Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) won’t be alone when she returns to EastEnders, with her cousin Penny also set to stage a comeback.
Penny was last seen 15 years ago when she came to Walford for two short stints within the same year, staying with her dad Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).
Her relationship with Jack has always a fractured one, with Penny having opted to live in France with mum Selina for much of her life.
But after a decade and half, she returns to the Square alongside Lauren, but just how will Jack react to her arrival? What’s more, what exactly is it that results in she and Lauren returning to Walford?
Rising star Kitty Castledine has been cast in the role of Penny, which is her first major TV part since graduating from London Academy of Music and Drama in the summer.
‘I didn’t expect to start my EastEnders journey so soon out of drama school – I can’t actually believe it!,’ said Kitty on joining the show.
‘My whole family are EastEnders fans, and I remember sitting on my Nanny Kay’s lap to tune in, and now they get to watch me in Albert Square.
‘The inclusion of disabled talent on screen is so important to me as a wheelchair user, so I’m thrilled to be playing a character as feisty and cool as Penny. She’s thrown into the middle of the drama straight away, and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to.’
Consider us very excited for her first scenes!
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw, who is overseeing one of the long-running soap’s most celebrated and acclaimed eras ever, said: ‘It’s been a long time since Penny Branning was in Walford, and she’s a very different person from the one our viewers might remember.
‘Kitty is a terrific addition to the show, and we’re looking forward to seeing Penny back in Albert Square.’
It was confirmed earlier this year that Lauren will return to EastEnders in a regular capacity, following a number of guest appearances over the past year.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
