Could Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) be daughter Stacey’s (Lacey Turner) passport out of prison?
Scenes to be shown in the coming weeks will see Jean arrive back in Walford with a surprise scheme up her sleeve. When she and Kat (Jessie Wallace) visit Stacey at the jail, Jean drops the bombshell that she’s found a way to get her out of prison.
But what is Jean’s plan and will Stacey agree? Speaking recently about Jean’s comeback, actress Gillian Wright said: "I feel very honoured to be asked to reprise my role as Jean Slater, for a short while.The storyline promises to be challenging and exciting! I look forward to playing again with old friends and new and to pick up the special relationship between Stacey and Jean."
Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins added: “We are so pleased to have Gillian back with us to reprise her role as Jean Slater, albeit briefly. Stacey and Jean have such a rich, loving but difficult history. There is still so much to plumb between them as we delve deeper into what it means to have bi-polar disorder as a mother but also as a daughter. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes ahead for our audience”.
Jean was last seen in Albert Square in September 2013 when she left Walford to start a new life with her boyfriend Ollie. However, Jean and Stacey have not been seen on screen together since Christmas Day 2010.
Wright's portrayal of Jean’s struggle with bi-polar disorder was widely acclaimed, with the storyline winning a Mental Health Media Award in 2006.
Viewers can see Stacey and Jean reunite when EastEnders airs these scenes on Tuesday 5 August.
