“EastEnders’ Powerful Women Shine in Glamorous Photoshoot Celebrating Show’s 40th Anniversary, Slamming Critics”

For four decades the nation has been kept entertained by the drama coming out of Albert Square. 

Before the highly-awaited 40th anniversary episode of EastEnders, the female stars of the show took part in a captivating new photoshoot with Radio Times magazine.

The actresses, including Letitia Dean, Gillian Taylforth, Michelle Collins, Jessie Wallace, Diane Parish, Kellie Bright, and Balvinder Sopal, showcased their beauty in striking black and white images for their individual cover shots.

Each of these women’s characters has had quite the year on the Square, with each set to play a special part in the upcoming anniversary episode. 

For Gillian, her character Cindy Beale’s attacker is due to be revealed after a lengthy whodunnit. 

In the midst of this, Diane Parish’s character in the show faces an intriguing twist as the audience gets to decide her fate. Viewers have the opportunity to vote on whether her character will reunite with her ex, Jack Branning (played by Scott Maslen), or pursue a romance with the charming Ravi Gulati (portrayed by Aaron Thiara).

Speaking about their time on the show, the glamorous cover stars sat down with the magazine, with Jessie – who plays Kat Slater – addressing the ‘snobbery’ aimed at soap stars. 

‘I don’t understand it,’ she mused. ‘You get huge film actors coming in and they don’t realise how hard it is to produce what we do. 

‘I remember Joan Collins presenting at the British Soap Awards and saying: “A successful actor is a working actor.” Soaps are a fabulous thing to be a part of.’

Addressing her two-decade stint on the show, Jessie shared: ‘I came in as the troublemaker of a new family and didn’t know she would become as big as she has. 

‘Kat has developed over the years and I love dressing up as her, she makes such a statement with the red lipstick and the mini-skirts. To create a character that stands out, who people love, makes me very proud.’ 

Diane also acknowledged the snobbery towards soaps admitting she finds it frustrating. 

She confessed: ‘It irritates me. Growing up with my mum, I watched them all, so I always had an admiration for them. 

‘It’s a beast. We produce dozens of scenes a day to a high standard – in other places you might only do two or three scenes in a day. 

‘And our stories speak directly to the working classes to make them know that they are seen and that they matter. The audience feel they are with us, not watching something from a distance.’ 

Diane also shared that she didn’t expect to stay for the long haul in EastEnders and feels fortunate to last beyond her first year. 

She explained: ‘I thought I’d be lucky to see out my first year! Actors always say, ‘Never unpack your bags.’ 

‘I did another year, then had my second daughter and only then did I think, “I’ll stick around a bit longer.” You never assume you’ll be offered another contract. 

‘I’m lucky that I’ve never thought my character has run her course. I still see all kinds of possibilities for Denise.’

Meanwhile, Gillian admitted she had no idea EastEnders would become such a hit and how some storylines were emotionally challenging and took a toll.

She confessed: ‘[Director] Julia Smith said to us, “When this goes out, you’re going to become household names.” I told that to my mum and dad – they were people who kept your feet on the ground – and my dad said, “Yes, so is Domestos.” 

Asked who she considers to be the ultimate EastEnders’ female icon, she said: ‘I loved Dot Cotton, but it would have to be Angie Watts. Her and Den were just fantastic together and she was a tragic heroine. 

‘I was Angie’s best mate and we had such great fun together. And Anita Dobson [who played Angie] was someone you could learn so much from. She really was absolutely fabulous.’

Kellie revealed that she had auditioned for other parts before landing her role as  Linda Carter and feeling less pressure than Danny Dyer [Mick Carter] who had to prove himself to critics.

‘As a working actress for over 40 years, I’d been up for parts before Linda,’ she mused.

‘The biggest of those was Tanya Branning, when it got down to myself and Jo Joyner [who played Tanya 2006–13 and briefly again in 2018]. 

‘When I auditioned for Linda Carter, I screen-tested with someone I won’t name [for the part of Linda’s husband Mick], who was primarily known for being a model. 

‘I came out and threw my scripts in the bin because I just couldn’t see it happening – in my opinion, there was zero chemistry between us and he couldn’t act! 

‘I didn’t hear anything for a week and I thought it was gone. But then they called and asked if I’d go in to read with other men. 

‘I said yes, but then two days later, they rang me back and offered me the job – but they wouldn’t tell me who they’d cast as Mick. I knew it must be a name. It turned out to be Danny Dyer.’

Michelle went on to highlight that while TV often doesn’t favour women over a certain age, soaps like EastEnders give them a voice and share their stories.

She shared: ‘TV isn’t great for women of a certain age, but soaps are. What EastEnders and characters like Cindy show is that we have got voices, we have got stories – and they should be heard.’

Talking about how she has changed since rejoining the show, she shared: ‘I loved it for the first few years. When I came back in the 90s, I was in my early 30s and very ambitious, I never saw myself there for the future. 

‘Now I’m back again, I’m happier to stay. I think I’m more comfortable in my own skin, more content, and I’m not running away all the time. I’ve certainly grown, and hopefully I’m a better actor. 

‘That’s in contrast to Cindy, who hasn’t changed: she’s still discontented and never happy with what she’s got.’

Balvinder (Suki Panesar-Unwin) said she appreciated how soaps portray nuanced female characters, highlighting vulnerability and strength.

She shared: ‘There’s nothing like a soap woman. Soaps allow nuance in female characters instead of depicting them as either weak and manipulated, or absolute villains. 

‘We see the reasons behind the decisions women make. There’s a vulnerability that shows female strength with a cutting edge quite beautifully.’

Discussing how her character has evolved, she continued: ‘My main input at the start was that Suki retains her culture without being a stereotypical Asian. 

‘It had to be truthful enough for people to recognise themselves, even when they don’t come from that community.

‘We wanted Suki and the Panesars to be real people who were part of the fabric of Walford life, not parodies or signposted. I think we’ve achieved that, and then some.’

Rounding out the cover stars, Letitia [Sharon Watts] confessed she didn’t expect EastEnders to last 40 years when she first appeared and admires Sharon’s ability to speak her mind

She shared: ”Absolutely not. None of us did at the time. It was going to last a few months – if we were lucky. Then suddenly, bang!’

On what she admires most about her character, Letitia said: ‘She opens her trap and speaks her mind – which I’m not so good at!’

To celebrate the soap’s 40th anniversary, the BBC will air a special hour-long episode on Wednesday, February, 20, which will then be following by a full live episode on Thursday February 21.

Shocking new pictures from the episode have teased that the iconic Queen Vic will be going up in flames – and potentially taking one character down with it.

The long-running soap which, since its earliest days in 1985, has seen murders, fires and more than its fair share of cliff-hangers.

But the 40th anniversary episode looks like being its most dramatic yet.

Previous pictures from the £87million set reveal Albert Square as viewers have never seen it before – with the windows of the Queen Vic blown out and the surrounding streets strewn with rubble.

The sensational storyline, designed to entice audiences back to the BBC’s flagship show after a steady decline, sees an explosion rip through the fictional pub, whose landladies have included Peggy Mitchell – played by the late Dame Barbara Windsor – and Anita Dobson’s Angie Watts.

There is even what appears to be blood on the pavement, raising fears that some of the show’s best-loved characters could be at risk.

An industry insider said producers are ‘pulling out all the stops’ for the anniversary special, which will air next week.

‘And they hinted that fans could expect some famous actors from the show’s past to make a return, adding: ‘Curious viewers will undoubtedly recognise a few familiar faces.’

It is hoped the show will go down in history alongside other memorable episodes.

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.