EastEnders fan favourite reveals hoped-for return had to be dropped due to scheduling issue
The actor remains hopeful for a future return.
EastEnders favourite Lin Blakley could have made a return to the BBC One soap earlier this year, but plans were scuppered due to scheduling conflicts.
Blakley first made her appearance on the soap in 2014 as Pam Coker, a flower stall owner on the market and wife to Les Coker, a funeral director. The couple left the soap two years after their introduction, though Blakley has reprised her role from time to time.
"It's funny because at the beginning of the year, February, I was just about to go on holiday and the guy in casting rang my agent and said, 'Ask Lin, I want her to come back in for three eps with the hope of maybe coming back in permanently,'" Blakley said during an appearance on Isolation Interviews with Matthew Rolland.
She continued: "But it never happened because I couldn't. I had a friend I was going away with and I didn't want to let her down, so I didn't."
The actress admitted she had hoped she'd be asked again once she returned from holiday, but that never happened.
"But who knows? You never know in this game, and if I did go back, I'd love it," she added.
A spokesperson for EastEnders declined to comment when approached by RadioTimes.com.
Blakley was last seen on the soap in 2022, when she returned to the Square to support Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) after a homophobic attack.
After the death of her grandson Paul (Jonny Labey) to a homophobic hate crime, Pam returned to Walford and encouraged Ben to open up.
Since leaving EastEnders, Blakley has gone on to work on Emmerdale, having been introduced as Jay Sharma's mother, Georgia, after the role was recast in 2023.
Speaking about joining the cast, Blakley said at the time: "How lucky am I to play such a strong character as Georgia. So different from roles I’ve played of late.
"I have enjoyed every single minute. Gorgeous cast and crew!! And the gorgeous Dales. Thank you Emmerdale."
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
