Shane Richie teases another huge EastEnders comeback after it's confirmed Michelle Ryan will return as Zoe
The BBC One soap actor has opened up about huge storylines for the year ahead
over the moon Shane Richie teases another huge EastEnders comeback after it's confirmed Michelle Ryan will return as Zoe
SHANE Richie has hinted about another EastEnders star's comeback after it was revealed Michelle Ryan is returning as Zoe Slater.
The soap legend opened up about the new executive producer Ben Wadey's plans as he takes over the role from Chris Clenshaw.
2
Kat and Alfie Moon with Alfie's brother Spencer
Credit: BBC
2
The retired actor is in demand for a comeback
Credit: BBC
In the week that the BBC soap won a total of eight gongs for its 40th anniversary episodes, actor Shane teased "fireworks" and the potential for Spencer Moon to return.
He told the Mirror: "Chris has told me some things. I said 'let me sit down'.
"There's fireworks, there's Kat and Alfie. There is a story that is about to kick in, which will carry on through to after Christmas. Honestly it's a big story.
"If you thought the 40th was big wait until you see this story. That's all I'm saying."
Talking about the potential for his on-screen brother to rejoin the soap, Shane said: "I would like him to come back.
"One of my sons keeps in touch with Christopher [Parker], but he's a lawyer now.
"He flies between LA and London. I would love to think that one day they might bring back Spencer, but so much is going on at the moment. Alfie could probably do without that."
Christopher played Spencer Moon between 2002 and 2005 before he quit acting for good and started working as a lawyer.
The Sun revealed actress Michelle, 41, is back on Albert Square later this year - two decades after quitting the soap.
Michelle starred on the soap from 2000 to 2005, before moving to Hollywood after landing the lead role in a series called Bionic Woman.
EastEnders' Shane Richie reveals new trauma for Alfie Moon amid prostate cancer storyline
A source said: 'Bosses have repeatedly reached out to Michelle over the years, but the timing has never been quite right.
'People are still talking about her character, so it's a real coup to bring her back.
'She feels like now is the perfect moment — and there was an exciting script on the table.'
EastEnders was awarded Best Soap after its huge live episode and anniversary week which saw Anita Dobson return as Angie Watts and Martin Fowler killed off in the arms of his love, Stacey.
Actress Lacey Turner received the trophy for Best Leading Performer ahead of her impending exit from the show.
The 40th anniversary also managed to clutch the Scene of the Year thanks to Angie's shock return.
Steve McFadden a won a trophy for Best Dramatic Performance as Phil Mitchell, but did not attend the ceremony with Angela Wynter and Rudolph Walker also receiving prizes as Patrick and Yolande for the Best On-Screen Partnership award.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The Office star rushed to hospital with medical emergency during filming for BBC show
The Office star Sally Bretton was reportedly rushed to hospital for a medical emergency during filming for a BBC show. The actress, 45, was forced to seek medical help after being left 'in pain' while filming scenes for Not Going Out in front of a live audience. Her Not Going Out co-star Lee Mack explained that the pair were filming the sitcom 'as live' like a play when production halted so Sally could make a dash to the nearest hospital. Lee, who plays a version of himself, and Sally who portrays his wife Lucy in the long-running programme, were filming an episode about the couple struggling to get their hands on Oasis reunion tour tickets. Lee told The Mirror: 'There was a moment in that Oasis episode when we were filming it, when Sally said to me - she looked a bit in pain, "Do you know what appendicitis feels like?" From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The actress, 45, was forced to seek medical help after being left 'in pain' while filming scenes for Not Going Out in front of a live audience [pictured with co-star Lee Mack on the show] 'I said, "I have no idea but I can tell you now you haven't got appendicitis, otherwise you wouldn't be here filming" The next day she had her appendix out.' Meanwhile, the comedian told how the pair got 'emotional' when looking back on their several years of starring in the sitcom, which began in 2006. He added: 'When we look back, Sally and I do get a bit emotional. We've been in the show a long time and there are different eras of it, especially when you look at all the people from the past who have been in the show and come and gone.' It comes amid news that Not Going Out is returning to screens this month for a brand new series in a huge win for fans. The award-winning popular show created by comedian Lee Mack, is set for a comeback for a six-part series 14, around two years after the latest episodes aired. First released in 2006, it follows unambitious layabout Lee, played by the funny man, and his best friend's sister Lucy (Sally Bretton), who is also the landlady of his London flatshare. A will-they-won't-they romance between the two unfolded over several series, until the unlikely couple married in the season seven finale, just before having a baby. The eighth series jumped eight years into the future, with all subsequent instalments following their chaotic family life with three children. And now series 14 will move the story on several years more, when the couple are empty nesters and moved out of their suburban family home - but still up to plenty of antics. It has also been recommissioned for a fifteenth series, of six episodes, which will be released next year. The upcoming new series will have all the hijinks viewers have come to expect with Not Going Out. Things get awkward in the first episode when Lee and Lucy decide to move house - but the vendor at one of the viewings they go to has a weird issue with them using the loo. Episode two sees Lee bring back a battered box from the tip - which, in a particularly baffling revelation, turns out to contain a sex doll. After an eventful trip in a worse-for-wear campervan in the third episode, the fourth sees Lee and Lucy have the falling out we all had last year: over the online queue for Oasis tickets. And the series ends with the couple taking a punt as extras on a TV series in the fifth episode - before another eventful holiday in the final instalment. The programme is the country's longest-running UK sitcom currently on air, having hit its 100th episode with the Christmas special that ended the last series in 2023.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
