Bonnie Langford has discussed the potential of a return to EastEnders.

Advertisement

The much-loved Doctor Who actress made a strong impression as Carmel Kazemi in the BBC One soap after making her debut in 2015 as the bubbly mother of market trader Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami), later moving to Walford with her son Shakil (Shaheen Jafargholi).

After a fair few feuds and romances, Carmel departed Walford in 2018 after losing her son Shakil to knife crime, moving to Dubai.

Since then, Carmel’s eldest son Kush was murdered by serial killer Gray Atkins (portrayed by Toby-Alexander Smith) in 2021. Carmel did not return for a funeral and Kush’s remains were sent to Dubai.

Despite the tragedy that befell the character, could Langford ever see herself reprising the role, particularly with the soap celebrating its 40th anniversary next year?

Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor stands beside Bonnie Langford as Mel Bush, he is wearing a black leather jacket and white t-shirt and she has a red jacket on, for Doctor Who.
Bonnie Langford reprises her role as Mel Bush (right) in Doctor Who opposite Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor in the final episodes of the latest season. BBC/James Pardon

When asked about the prospect of a Carmel comeback, Langford told RadioTimes.com: "She's apparently sunning herself in Dubai or she was in a taxi on the way there. She took a long time and got rather wet.

"You know, in light of Doctor Who, you just cannot predict anything. Because if someone had said to me 37 years ago, you would be playing this character again, in a different form but, you know, that will be essentially her in 37 years, I would have laughed and gone, 'Are you kidding me? No.'

"So, anything can happen. Anything can happen, and this is the whole beauty of storytelling. You can tell whatever story you like, and I would be delighted to, and I've got loads of friends there now as well.

"I'd love to go and see… I would never put a kibosh on anything, because I think anything is possible. It's important, sometimes people want to know what happened - what happened next?

"So, you never know. Carmel has got a grandson, Arthur, still there, and has a lot of history and a lot of friends, but you just don't know, so you never say never!"

Bonnie Langford as Carmel Kazemi holding baby Arthur in EastEnders in 2018.
Bonnie Langford as Carmel Kazemi holding baby Arthur around her exit from EastEnders in 2018. BBC

The actress can be seen reprising her classic Doctor Who role as Mel Bush in the upcoming two-part finale, beginning with this Saturday's instalment The Legend of Ruby Sunday, which she described to us as "camp as hell!".

Meanwhile, Langford's debut as Carmel will arrive on BBC iPlayer later this month, when the EastEnders 2015 box set arrives on the streaming service on 25th June 2024.

Doctor Who continues Saturdays on BBC One and iPlayer.

Advertisement

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Lewis KnightTrends Editor

Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement