Lacey Turner on Stacey’s prison wife twist and why she’s still surprised by her EastEnders alter ego

“I thought it was great, I was looking forward to coming back and Stacey never disappoints as there’s always a big drama,” she smiles, in an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com.

As Turner explains, there is more than meets the eye to the marriage, which is strictly borne out of convenience rather than romance. “Stacey and Eve shared a cell and became really close, even though it’s only been six months it’s like they’ve known each other for years.

“Eve couldn’t get released as she doesn’t have a stable home to go to on the outside, so here comes Stacey, who loves an underdog, ready to save her.

“She’ll go to great lengths to help the people she cares about, so offered to marry Eve and let her live with the Slaters. It’s not romantic in any way, Eve is gay but doesn’t fancy Stacey, she’s grateful for what she’s doing and they love each other like family.”

Now erratic Eve, banged up for three years for aggravated assault, has rocked up at 31 Albert Square with her suitcase and Stacey has been forced to admit to the sham marriage. There’s the definite sense her secret spouse will bring trouble to her door – did Stacey think through this plan properly?

“Probably not!” grins Turner. “Rather naively she thought nobody would need to know they were married as it was just a formality, which is why she didn’t tell her family. She’s trying to do a good deed. Eve took Stacey under her wing in prison and they’ve developed a strong, unbreakable bond. The friendship is going to be really fun to watch.

“I’d describe Eve as a ‘northern Slater’. She’s very intelligent but has a big mouth and can be hot-headed and fiery – as can Stacey, who is actually the more sensible of the two of them, believe it or not.”

Eve is set to become an honorary Slater in every way, which means clashing with the locals, making enemies and causing chaos wherever she goes, much to the consternation of Stacey’s jittery mother, Jean, who is instantly suspicious of her new daughter-in-law.

“Jean is upset as she thought she’d have Stacey all to herself when she got out of prison,” sighs Turner. “She’s worried Eve will distract Stacey and lead her astray.”

Turner is thrilled her alter ego has a new playmate, and can’t speak highly enough of Heather Peace who has been cast as Eve. “When you’re portraying friendship, it’s hard to make millions of people believe you’re close to that person when you don’t actually know them at all. Luckily me and Heather clicked straight away and we bounce off each other.

“That was such a relief and made acting the friendship a million times easier – if you believe it, so will the audience.”

Another of Stacey’s popular partnerships is with ex-husband Martin Fowler. The couple were torn apart by the manipulative machinations of Ruby Allen, who stole her former best friend’s husband then falsely accused her love rival of an attack she claimed had caused a miscarriage. With Ruby in jail since her lies were uncovered, is the way clear for Stacey and Martin to reunite?

“I love them together but there’s so much damage and a lot of hurt to get over. For a start, you just don’t marry your wife’s best mate! I think Stacey will always love Martin and can’t let go of what they’ve been through, but getting back with him is not an option for her right now.”

It’s been 17 years since Stacey first appeared on our screens as a tearaway teenager, a part tailor-made for Turner after she originally auditioned to play schoolgirl mum Demi Miller.

Turner’s incredible talent and natural star quality made the volatile-but-vulnerable Stacey instantly relatable, and quickly propelled her to EastEnders A-list status. She’s been at the heart of some truly unforgettable moments – the explosive exposure of her affair with father-in-law Max Branning at Christmas 2007, her reveal as Archie Mitchell’s murderer in the spectacular 2010 live episode, and her moving struggle with bipolar and postpartum psychosis.

Her history of hard-hitting storylines has won Turner huge critical acclaim and more public-voted awards than any other UK soap star, so why is sassy Stacey so beloved by the audience?

“I’ve never really thought about that to be honest,” replies Turner, refreshingly humble despite being in the spotlight for more than half her life. “She’s got a big mouth and big heart, which is why I like her. My favourite thing about Stacey that she says and does things you’d never get away with in real life, so I can let it all out through playing her!”

Turner is the polar opposite to her gobby alter ego, and recalls being terrified when she first joined the show as a shy 16-year-old. “I didn’t speak for my first week, I was so in awe of everybody,” she confesses. “I grew up near the EastEnders set in Borehamwood and dreamed of being in it, to sit there with likes of Pam St Clement, Barbara Windsor and Jessie Wallace was surreal. I remember Adam Woodyatt said hello to me and I was like a rabbit in the headlights!

“I was thrown in at the deep end in my first week, I had a kissing scene with an older guy and a huge one-page monologue to learn. After that nothing fazed me.”

The lure of the world outside Walford led to Turner taking time out from the soap in 2010 for three years to pursue other roles, which included being the original lead of BBC1’s hit soldier drama Our Girl before passing the baton to Michelle Keegan. But EastEnders is more than just a job for Turner and the soap is clearly her happy place, professionally and personally.

“I love my home and my creature comforts, and that’s what EastEnders is for me. The familiarity, being with the same people every day, is a massive part of why I love it so much.

“When I’ve worked on other things it’s felt so slow, I found it hard to keep the momentum up and stay in character when you shoot one scene over three days. I’m used to the fast pace and like the spontaneity of doing a scene in 45 minutes, you don’t have time to overthink it. I definitely work better that way.

“I also enjoy following a character and not knowing where it’s going to go or how long it will last. Not having the usual arc of a beginning, middle and an end is unique but I’ve seen plenty of brilliant actors struggle with it, just because it’s not what they’re used to.”

So Stacey is back where she belongs and isn’t going anywhere, which is just as well because there’s plenty of scope for juicy stories in the months to come: a rematch with recently-returned nemesis Janine Butcher, the simmering chemistry with Kheerat Panesar after their pre-prison one-night stand (“Who saw that coming? There’s definitely something between them,” teases Turner) and a rumoured return for Robert Kazinsky as Stacey’s troubled brother Sean, which the actress would neither confirm or deny but admitted would be welcome. “Rob and I work so well together and there’s always something to explore between Sean and Stacey. I’d love it.”

What fans are really waiting for is the inevitable showdown between Stacey and Ruby. With Louisa Lytton now on maternity leave until at least next year it might be a way off, but how does Turner imagine Stace will react when she finally confronts the woman who wrecked her life?

“God help her, that’s all I can say!” Everybody knows, you don’t cross Stacey Slater…

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