EastEnders legend ‘in denial' as he makes unexpected life change after show exit
EastEnders legend James Bye left the show in dramatic fashion when character Martin Fowler was killed off earlier this year, but leaving the BBC soap isn't the only major life change the actor has made this year. Martin died in emotional scenes during the 40th anniversary live episode after being crushed by a beam when the Queen Vic collapsed. Since leaving the show, actor James has been touring the UK with the stage show Death Comes to Pemberley, but now he's taking on a brand new challenge, alongside wife Victoria. Taking to Instagram, Victoria shared the news that the couple, who share four children, had sold their house and moved into a caravan. 'Now, you may wonder what in the hell we're doing (I know we do, both still I denial I think!) But there's method to my madness, I hope… We've decided to selfbuild our own house,' she explained. 'A dream we've long since had & just never had the time… or the belief that we could. And yet somehow, when it feels like we've got more than ever on our plate, we thought. Sod it. It's now or never. This is our year for change… And so we are…' She went on to explain how both of their parents had also built their dream homes, and that James' sister was conceived in their caravan while their house was being built. Their decision received plenty of support in the comments, with Zack Hudson star James Farrar offering to help with the garden. More Trending 'I think you DO have a bloody clue what you're doing – and we can't wait to watch the build,' he wrote. 'I'll help with the garden and bringing good beers for sundowners. Love you lot,' he added. Other followers were quick to wish the family luck on their new adventure, with one saying: 'Good luck! I bet it will be very exciting for the boys! New adventure for the whole family!' View More » 'Absolutely fantastic! I don't envy you living in a caravan but the end result will be awesome! Can't wait to see how it all pans out. Best of luck guys!' Another said. MORE: Emmerdale star 'excited and a little nervous' as she confirms she's pregnant MORE: EastEnders legend reveals 'joys of unemployment' following BBC soap exit MORE: British Soap Awards 2025 afterparty evacuated due to security alert
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
EastEnders legend Ross Kemp refuses to rule out return
The 60-year-old returned to EastEnders as Grant Mitchell after almost 10 years away earlier this year. His character arrived back on the Square to help his brother Phil with his mental health problems. Grant recently left Walford again for his home in Portugal. 🏆🥳 WINNER! 🥳🏆 What a year and what an honour to be crowned Best British Soap at The British @SoapAwards 2025 by the people who matter the most - YOU! ❤️ Thank you to everyone who voted! Lots of love, your #EastEnders family. #TheBritishSoapAwards @BBC @BBCOne @BBCiPlayer Speaking on Loose Women, Kemp said he owes the BBC soap 'a great debt' for giving him a career in television. Asked whether he would return to the role of Grant again, Kemp said: 'You just don't know, do you? You don't know what's in the minds of the people who work on it. 'I've also (always) known that without it, I wouldn't have had the career that I've had, I've always owed it a great debt and it was very good to me, and hopefully I was good to it, and why not keep it that way? 'I've always believed that you should leave doors swinging rather than shut them.' Kemp, who went on to produce a number of documentaries since first leaving EastEnders in 1999 including Ross Kemp On Gangs, Ross Kemp In Afghanistan and Ross Kemp: Extreme World, said he enjoyed returning to the soap. He explained: 'It was so wonderful to jump into Grant's leather jacket again, which I can still get in. 'It's a family, it's an ongoing thing, and I'm talking about the past, and they're really busy doing their own thing, I just parachute in, and I exit generally by the tube station. 'But they've got to be welcoming, because it's like a high-speed train, you've got to jump on it at the right time or you miss it. 'So luckily, Steve McFadden (who plays Phil), and Paul Bradley (who plays Nigel Bates), and Letitia (Dean, who plays Sharon Watts) opened the door for me, and it was like going back home, and it was great.' Their brotherly love on-screen may have been tested over the years, but in real life Kemp and actor McFadden share a close relationship. 'We've [McFadden and I] always remained friends, but, yeah, we are more in touch since I've gone back for the 40th anniversary,' Kemp told The Mirror earlier this year. 'Steve is a fine actor and I don't think soap actors get recognised for how good they are.' Recommended reading: EastEnders fans 'emotional' at 40th anniversary documentary EastEnders' Shane Ritchie teases return of Spencer Moon EastEnders star Michelle Ryan set for return to BBC soap Kemp began on the soap in 1990, and his previous appearance prior to his 2025 return, in 2016, marked his on-screen mother Dame Barbara Windsor's final episode as Peggy Mitchell. Kemp lives in the picturesque Thames-side village of Cookham in Berkshire. He is well known within the community and has openly spoken about how he frequently visits nearby Marlow's restaurants.
