EastEnders icon tipped to make TV return for cheeky Rivals season 2 guest appearance
It's nearly time to return to Rutshire.
EastEnders icon Pam St Clement is being tipped to make a comeback to TV with a guest appearance in Rivals season 2.
The actress, who starred as fan favourite Pat Evans (formerly Butcher) on the BBC soap for more than 25 years, is reportedly gearing up to make a cameo in the new run of the Disney+ series.
The Sun claims that her character encounters Aidan Turner's Declan O'Hara while he's naked – and she mistakes him for TV and radio legend Sir Terry Wogan.
The publication adds that it was Rivals executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, a former EastEnders writer and producer, who persuaded St Clement to come on board for the series.
Radio Times has contacted Disney for comment.
St Clement played Pat on EastEnders between 1986 and 2012, with the character soon becoming a favourite among viewers thanks to her no-nonsense attitude and flamboyant fashion sense.
Although the character died in 2012, St Clement made a comeback in 2016 as a figment of dying Peggy Mitchell's (Barbara Windsor) imagination, and again in 2025 as part of a storyline about Nigel Bates's dementia.
The second season of Rivals, which is adapted from Jilly Cooper’s hit novel series, is set to debut later this month on Disney+.
Returning cast includes Turner, David Tennant, Bella Maclean, Alex Hassell, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Claire Rushbrook and Oliver Chris.
Lisa McGrillis will also be back, as well as Emily Atack, Rufus Jones, Luke Pasqualino, Catriona Chandler and Annabel Scholey.
Meanwhile, new cast members include Rupert Everett as Malise Gordon, Helen's new husband and Rupert's former show-jumping coach, as well as Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt and Jonny Weldon.
Rivals is available to stream on Disney+. Season 2 premieres on Friday 15th May 2026. Sign-up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
