EastEnders' Mary the Punk star unrecognisable 37 years since quitting soap

Daily Mirror

18 hours ago

Mary 'the Punk' Smith was a big part of the original EastEnders line-up when it first aired in 1985, with viewers fondly remembering the character who left just three years later
EastEnders legend Mary 'the Punk' was part of the original cast of 23 who first arrived on our TV screens back in 1985. Other now-familiar faces first setting foot in Albert Square back then included Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), Ali Osman (Nejdet Adamson/Salih) and Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
Mary was a young, single mother who ended up in all manner of scrapes, largely due to her irresponsible nature and lack of willingness to heed good advice. She was unable to read or write and hid herself under punk make-up – a northern girl all alone in a southern city.
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For Canadian-British actress Linda Davidson, a role in the brand-new BBC One soap was the big acting break she needed, having just finished learning her craft at the prestigious Italia Conti Academy in London. During her time on the soap she became romantically involved with co-star Nejdet Salih, who played Ali Osman and ran the café and his own taxi firm.
Meanwhile, Mary's three years in Albert Square, saw herself in a number of difficult situations, with storylines focusing on unemployment and drugs, as well as one where she dabbled with prostitution – that drew controversy for linking it with single mums.
However, Linda quit the soap for pastures new in 1988 when she was offered a part in a play. She went on to appear in TV shows including First of the Summer Wine, Casualty, The House of Eliott and The Bill, and also starred in a revival of The Rocky Horror Show in London's West End.
After that, she secured a role looking after the BBC's drama websites and became editor of E4 interactive in the 2000s.
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Viewers assumed they'd seen the last of Mary in EastEnders, never to return. But Linda has reprised the role twice since 1988, firstly in 2019 for the funeral of the soap's beloved character, Dr Harold Legg, alongside actor Tom Watt who played Lofty Holloway, leaving fans 'in awe'. Reflecting on her EastEnders homecoming at the time, Linda said: "EastEnders was my first proper family. It gave me stability and a fantastic foundation from which to build an incredible life.
"The people of EastEnders have been a consistent thread throughout the intervening years. I am so thrilled, and very proud to be returning to that family 35 years later. It's going to be a blast!"
She returned again in 2022 for the funeral of Dot Branning after the actress who played her, June Brown, sadly died aged 95.