Big Mo’s back.. at 78
Eastenders actor Laila delighted to wreak havoc in Walford again
LAILA Morse is returning home to Albert Square to play Eastenders favourite Mo Harris at the age of 78.
Big Mo is the Slater family’s battleaxe, infamous for one-liners and dodgy deals.
Now she is back again to wreak havoc, with BBC1 filming due to start in spring.
Laila said she is delighted to return to Walford to bring Mo back to life.
She added: “Eastenders holds such a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to be reunited with my on-screen family, who are like my family, as well as old and new faces.”
Laila was on the soap for 16 years from 2000 before returning for three years from 2018. Her iconic plots included a feud with Pat Butcher, helping Sonia Fowler to give birth on Dot Cotton’s sofa, and pretending Kat Slater died in a cash-making scheme.
Mo left in 2021 to go on a cruise with fiancé Fat Elvis, and made a guest appearance at
Kat and Phil Mitchell’s botched wedding in 2022. Now she will dramatically return with great-grandson Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier). Patsy Palmer (Bianca Jackson), Linda Henry (Shirley Carter) and Michelle Collins (Cindy Beale) have also made comebacks in recent years.
The plot for Mo’s return remains under wraps but a source said: “Where Mo goes, trouble inevitably follows.”
Executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: “Although her time away has been short-lived, the Slater family has endured a huge amount of drama. Mo’s return will be no different.”
An exclusive first look at Mo and Freddie’s return will air on the soap’s Tiktok channel, following them in Mo’s caravan home.