Mary Smith (Linda Davidson) – THEN
Okay so despite her fairly plain Jane sounding name, Mary Smith was the original Punk Queen of Walford. Not only was she a hair gel-wearing stripper (that ended up being conned into prostitution by Nasty Nick Cotton), she was also the Square’s worst mother ever.
And given the other mothers in Eastenders, that’s pretty damn impressive (social services in the area are the hardest working people in showbiz).
After bouncing around a couple of odd episodes after Eastenders, Linda Davidson starred as Columbia in Rocky Horror on the West End, before going into the digital media side of the business and working for Channel 4. But, never fear, it was announced she’d return to the square this year!
Linda Davidson (Mary Smith) – NOW
Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson) – THEN
Barry is a bit of an Eastenders legend; if not a bit of a buffoon too… He left the show in 2009 after a LOT of controversy.
Shaun wanted time off to star in a pantomime (as many soap actors do) but the executive producer refused his request and did the only thing you can do in Albert Square – KILLED him off!
He didn’t leave before a fair but of controversy; helping Cindy escape to the UK, hiring a man to torch the car-lot and getting pushed off a cliff!
Poor Barry…
Shaun has also appeared in extras as a satirical version of himself, was a contestant in Celebrity Big Brother, and has been on stage in stints of Saturday Night Fever, Guys and Dolls and various pantomimes.
Sonia Jackson (Natalie Cassidy) – THEN
Trumpets at the ready everybody! Yep, we’ve watched her grow from Fowler to Jackson, from awkward teen to spiralling adult. After becoming accidentally pregnant and not knowing until she was actually in labour (yep, that’s something that actual happened), her baby is given up for adoption.
She then tried to abduct her, gave her back, found out the new parents died in a car crash, found the new guardian and then discovers she’s a lesbian and goes on to seduce her daughter’s new guardian…
Yeah…
Natalie really has never fully left the square, returning more than just a few times in between stints on comedy panel shows and generally becoming a national treasure.
Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Jackson) – NOW
Johnny Allen (Billy Murray) – THEN
Johnny Allen. Otherwise known as the ugliest baby that Dot Cotton had ever seen… Johnny was a boxer from an early age, getting involved in the criminal underworld, he became a gangster. Surely, you can relate…
Jonny later married Stephanie, but in true Eastenders fashion, there had to be an affair somewhere down the line and Jonny started seeing Tina Stewart, a barmaid who worked for him. (Always a good idea…) Then his wife and eldest daughter were killed in an arson attack by one of his rivals! Boy, he got it rough…
After being killed off the show by a heart attack, Billy has since appeared in British films like Doghouse, Dead Cert and Rise of the Footsoldier.
In real life, but still full of drama, Billy appeared in court after he and three other men allegedly attacked two men who they thought were supplying drugs to their daughters, including Murray’s daughter who ran away from home and overdosed. He was cleared of the assault.
Billy Murray (Johnny Allen) – NOW
Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) – THEN
Perhaps one of the lesser ‘funny’ characters, (but definitely an interesting one) Chrissie was involved in a high profile narrative when she killed her husband in a fit of rage.
More than 14.34 million viewers tuned in to watch Chrissie get revenge on her villainous husband.
Chrissie was hailed by viewers and producers as one of the strongest women in Walford – known for her deviousness, schemes and always being two steps ahead of her wicked husband.
But you can’t be wicked forever and Chrissie left the show in 2005. Tracy, since, has been a writer, contributing to sketch shows and was a regular columnist for The Guardian in 2007.
Tracy-Ann Oberman (Chrissie Watts) – NOW
Tiffany Butcher (Maisie Smith) – THEN
The daughter of Bianca and Ricky, Tiffany is quite the tough girl. Arrested for assaulting a police officer, being left unconscious in a bin and being taken away, running over Bianca… As with any teen on Albert Square, Tiff didn’t really have an easy run of things.
2018 saw her return to the square in a full time role, her most prominent storyline being her friendship with Bernadette which turns into an on-screen kiss.
Maisie appeared in The Other Boleyn Girl and she even released her first single Good Thing in 2016.
Maisie also won an award for the ‘Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress’ at the British Soap Awards in 2009 and has been nominated for several awards since.
Maisie Smith (Tiffany Butcher) – THEN
Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully) – THEN
Another Fowler, another mystery pregnancy, except this time it turns out that Michelle actually wants to keep it. Well she does at the time – turns out teen pregnancies aren’t the easiest or most fun things in the world.
After her not great adolescence, she turns to the nicest person in the Square, Lofty the bartender (who was absolutely lovely until Michelle got to him – just saying…). A rushed wedding, a workplace rape, and some involvement with gangsters (including Dirty Den and Grant Mitchell) later, Michelle gets a job in the States and leaves.
Recently, Susan (now going by Sue) has turned her hand to directing, including episodes of The A Word, Silent Witness, and Diary of a Call Girl.
Susan Tully (Michelle Fowler) – NOW
Debbie Wilkins (Shirley Cheriton) – THEN
Realistically as soon as Debbie arrived in the Square, she should’ve realised this was not the place for her. She was the stereotypical social climber that everyone and their mum seems to know. Always trying to throw elaborate cocktail parties, Debbie was pretty much a giant snob to everyone in Walford.
However, we soon discover she was actually raised on the council estate next to the Square and she’s not the well to-do lady of the manor she claims to be.
