EastEnders' Lacey Turner reunites with iconic co-stars for podcast series - including actors behind Kush and Shabnam

The episodes will see Turner share her own experiences and discuss with guests their auditions, interviews and failed attempts at roles as they discuss the power of the soap genre both on and off screen.

Describing the podcast, Turner said: "The We Started Here podcast is a celebration of people who started their careers in soap, whether that’s in front of or behind the camera.

"We’ve got an array of directors, writers and actors all talking about how they got into their roles, where it led them, and how they went from soap to where they are now."

The first episode, which will release today (28th January) on BBC Sounds, will see Turner interview co-star Jessie Wallace, best known for her iconic role as Stacey’s on-screen cousin and Slater matriarch, Kat Slater.

Turner added: "I just love hearing other people’s stories. Obviously, I’ve spent 20 years in a soap, and I’ve been lucky enough to do other things as well, but it’s really nice to hear stories from other people, especially people who aren’t on the same side of the camera as I am.

"Someone like [writer and producer] Sarah Phelps; to be able to listen to her, and how she’s got to where she is, I just find it fascinating."

Of Phelps, Turner noted that she "had a massive part to play in my career as she wrote a lot of Stacey and Jean’s storylines in the beginning".

Highlighting other guests, the actress went on: "Jessie Wallace, my wonderful friend. Mandip Gill, Ricky Whittle, Davood Ghadami and Rakhee Thakrar, plus Jimmy McGovern, he was amazing."

So, here is the lowdown on all of the guests taking part.

'We Started Here' with Lacey Turner guests

Jessie Wallace

Of course, Wallace is best known for her role as Kat Slater, who she has played on and off from the year 2000 to the present day (2000–2005, 2010–2016, 2018–present, to be exact).

In between, Wallace has also trodden the boards on the West End stage, starred in television titles such as Miss Marie Lloyd and Wild at Heart, while also garnering a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her turn as Pat Phoenix in the acclaimed television film The Road to Coronation Street.

Jimmy McGovern

An acclaimed screenwriter and producer, Jimmy McGovern is best known for being the creator of the hit crime series Cracker.

However, before he worked on acclaimed dramas such as Hillsborough, The Lakes, The Street and Accused, McGovern worked on the groundbreaking Channel 4 soap Brookside and also wrote on Coronation Street.

Ricky Whittle

Ricky Whittle rose to prominence first as a model for Reebok before taking on the iconic Hollyoaks role of Calvin Valentine from 2006 to 2011. After leaving Hollyoaks, Whittle found roles in major US dramas, including Single Ladies, Mistresses and The 100, and was the lead in three seasons of American Gods.

Sarah Phelps

An acclaimed screenwriter, playwright and producer, Sarah Phelps rose to attention for her work writing on EastEnders, where she crafted many an iconic moment and storyline.

Since leaving the soap, Phelps has written on drama series including Great Expectations, The Crimson Field, The Casual Vacancy, And Then There Were None, Dickensian, The White Princess, Ordeal Boy Innocence, Dublin Murders, A Very British Scandal and The Sixth Commandment.

Mandip Gill

Outside her turn as Phoebe McQueen in Hollyoaks, Mandip Gill is best known for her turn as companion Yasmin Khan in Doctor Who. Elsewhere, Gill has starred in Cuckoo, Doctors, The Good Karma Hospital and Casualty.

Rakhee Thakrar and Davood Ghadami

Lacey will also reunite an on-screen couple - Rakhee Thakrar, who played Shabnam Masood in EastEnders, and Davood Ghadami, who played her husband Kush Kazemi. The pair were also in an on-screen love square with Lacey Turner’s Stacey - complicated when Stacey had a child with Kush.

Since both leaving EastEnders, Thakrar has starred in Sex Education, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Criminal: UK, The Girl Before, Rules of the Game and Karen Pirie. Meanwhile, Ghadami played the role of Eli Ebrahimi in Holby City and has appeared in its spin-off show Casualty and the BBC crime drama Beyond Paradise.

Anita Dobson

Who better to chat to around the 40th anniversary of EastEnders than the original Queen Vic landlady, Angie Watts?

Actress Anita Dobson will chat with Lacey as part of the series.

After playing Angie from 1985 to 1988, Anita appeared on numerous stage shows and had roles in films Darkness Falls and London Road.

Recently, Dobson joined the cast of Doctor Who as the mysterious recurring character Mrs Flood.

Read more:

• EastEnders airs update on absent major character in early BBC iPlayer release
• EastEnders airs unsettling twist for Cindy and Ian Beale 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

The We Started Here podcast launches on Tuesday 28th January – available on all podcast platforms.

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.