complete nuisance when she was on the show. It would be a disaster for her to come back. "She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and often upset stars during filming. By the time she left, a lot of them were breathing sighs of relief. "A lot of the cast saw her as a bully. She was aggressive and difficult to deal with because she was so strong-willed. "The petition was handed in last week. It didn't go down well, but some of the senior cast felt it was a point that had to be made." But an EastEnders spokeswoman dismissed the reports, saying: "We've received no complaints from cast members regarding Jessie's return and are looking forward to having her back." Get EastEnders storylines first! Sign up to receive our EastEnders Extra newsletter
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.