Dotty Cotton's mother is heading back to Albert Square.
Martha Cope will join the cast of BBC soap EastEnders this autumn in the role of Sandy Gibson, the mother of Dotty Cotton (Milly Zero).
The character first appeared briefly back in 2010 (then played by Caroline Pegg), when she was reunited with her daughter for the first time by Dot Cotton (June Brown), whose villainous son Nick had taken her away.
Dotty returned to Walford without her mother in 2019, initially intending to study in London, but little has been known about the fate of her mother up to now.
That will soon change, however, when Sandy returns to Albert Square bringing plenty of drama with her, as the synopsis teases she has "a troubled life that she can't seem to escape".
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On her arrival to Albert Square, Cope said: "I have watched EastEnders since it began and I’m beyond excited to join such an iconic show and having a great time playing Sandy."
Little is known about exactly what the EastEnders writers have in store for Sandy, but we do know that it will be "not quite the reunion her daughter was hoping for".
EastEnders executive producer Jon Sen added: "Martha is a brilliant addition to our cast – we’re excited to welcome her to Walford. To say Sandy has a chequered past is an understatement and it’s no secret that Dotty’s upbringing was marred by her parents. Sandy’s arrival catches Dotty off guard and she’ll be forced to confront everything she’s tried to leave behind."
Cope has previously appeared in a number of the UK's most popular shows, including Holby City, Vera, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Doctor Who, where she played Bad Wolf's Controller in Russell T Davies' first revived series.
EastEnders continues at 8:10pm on Monday 30th August. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
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