As EastEnders celebrates its 40th anniversary, Ross Kemp made a huge return to the soap 26 years after Grant left Albert Square in 1999.
Ross, 60, first appeared on EastEnders in February 1990 and became known for his role as one of the tough Mitchell brothers. He left the show in October 1999, with his character moving to Brazil after surviving a car crash.
This isn’t Grant’s first comeback to Walford as he was previously convinced to make a return to Albert Square by the late, great Dame Barbara Windsor – making a brief role reprisal in 2005. He was later seen at Peggy Mitchell’s funeral in 2016. This time Grant’s return is set to make a big impact as he is part of his brother Phil Mitchell’s mental health storyline.
Despite brothers Phil and Grant being inseparable during their time in Walford together – although Sharon Watts has caused rifts between the pair – Ross previously revealed he lost contact with Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell.
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BBC/Kieron McCarron)
In an interview in 2022, the actor turned documentary maker was asked if he kept in touch with Steve, 65. He told the Metro: “Not really. You’ve got to bear in mind that we were in each other’s pockets 24/7 and the Mitchells were colleagues, it’s not your real family. He added: “I was very close to Barbara Windsor. I will always love her and I’m still very close to her husband Scott, he’ll be a friend for life.”
However, the stars are now working together for the first time since 2016 and Ross has admitted to milking his time in Walford. Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Ross said: “I did care about inserting myself into scripts I hadn’t been written into so I could get paid more, so you’d often see me popping up at the bar in a scene and ordering a pint!”
Ross also spoke highly of the soap, hinting at why he might have decided to return, despite previously insisting he wouldn’t. Reflecting on his time on the soap, Ross shared: “Being back reminded me of the impact the show had on serious subject matters like HIV, child pregnancy and domestic violence. I am very proud of what it has achieved over the years.”
Grant made his epic comeback to the Square on Thursday night’s episode of EastEnders after his brother Phil was seen hallucinating about their childhood. Before the credits rolled, Phil and Grant’s childhood pal Nigel Bates was seen trying to wake Phil from his hallucinated state. Nigel then tells Phil: “I was a bit worried about you. Thought you might want to see a friendly face.” Nigel then steps away to reveal Grant standing in the doorway, who smiles at him and says: “Hello bruv” before the iconic doof doof plays out.
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BBC)
Not only is Ross reprising his role as Grant, but he is also fronting a special documentary EastEnders: 40 Years on The Square, which will also be released for the anniversary. The hour-long special will revisit “iconic moments” and “groundbreaking storylines,” as well as providing a behind-the-scenes look at the soap through interviews with stars. Anita Dobson, 75, is among the former cast members who will appear in the new documentary. The actor played Angie Watts and made her debut in the first episode. She then remained on the show for three years before leaving in 1988.
Angie is particularly remembered for her relationship with husband Den Watts (played by the late Leslie Grantham), with whom she ran the Queen Vic pub. More than 30 million viewers are said to have tune in on Christmas Day in 1986 when Den served Angie divorce papers in an iconic scene. She left Walford two years later and died off-screen in 2002.
Anita isn’t the only former cast member back for 40 Years on The Square. Others interviewed for the documentary include Pam St Clement, who played Pat Butcher, and Lucy Benjamin, who’s played Lisa Fowler on the long-running soap. The documentary will air on Monday ahead of EastEnders’ 40th anniversary on Wednesday. A “special” hour-long episode will air that evening for the occasion ahead of the subsequent live episode then being broadcast on Thursday.
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Source: Mirror
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