EastEnders' Tracy-Ann Oberman reveals Chrissie Watts's revenge plan and strong connection to Jasmine
She's back with a bang!
Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) is back in Walford, and set to ruin Christmas for some EastEnders favourites.
The legendary character returned at the conclusion of today's episode, in a nail-biting doof doof scene that revealed her to be the orchestrator behind Zoe Slater's (Michelle Ryan) torment.
Having teamed up with Zoe's estranged (and presumed dead) daughter Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness), it's set to be an explosive yuletide for the Slater/Moon clan.
For Oberman, the offer to reprise her role again was just something she couldn't resist.
“I enjoyed my return storyline with Sharon (Letitia Dean) last year so much that when [executive producer] Ben Wadey asked me to pop back for Christmas Day, how could I say no?" she explained.
"Chrissie is in my DNA; she is such a great character, so, I love the idea of her returning at Christmas to create havoc."
It seems that Chrissie's motivations for targeting Zoe stem from a 20 year feud between the women. As viewers will recall, Chrissie murdered husband Den (Leslie Grantham) in The Queen Vic, and allowed Zoe to believe she dealt the fatal blow.
"I think that Chrissie has always felt that’s it’s very unfair she spent 20 years in prison and has never really been able to move on from the trauma of Dirty Den and living in Walford," Oberman continues.
"When the opportunity came up to have something over Zoe Slater, who she has always found to be an irritating little girl, she jumped at the opportunity. She clearly has time on her hands!
"Also, Chrissie, whilst being very hard and tough, has a strong sense of justice, and in her mind, Zoe never really paid for Den’s murder, and the part she played in destroying the Watts family."
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Upcoming episodes will also, presumably, connect the dots between Chrissie and Jasmine, and how they came to meet. And the two have grown rather close over the last three months!
Oberman adds: "What started off as a game for Chrissie, has ended up becoming a little bit of an obsession, and finding this gorgeous daughter, who was also hurt by Zoe, seemed like too good of an opportunity to miss.
"Also, I do think she is genuinely very fond of Jasmine. She’s like the daughter she never had, and I think she wants to empower Jasmine to also get revenge on the woman who abandoned her. Chrissie thinks Zoe needs to take responsibility, and that’s her motivation."
The storyline has also allowed Oberman to reunite not only with Ryan, but also Sam Mitchell star Kim Medcalf, who completes the trio of women in the Vic on Den's fateful night.
"I spent so much time with them in my short but powerful stint on EastEnders," she reflected.
"Being back in The Queen Vic with Michelle and Kim was really emotional. We kept hugging each other and discussing how a lifetime had passed since we were last together, and there was so much to catch up on, including sharing photos of children, and talking about how our lives had evolved over the last 20 years. It’s been a really amazing experience.
"It also was a reminder of what EastEnders does best. Strong female characters, in dynamic storylines, working together to create the drama."
Read more:
- EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
- EastEnders confirms no early BBC iPlayer release for key Christmas episodes
- EastEnders airs desperate Sam Mitchell scenes as she takes advantage of Nigel Bates in BBC iPlayer release
- EastEnders Christmas and New Year spoilers: Your day-by-day guide as Slater and Branning secrets implode
- EastEnders 2025 Christmas schedule confirmed by BBC - including festive episode timings
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Authors
Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
