EastEnders’ Vicki Fowler will have elements of her infamous dad, ‘Dirty’ Den Watts when she returns to Walford from Australia next week.
Vicki is something of a heritage character but has been absent from fictional E20 since 2004, when she moved down under with then-boyfriend Spencer Moon, younger brother of Alfie.
Asked what we can expect from Vicki in 2025, Andor star Alice Haig, who has been cast in the role - formerly played by Scarlett Alice Johnson - tells us, “Chris [Clenshaw], who was the exec producer when we started, was like, ‘I’m really interested in her parents and where she has come from.’
“So you want to take elements from [mum] Michelle’s down-to-earth, gritty kind of nature, and then Dirty Den’s lying and that twinkle. That was really exciting to me, so rather than trying to fit into what the character was before, you’re thinking about her roots.”
Alice adds, “I only found out close to when we started filming who the character was that I was playing, because it was super secret. So then I did loads of research, watching old bits of Michelle.
“I was lucky because Vicki was only in it as a late teenager/grown-up for about a year, and it was over 20 years ago, and how much do we change in 20 years? A lot! So I did feel like she was a blank canvas.”
Vicki arrives in Walford for the funeral of her Uncle Martin (James Bye) and brings along her new partner Ross (Alex Walkinshaw of Holby City and The Bill fame) and his teenage son Joel (newcomer Max Murray)
Ross, it transpires, has an ulterior motive for returning to Blighty, as he has a debt to pay off and hopes that Vicki can tap up her sister Sharon Watts for money.
Alice admits to suffering huge nerves on joining the BBC1 soap and says it was “totally bonkers” to come face-to-face with icons such as Letitia Dean, who plays Sharon, and Adam Woodyatt, who plays Vicki’s great cousin Ian Beale.
“My first scene was with Adam and it was so weird, stepping onto the market and thinking, ‘It’s Ian Beale,’” she tells us.
“On my very first day, Tish very sweetly came to find me, to introduce herself to make sure I felt welcome. That was such a lovely thing to do, and it made me feel so comfortable.
“She was just glorious from that moment on. It has been a joy to work with her, and she has been amazing. It’s such a positive atmosphere to come into.”
EastEnders continues Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One.
All the latest episodes are also available to stream on BBC iPlayer
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
