In a surprising twist, today's episode of EastEnders - now available on BBC iPlayer - saw the unexpected return of Garry and Minty to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary. Iconic soap actors Ricky Groves and Cliff Parisi left viewers gobsmacked with their comeback after a 16-year hiatus. Garry was last spotted in Walford in 2009, departing with his wife Dawn and daughter Summer on their wedding day. Minty exited the following year after parting ways with the ill-fated Heather Trott.
The duo's comeback was kept under wraps by the soap's bosses, with scenes showing them surprising Billy at his stag do airing tonight on BBC One. Updating Alfie Moon about his life post-Walford, Garry claimed to be a sports broadcaster residing in a penthouse with two cars. However, Minty spilled the beans, revealing that he was actually working as a bingo caller and living in Minty’s loft after separating from Dawn. The surprise cameo delighted EastEnders fans on social media. As soap fans rejoice over the return of Garry and Minty, we take a look at other familiar faces scheduled to pop up in Albert Square for the soap's 40th anniversary special.
Earlier this year it was confirmed that Ross Kemp is to return to EastEnders in the role of Grant Mitchell as the BBC soap celebrates its 40th anniversary next year. The 60-year-old last appeared in the show in 2016 but will return to the show in 2025, with his storyline being kept a secret by the BBC, which says it will be "explosive". Ross returns to the show as his brother Phil Mitchell struggles with loneliness and his mental health is on the decline. Phil has just seen the pair’s childhood best friend Nigel Bates return to Albert Square over the festive period after almost three decades away. Speaking about his return, Ross said: "I’m delighted to be returning to EastEnders as the show heads towards its 40th anniversary.
"EastEnders has always meant so much to me, so to return as the show is about to celebrate such a special anniversary is an absolute honour. Grant has never been far from the action and, let’s just say, this time is no different as he certainly comes back with a bang.". The return also comes as Grant’s ex-wife Sharon, who had an affair with his brother Phil in the early 1990s and went on to marry him, is now dating his long-lost cousin, Teddy. Over the years, Grant has been involved in some of the soap’s classic storylines, including his fraught marriage to Tiffany Mitchell (played by Martine McCutcheon).
In 2016, the character returned to the soap for a heartbreaking family reunion to say goodbye to his mother Peggy Mitchell, played by Dame Barbara Windsor, as part of the late star’s exit storyline. Ross initially appeared in the soap for nine years from 1990 to 1999, also returning between 2005 and 2006. Grant departed in 1999 after Phil fired a gun at a car he was driving causing it to slide into the River Thames when Phil found out that Grant vengefully had sex with his then-wife Kathy Mitchell, but the character was not killed and instead left the Square with his daughter Courtney for a new life in Brazil.
Actress Jaime Winstone has said it was an "overwhelming feeling" reprising the role of a young Peggy Mitchell for an upcoming EastEnders episode because the matriarch is "such a strong, amazing character". Jamie, who portrayed Dame Barbara Windsor in 2017 biopic Babs and later took on the actress’s role as the formidable Mitchell matriarch Peggy in a 1979-based flashback episode for EastEnders in 2022, is returning to the BBC soap as part of a mental health storyline.
The episode will see Phil, played by Steve McFadden, experience symptoms of psychosis as his depression continues to take hold, with hallucinations that take him back to the Mitchell family home in 1985, including seeing his mother Peggy in her younger years. Reflecting on her return, Jamie said: "Peggy Mitchell is so iconic: Everybody refers to her still, everybody knows her, and it’s such an honour. When I knew I was going to be reprising the role, at first, you go, ‘wow, this is really exciting’, then you read the context of the script and get into it. We all grew up with Peggy in our front rooms so it’s an overwhelming feeling because she’s such a strong, amazing character.".
Dame Barbara played the head of the Mitchell clan for more than two decades after she joined the long-running soap in 1994 and became one of its biggest stars. The actress died in December 2020 aged 83 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. Jamie played Peggy in a 2022 flashback episode of EastEnders that took viewers back to 1979 which saw Peggy struggling to keep things afloat as her marriage to Eric started to show cracks.
Last week it was revealed that EastEnders legend Linda Carter, played by Kellie Bright, is set to make a sensational return to Walford next week. The character will be back on the square as part of the soap's 40th anniversary celebrations. Linda was last seen towards the end of last year, spiralling after a dangerous night of heavy drinking. Her final episode presented a 'What If?' scenario where Linda imagined her own death if she didn't seek help for her alcohol addiction. This led her to check into rehab and she's been off our screens since then.
