ENDERS SENSATION
15 years on... and just look what the cat’s dragged in!
WHEN she skipped bail and hightailed it out of Albert Square for Portugal, no one expected EastEnders’ Melanie Owen would ever be back.
But more than 15 years on, actress Tamzin Outhwaite is making a dramatic return.
“When I got the call asking if I would consider coming back to EastEnders, it was something I just couldn’t refuse,” she said.
“EastEnders is in my DNA and I always knew deep down that someday I would revisit Mel. Stepping into Mel’s shoes feels perfect.”
The 46-year-old became a household name playing Mel from 1998 until 2002 and was involved in some of the soap’s biggest plots.
A show source said: “Mel’s return will turn a few heads – and tear open old wounds.”
BBC viewers last saw her fleeing the Square after unwittingly becoming caught up in a drug smuggling operation run by her dead gangster hubby Steve Owen, played by Martin Kemp.
GHOSTS
Before that fans gasped in horror as she reluctantly agreed to marry Ian Beale – only to dump him moments later after finding out he had lied about daughter Lucy having cancer.
Tamzin, who went on to star in Red Cap and New Tricks, will begin filming again on the Square in the next few weeks and will appear on our screens in the New Year.
Enders’ creative director John Yorke gushed: “Tamzin is one of EastEnders’ biggest stars, so it’s particularly exciting to welcome her back to Walford for an incredible storyline – one that will awaken a lot of old ghosts, some great memories, and a whole new series of adventures too.
“We’re thrilled and flattered to have Tamzin back and we can’t wait to reveal just where she’s been, and just who Mel is now.”
The insider added: “John has got some huge shocks lined up. He is determined to get people talking about the soap and tuning in.”