Who is EastEnders' returnee Mary 'The Punk' Smith? Character explained
All you need to know as the classic character returns to honour Dot.
As EastEnders prepares to say a final goodbye to legacy character Dot Branning (June Brown), a host of former characters are heading home to pay their respects. Mary 'The Punk' Smith formed a close connection to Dot during the 1980s, and she will be back as the funeral gets underway in upcoming scenes.
A memorable mainstay from 1985, Mary has quite the backstory, so as we look forward to seeing her once more, what do we need to know ahead of her latest appearance?
Read on as we fill you in on her story so far.
Who is Mary 'The Punk' Smith and who plays her?
Played by Linda Davidson, Mary was largely known as Mary 'The Punk' during her first stint on EastEnders from 1985 to 1988. She arrived in Walford with her baby daughter Annie, and viewers learned that she had been touring with a punk group when she got pregnant and moved to London, wanting to avoid her judgmental family who disapproved of Mary's lifestyle.
As a single mother, Mary struggled to bring up her daughter. She was inexperienced and had no money, and made mistakes when she refused to take on advice from various locals. When illiterate Mary accidentally gave Annie the wrong dosage of medication, the young girl was nearly put in harm's way. Almost everyone on the Square took a turn in looking after Annie, and Dot formed an unlikely friendship with Mary. She often babysat while Mary went out to party or try and earn cash, and became one of the few people that Mary would listen to.
Strapped for cash, a friend convinced Mary to take a job as a stripper. But when Annie was put at risk by an irresponsible babysitter, Mary cut ties and took reading lessons from nurse Andy O'Brien (Ross Davidson). But when she fell for Andy, changing her punk image and trying to kiss him, he let her down and Mary angrily ditched his lessons. Nick Cotton (John Altman) tried to persuade Mary to make money via prostitution, and Mary was tempted. But Andy found her a job in a hospital canteen instead, which helped her situation until she was promoted and scared that she would have to admit she couldn't read.
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Penniless once more, Mary chose prostitution after being encouraged by Pat Wicks (Pam St Clement). The residents were concerned as she threw herself into the job, but Pat had a change of heart and refused to give Mary any more contacts. Heading out to poach clients alone, Mary was beaten by fellow sex workers who wanted to prevent her from getting work. But, leaving Annie alone while she worked, the child almost died in a fire and she was reported for neglect.
Dot could no longer stand by and do nothing, so she called Mary's parents who took Annie home with them. Mary began a romance with Rod Norman (Christopher McHallem), who helped her turn her back on sex work and plan to regain custody of Annie. But Mary's mother now wanted custody too, so social services were involved. She was eventually reunited with Annie, but Mary began a drug habit and neglected her again. When her family attempted to intervene, Mary took Annie and hopped on a bus out of Walford, sticking two fingers up as she went!
When was Mary last in EastEnders?
More than 30 years after her hasty exit, Davidson reprised her role in 2019 as Mary and Annie (now played by Marilyn O'Brien) returned to Albert Square for the funeral of Doctor Legg (Leonard Fenton). Dot was delighted to see the pair, and surprised to hear that grown up Annie was now a high ranking police officer.
When Mary reminded Dot of her part in all that had happened, Dot pointed out that she had warned her about her behaviour. Mary admitted that thanks to Dot, she had finally got her act together and she was very grateful for her.
As Mary and Annie joined Dot and other old friends to pay tribute to Dr Legg, this was the last time we saw Mary - until now. She'll rightly be making her way to the church as Dot is laid to rest.
Speaking about the special episodes, Davidson revealed: "I did feel honoured. I felt really humbled by the reverence [June Brown] was afforded for those two episodes, and quite rightly so.
"When Dr Legg’s funeral happened, none of the curtains on the Square were drawn, and June thought it wasn’t very respectful, so it was very pleasing to see that all the curtains were drawn as a mark of respect for her. She cared a lot about things like that, and she’ll be very pleased that it did happen for Dot’s funeral."
Read more:
- EastEnders Christmas preview: Mick Carter in danger and Jay's special plans for Lola
- EastEnders fans will struggle with Dot's funeral: "Not a dry eye"
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 or Streaming Guide, or visit our Soaps hub.
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