EastEnders star Simone Lahbib joins River City in an explosive new role.
From Walford to Shieldinch! The former Albert Square star is trading the Queen Vic for something different, landing a role in BBC Scotland’s longest-running soap, River City and is sure to stir up some trouble!
The actress who played Katy Lewis, a Walford villain, left Albert Square four years ago.
Viewers will remember Katy’s chilling storyline, which tackled one of the show’s heaviest topics as it was revealed Katy had sexually assaulted Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, as a child, triggering an emotional storyline.
Now she’s back in the land of soaps, and this time on home ground. Born and bred in Stirling, Simone is thrilled to be back filming in Scotland.
She said, ‘Working in Scotland for me always feels like coming home. It’s literally the most perfect location for me – I get to stay with my parents between filming, so I spend time with all my family and even have my mum to go through my lines with me – she gets very into her roles!’
Simone is now stepping into the role of Viv Barton – a no-nonsense gangster matriarch with a mysterious past.
Viv is part of the notorious Foulkes family and has been believed to be dead for decades. She’s back in town in hopes of reconciling with her son, Tyler (Cameron Fulton), after walking out on her marriage with Harry Foulkes (Jim Sturgeon) and her family over two decades ago.
Simone went on to say, ‘Viv is desperate to reconnect with her son Tyler, and all the while avoid her ex-husband, gangster Harry Foulkes’
‘Unfortunately, the way she will go about things turns what is already a delicate, emotionally charged situation into a series of traumatic events.’
‘She’s like the proverbial cat among the pigeons, a bull in a China shop, a tornado, causing devastation to everything and everyone in her path. Viv is a wonderfully complex character. She’ll do and say anything she needs to survive, but surviving isn’t enough for Viv…she has plans.’
Fans will also remember Simone from her iconic role in Bad Girls as ‘Helen Stewart’, the forgiving Larkhall prison governor whose romance with Nikki Wade became one of British TV’s most renowned LGBTQ+ love stories.
With River City announcing the show will come to an end in 2026 after 24 years on air, could Simone’s explosive character be a key player in the show’s endgame? If her soap track record is anything to go by, Viv Barton won’t go quietly!
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