Since leaving the show, Shirley hasn’t done a great deal, except starring in Are You Being Served, but after 1993 her acting credits start to dwindle. Who knows where this social climber ended up?!
Shirley Cheriton (Debbie Wilkins) – NOW
Poppy Meadow (Rachel Bright) – THEN
The best friend of Jodie Gold, Poppy was introduced mainly as a comedy character; just what Eastenders needed to provide an antidote to the dark and dreary main story lines.
Reviews of the character were pretty mixed ranging from:
“perhaps the greatest television bit-part character of the modern age”
to:
“bizarre and utterly irrelevant”
I guess, you decide for yourself where she stands. Since Eastenders, Rachel has appeared in a few small films here and there with other small roles in the theatre.
Rachel Bright (Poppy Meadow) – NOW
Lucy Beale (Melissa Suffield) – THEN
Now, when we’re talking about Lucy Beale, we are talking about the OG Lucy Beale, played by Melissa Suffield.
If the rumours are to be believed, Melissa’s behaviour was to blame for her leaving the show and being replaced by a different actress (who was later killed off).
Now, Melissa is all grown up after her controversial exit from the soap world and has released the hippy chic gal within her.
Her insta bio says:
“Living the joy and feeling the noise.”
Melissa Suffield (Lucy Beale) – NOW
Lofty Holloway (Tom Watt) – THEN
Oh Lofty, you poor bespectacled little lump.
After getting the pity of the Square and Michelle when he agrees to take her on after she has Vicki, he begins to come into his own and tries to adopt Vicki as his own. However, Michelle gets second thoughts and jilts our poor Lofty at the altar (how dare she!).
Flashforward and Lofty and Michelle are married and she discovers she’s pregnant with Lofty’s baby, but opts for an abortion which leaves Lofty devastated, and results in him leaving Walford.
Since leaving, Tom Watts has become a successful footballing broadcasters, making documentaries and writing books and columns for The Observer. He’s also returning to the Square this year – look out Danny Dyer, there’s a new barman in town.
Tom Watt (Lofty Holloway) – NOW
Jodie Gold (Kylie Babbington) – THEN
Jodie might not have been in the soap for very long but my God did she cause an impact.
The daughter of Vanessa Gold, she was introduced to be a special flame for Darren Miller and the two had a pretty feisty relationship. He even got a circumcision (because Jodie was Jewish), proposed to her and then stole money from the car lot to feed Jodie’s wardrobe and pay for her dream wedding.
Then Jodie discovered that he’d slept with Lauren Branning and still wanted to marry him anyway! Come on, queen. Darren couldn’t face the guilt, left Walford and Jodie left soon after.
Kylie is now married to long-term partner Jimi and has pretty much stayed out of the acting world since then.
Kylie Babbington (Jodie Gold) – NOW
Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) – THEN
You ain’t my mother!
Yes I am!
Pure, iconic, soap history.
Zoe Slater, one of the youngest of the infamous Slater clan, has had her fair share of ridiculous and violent storylines. Whether it’s discovering her sister is her mum, faking a pregnancy to get her old boyfriend to stay and then sleeping with his dad (Dirty Den) to keep the lie going, or inevitably joining forces with the ultimate Square girl squad to try and kill Den for all the trouble he’d caused over the year. Form an orderly queue, guys.
Michelle Ryan has had a pretty decent career since, starring in Doctor Who, Merlin, and starring in Cabaret on the West End.
Michelle Ryan (Zoe Slater) – NOW
Dot Cotton (June Brown) – THEN
First appearing in 1985, Dot Cotton has been an absolute icon of Eastenders.
Dot is many things; a gossip, a chain smoker, a hypochondriac and a Christian. But above all, her motherly attitude to those in need is the thing we all know and love about her.
Through Dot, the Eastenders writers have been able to explore some pretty controversial themes. Well, Eastenders isn’t exactly a calm place to live is it?
June won Best Actress at the Inside Soap Awards in 2005, a lifetime achievement award in the same year, has been nominated for a BAFTA award AND was bestowed with an MBE in 2008 for her services to Drama and Charity. What a legend.
Paul Trueman (Gary Beadle) – THEN
What did Patrick and Audrey ever do to deserve a son like Paul?
An original bad boy of the square, Paul was a chronic gambler after getting involved (and losing a lot of money) to Steve Owen in his poker games. Enter Angel, Steve’s pal (actually Goldie, yep that Goldie) to issue out beatings and threats that drives Paul deeper into debt.
After all this, he becomes a prominent drug dealer and has a surprise baby dropped on his doorstep and subsequently taken away by social services. Classic ‘Enders.
Realistically, Gary Beadle has been doing the standard post-UK soap circuit of Holby City, Silent Witness, and Death in Paradise with no real stand out roles.
Gary Beadle (Paul Trueman) – NOW
Trevor Morgan (Alex Ferns) – THEN
What can I say about Trevor.
What a horrific piece of work – you thought Dirty Den and Nasty Nick were bad, they weren’t a patch on Trevor. The abusive husband of poor Little Mo (who wouldn’t hurt a fly), he manipulated her so she’d feel distant from her family and have to rely on him more, consistently beating him.
Luckily, he got his comeuppance in typical Eastenders style – an abduction of an illegitimate son, a blazing row, and then a literal blaze. Off you pop you absolute animal.
Since playing the most hated villain in soap, Alex has been doing some odd episodes, but mostly doing theatre work in Little Shop of Horrors, and And Then There Were None.
Alex Ferns (Trevor Morgan) – NOW
