Hot on the heels of Ricky and Bianca's Albert Square comeback in March comes more excitment for EastEnders fans. Another of the soap's popular characters from the past, scheming Janine Butcher, is to set up home again in Walford.
Charlie Brooks, the actress behind the East End bad girl, has signed an estimated £100,000 deal after rediscovering a taste for playing Janine while filming scenes for the funeral of her character's on-screen father Frank Butcher. Those scenes were aired last month, and when when Janine returns for good in the autumn insiders say viewers will see a different side to the scheming 20-something, who famously killed her husband to get her hands on his money.
"Janine has never properly been in love, that is part of why she is so wicked and bitter," says a source. "The writers are planning a big romance. Having a proper man by her side changes her."
While bosess have been trying to tempt Charlie back to the show since she made her exit in May 2004, the actress has been keeping busy with other projects. She's appeared in Casualty, Heartbeat and London's Burning, and had a role in the BBC adaptation of Dickens classic Bleak House.
The actress has also received critical acclaim for her portrayal of the leading role in 2005 docu-drama Angel Of Death: The Beverly Allitt Story - the true story of a nurse who killed at least five children in her care.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
