Inside Soap UK 31 - 2017

“Kellie Bright has really been missed!” Hooray! Linda is back in Walford this week – and we’ll finally get some pay-off to the controversial Whitney and Mick romance plot. I can Linda to find out what naughty Mick has been up to! Although we have had the odd appearance or two from her, Kellie Bright has really been missed, as Linda feels like a beating heart of the show – and Albert Square is a much richer place in her presence. And let’s not forget, it isn’t just Mick who has a secret – we still don’t know what Linda is hiding and why she’s been so reluctant to return to Walford until now. Tuesday’s episode features only Mick, Linda and Whitney, so fasten your seatbelts – it sounds like…

Linda makes a full-time return to Walford this week – and finally learns the truth about Mick’s stolen kisses with Whitney! The stage is set for a nail-biting showdown as the trio face off in a special three-hander episode that’s dedicated solely to the love triangle. How will Linda cope with the news that her husband has cheated? “Not very well!” exclaims actress Kellie Bright, who plays Mick’s wronged missus. “Linda reacts exactly how you think she would. She’s hurt and she’s angry – and she doesn’t know quite what to do or how to move forward from it. It knocks her for six!” The drama unfolds after Linda arrives home and sets about getting her house in order. She’s been away for over seven months caring for her sick…

It’s lovely to have you back, Kellie! How did it feel stepping into Linda’s shoes again? I did miss her! While I was away, I became the most obsessive watcher of EastEnders, and it was like being a voyeur of my other life. I honestly couldn’t miss an episode! But during that period, I did come back a couple of times, and that actually really helped. I felt that I’d tried Linda’s shoes on a few times at least. I may not have walked around in them – but I’d tried them on a little bit so that when I did come back, it didn’t feel completely alien. What did you think when you went through that first batch of scripts? I got the first four scripts together and the…

“Leanne is just about to dump Steve – she’s really put on the spot” Leanne wakes up with a banging headache and deep regret this week, after drunkenly saying she’ll marry Steve. But can he convince her to keep her vow? She’s gobsmacked when she remembers taking Steve up on his madcap proposal while tiddly, and she’s keen to right the wrong. But Steve is dead serious about making her the sixth Mrs McDonald and giving baby son Oliver a secure family life. Will Leanne make him see it’s a ridiculous idea, or does the loveable fella have an ace up his sleeve? “Leanne is mortified when she wakes up and realises!” laughs Jane Danson, who plays the frazzled fiancée. “She doesn’t know what to do. Eva and Toyah tell…

Star Jane has had to play out years of romantic drama courtesy of her alter ego, and Steve is just the latest in a line of unsuitable men. “Leanne has never considered Steve as a romantic option,” admits the actress. “Yes, they had their drunken one-night stand – but other than that, they’ve just been great friends. If something romantic were going to happen between them, it would have happened before now.” Leanne caution to the wind and give Steve a chance? “I think Leanne needs to learn to stand on her own two feet for a bit, and not feel like she has to rely on a man,” says Jane. “She is a Battersby, and they know how to look after themselves. But I would certainly advise her against…

“Robert has been slipping drugs into Lawrence’s drink!” Robert’s bid to snatch control of Home Farm has catastrophic consequences this week, when Lawrence gets behind the wheel after Robert has secretly drugged him! In no fit state to drive, groggy Lawrence heads for the hubbub of a Zombie Run event being held on the estate – and ends up hurtling towards Belle, Victoria and his grandson Lachlan at top speed… “Robert is trying to get Lawrence out of the way so he can manipulate control of Home Farm,” reveals Ryan Hawley, who plays Robert. “He’s secretly been slipping sleeping medication into Lawrence’s brandy to make him drowsy and slow down his recovery following his aneurysm. But even Robert will feel guilty when he realises that he’s put his own sister’s…