EastEnders fans have been left overjoyed by the surprise return of a fan favourite character.
The plot twist arrived after the BBC soap teased “the start of something big that we hope will get everyone talking” – as part of the first storyline overseen by new executive producer Ben Wadey.
After the episode was held back from iPlayer, fans tuned in to discover that a mystery character would return – and in the closing moments, that character is revealed to be Zoe Slater.
Played by Michelle Ryan, Zoe is best remembered for the episode in which she learned that Kat (Jessie Wallace), whom she believed to be her sister, was, in fact, her mother. The famous episode aired in 2001.
Ryan, 41, left the soap in 2005 and has reportedly turned down requests to come back over the years, but, according to the soap star, returning now felt like “the right time”.
She told the BBC: “I’d already been thinking about a return because I’d met up with Kacey Ainsworth (Little Mo) and Kim Medcalf (Sam Mitchell) and we were reminiscing our fond memories of the show – and I’d also joined social media and saw that there was still a lot of love for the character.”
Ryan credited Wadey’s arrival with prompting her to return as he “was keen to explore the potential of a return”.
“He was such a massive fan of Zoe and the Slaters, so both of our worlds aligned at the right time, and I’m so excited to be back.”
Wadey added: “Before I even stepped into the role, Zoe Slater was on my wish-list of returnees as, although we haven’t seen her on screen for 20 years, her character has transcended time due to her popular storylines.”
Ryan will appear in two episodes this week and will depart again before returning as a full-time cast member this summer.
The actor said of her character: “I can’t say too much as there is a lot of drama to come, but Zoe is a mess. She’s not the girl that left Walford twenty years ago, and she’s been really struggling on her own.”
Fans have been left feeling ecstatic over the news, with one exclaiming: “Wow I never thought we’d see Zoe Slater again.”
“This is monumental,” another wrote, with someone else stating on X/Twitter: “Cannot believe they managed to get Zoe Slater back.”
Ryan left the soap in 2005 as one of the UK’s biggest soap stars, and the actor attempted to launch a Hollywood career after scoring a role in a TV remake of Bionic Woman.
However, due to low ratings and the 2007-08 writers’ strike, the series was cancelled after just one season.
Her other credits include comedy Girl Walks into a Bar, which starred Danny DeVito, the Emma Roberts film 4321 and also Andron starring Alec Baldwin.
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