Some former residents of Albert Square have reunited for a special show to celebrate 30 years of EastEnders.
In The Graham Norton Show EastEnders special, the chat show host meets members of the current cast, including Jessie Wallace (Kat), Danny Dyer (Mick), Shane Richie (Alfie), Diane Parish (Denise)and Rudolph Walker (Patrick), as well as former stars including Dean Gaffney (Robbie Jackson), Ricky Groves (Garry Hobbs), Pam St Clement (Pat Evans) and Hetti Bywater (Lucy Beale).
Meanwhile, some of the show’s stars who have been in the soap since it began in 1985 are reunited with another member of the original cast – Linda Davidson, who played punk Mary Smith.
Mary was Walford’s original wild child, a single mum who arrived in Albert Square after being housed in the flat of pensioner Reg Cox, who was found dead in the BBC1 soap’s first episode on 19 February 1985. She was last seen in May 1988 when she left Walford on a bus with her daughter Annie and giving a two-finger salute to the Square!
Linda, now 50, left the soap to help C4 launch T4 and 4music, and now works as the operations director for a social media marketing agency.
The show also features newcomer Richard Blackwood, who’s joining the show as a new villain to replace Nick Cotton following his demise in the episode shown on 13 February. Meanwhile, the usually mute barmaid Tracey also joins in the fun – will she get to say more than the usual two or three words?
The Graham Norton Show EastEnders Special is on Monday 16 February, BBC One at 10:45pm.
