Remember THIS?

We ask Tom and Linda to tell us why Lofty and Mary remain so memorable, over 30 years on...

“Mary made me think differently and really epitomised an alternative way of life,” says Linda. “Her look was so strong, and I remember Tony Holland [the show’s cocreator] telling me that he saw this woman walking down the road with a huge Mohawk, a short skirt and all this camouflage on, pushing a pram with a tiny baby. He said it was such a powerful image that he wrote Mary based on that. My favourite memories are of working with June Brown [Dot]. She remains a great friend to this day.” “Lofty was a fantastic part to play,” says Tom.

“He wasn’t just a poor sap or comic relief – there were some huge stories with him. You have to remember that back then, Michelle Fowler [played by Susan Tully] was what Eastenders was all about. Everything else went on around that – she was the heart of it. The whole relationship with Michelle and the Fowlers was amazing, and I got on very well with Sue Tully. The whole experience was really good.”