Patsy Palmer
“Bianca’s in for a hard time – she hasn’t been there for her kids”
I’ve always thought that if there was a big storyline – like a wedding – it would be weird if Bianca wasn’t there,” explains actress Patsy Palmer, revealing why the time was right to dust off Ms Jackson’s gaudy clobber, and return to Walford for daughter Whitney’s marriage to Callum. “This is the first time I’ve been asked back to Eastenders since I left, and it was a very easy decision.
“Honestly, walking on to the Square again, it was like I’d never left – and has been an absolute dream,” adds Patsy. “It’s been five years, but there is something about this place [Eastenders]
– it gets in your DNA. I think it almost becomes a part of you, and when you’ve been in a show for so long, it becomes a second home.”
Bianca’s reappearance this week proves that you can take the girl out of Walford… but never Walford out of the girl! However, for Patsy – who swapped Blighty for the States in 2014, when she and her family moved to California – the Square has undergone a few changes since she was last in town.
“Well, this is brand new – it’s a really cool bar and all glittery,” laughs the 47-year-old actress, as we chat inside the Prince Albert. “There are a few new sets that I haven’t been in, which is great, but really everything
looks the same to me. It has to – it’s Albert Square!
“Although, the fashion has changed and everyone seems to be wearing all the stuff Bianca wears, like her neon outfits,” continues Patsy. “Her costumes have always been a little bit ‘out there’, so it’s been nice this time putting on some new ones and mixing it up a bit with the old
stuff. It’s always good fun!”
Wedding daze!
Last seen waving goodbye to her family and friends for a new life in Milton Keynes with boyfriend Terry Spraggan, Bi hasn’t just missed the opening of the local gay bar. Her daughter Whitney – having already suffered one failed marriage to
Lee Carter – is about to get hitched again. And boy, it’s set to be a corker!
“Eastenders gets in your DNA – it almost becomes a part of you…”
“Bianca comes back for Whitney and Callum’s wedding, but like any Walford wedding, things don’t quite go to plan – at all!” despairs Patsy, speaking from the experience of having filmed two of Bianca’s disastrous nuptials to Ricky Butcher, back in the day. “Bi gets into trouble with Kat, and it all ends in disaster. It’s a classic race to the church and a question of whether or not they’ll make it in time. It’s just what seems to happen to Bianca – trouble follows her!”
It doesn’t surprise us that Bi ends up stealing all the attention away from bride Whitney, but really, perhaps Bianca should be aiming to keep a low profile. In recent months, stories such as Tiffany being groomed by Evie were crying out for Bianca’s return. Where was the girl’s mother when her teenage daughter was in such dire straits? Questions will be answered, promises Patsy.
“Bianca’s in for a bit of a hard time, as she’s been in Milton Keynes and hasn’t been there for her kids,” sighs the star, who has four children – Charley, 25, Fenton, 17, Emilia, 16 and Bertie, eight. “Bianca and Tiffany both have things that they are not telling each other, so it’s very hard for them to have a conversation about it. We’re going to learn in the coming weeks why Bianca has been so quiet.”
Hurricane Bianca
We rarely associate the word ‘quiet’ with rowdy Bianca, and we’ll be surprised if she doesn’t put her gob to good use, if the truth about future son-in-law Callum’s fling with Ben becomes public knowledge. Should the cheating fellas batten down the hatches for Hurricane Bianca?
“If she finds out everything, Bianca will be shocked at first, and really angry to learn that Callum has cheated
on Whitney,” warns Patsy. “Although, if it does all come out, I think Whitney and Callum would eventually become best friends, and Bianca would just love him. He’s such a sweet guy – but we’ll have to wait and see…”
While the lines of communication between Bianca and her offspring haven’t been up to much, Patsy has managed to keep in touch with her Eastenders cast mates and all the goings-on in Walford.
“A few of them have been out to visit me in America, which is great,” she grins. “Natalie Cassidy [who plays Bi’s sister Sonia] and I have a little text – and also Shona [Mcgarty, aka Whitney] – to see how we’re doing. And what about Maisie
[Smith, who plays Tiffany]? All of a sudden, she is a woman! She’s so grown up and beautiful.”
Stateside story
Patsy confirmed during a recent interview on ITV’S This Morning that she spent three weeks filming Bianca’s brief comeback, so viewers will have to make the most of her while they can. That’s because Patsy is loving life across the pond with husband Richard Merkell, and they have no regrets about their decision to emigrate.
“We always said we wanted to go,” explains the actress. “It was a running joke in my family for years that everywhere I went I wanted it to be warmer, and for there to be a beach. I’m drawn to the ocean! I lived in Brighton over here previously, and the weather just wasn’t there.
“Where we live now isn’t Los Angeles – it’s actually further along the coast in Malibu,” adds Patsy. “Most of the area burned [during the Woolsey wildfires in California last year], and a lot of our closest friends lost their homes. Luckily we didn’t, but living somewhere like that makes you realise how close you are to natural disaster. I love where I live in Malibu, though – it’s beautiful. It’s a really down-to-earth place. People don’t even get dressed – you can go and have your coffee in your pyjamas!”
“Bianca comes back for Whitney and Callum’s wedding, but things don’t quite go to plan – at all!”