EastEnders' Jessie Wallace calls for iconic Slater character's return to soap: "Can we make that happen?"
The Kat Slater star would love to see a reunion with her on-screen daughter Zoe.
EastEnders star Jessie Wallace has revealed she would love to see her on-screen family member Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) make a return to the soap.
Zoe and Wallace's character Kat Slater were famously involved in one of the most iconic twists in the soap's long history back in 2001, when it was dramatically revealed that the latter was in fact Zoe's mother, and not her sister as had previously been believed.
Wallace and Ryan both initially left the soap in 2005, but while the latter has never been back, the former has returned for multiple stints since and has been a permanent fixture of the cast again since 2018.
And speaking on the first episode of co-star Lacey Turner's new podcast We Started Here, Wallace said it would be great to see Zoe back in Albert Square too.
"You've had some really iconic storylines," Turner said. "The Kat and Zoe one... I'd love it if she came back. Would you?"
Wallace replied: "I think it'd be great. I think it would be lovely."
When Turner then uttered the words "Hello Mum", Wallace added: "Oh, that's given me goosebumps. Can we make that happen? Wouldn't it be great?"
Meanwhile, thinking back to what it was like to feature in the aforementioned storyline, Wallace admitted that it "was really hard".
She explained: "This is back in the day when we used to get, like. sacks full of fan mail, and the majority were teenage girls going through the same thing or been through the same thing... that were relating to Kat and coming to me for help.
"But I'm an actor and it had to be passed on to the NSPCC, which was really tough. But yeah, the impact it made. Originally Kat had Zoe when she was 12, but [executive producer] John Yorke changed it to she was 14, so now I've got to carry around the fact that Kat's two years older than me. So I'm 54 on screen!"
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Interestingly, last year Ryan revealed that she would "never say never" to an EastEnders return in the future.
Replying to Instagram comments from fans on a post she'd shared of a reunion with former co-star Kacey Ainsworth, Ryan also said "that’s for the producers to decide" when asked about the possibility of a return. So it looks like it definitely isn't off the cards...
Read more:
- EastEnders airs update on absent major character in early BBC iPlayer release
- EastEnders fans have the chance to appear in an episode – here's how
- EastEnders confirms 40th anniversary documentary with Ross Kemp and 2 iconic former stars
- Why EastEnders must not resurrect Grant Mitchell and Sharon Watts's romance
- EastEnders airs tribute to iconic Peggy Mitchell line in early iPlayer episode
- EastEnders 2025 preview: 12 spoilers for the year ahead
We Started Here will be available on all podcast platforms from Tuesday 28th January, while EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
