EastEnders boss Kate Oates has teased a return for a mystery character.
The BBC soap added another award to its collection tonight, after winning Best Soap & Continuing Drama at the BAFTA TV Awards.
The award comes after the show’s recent 40th anniversary celebrations, which saw a number of legendary characters returning to the Square.
Fans were treated to appearances from the likes of Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), Angie Watts (Anita Dobson), Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig), Mickey Miller (Joe Swash), Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves) and Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi).
Following tonight’s win, Oates, BBC’s Head of Continuing Drama, hinted at yet another role reprisal from an EastEnders icon, but remained tight-light about who it could be.
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“If you like a return, I don’t think you’re going to be disappointed because there’s potentially one on the cards,” she told Digital Spy and other media.
Oates went on to tease “some really, really big stuff” coming up for the soap’s key characters.
“We’ve got some uncharted territory,” she said. “Which, considering we’re following on the heels of [executive producer Chris Clenshaw], is quite an accolade because he has broken quite a lot of fresh ground.”
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Clenshaw, who himself returned to EastEnders in 2022, announced his exit from the show last year. He is being succeeded by Channel 4’s commissioning executive Ben Wadey.
“I think the challenge for Ben, who is our new exec, has been to kind of carry on after Chris’ success,” Oates explained.
“We’re really excited for what’s to come so there are some really, really big stories coming up and if it’s a return that you’re after, then you might be interested in what’s on the horizon!” she added.
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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