Ben Keaton, best known for appearing in over 50 episodes of Casualty, has died aged 70.

The Irish actor played Spencer on the BBC medical drama between 1999 and 2002.

He also played Jeff Brannigan in the ITV soap Emmerdale, as well as Father Austin Purcell in an episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted in 1995.

Keaton died at Lincoln County Hospital on Friday, with a death notice in The Irish Times published on Sunday.

‘Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette,’ the tribute read.

‘Best known for his roles in TV shows including Father Ted, Emmerdale, Casualty, The Bill, films including East is East etc. and Theatre performances in Animal Crackers, Harvey, Cyrano de Bergerac, Hay Fever, etc, a founder member of the improv group South Of The River, and a director of the Creative Academy, and more. Funeral arrangements to be announced later.’

The actor’s ex-wife Polly also shared the following statement on Facebook: ‘So incredibly sorry to say Ben Keaton died last night. It was very sudden and we are all in shock.

‘We had separated several years ago but we had half a lifetime together and infuriated and made each other cry with laughter in equal measure.

‘He was a great dad to Waldo and Daisy and the finest Groucho and Cyrano I have ever seen.’

Meanwhile the Nottingham Playhouse shared: ‘We are so sorry to hear of the death of Ben Keaton, a wonderful actor who is fondly remembered in our 2008 production of Vertigo. Sending our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.’

Throughout his career, Keaton also appeared in episodes of The Bill, Doctors and Double Time and wrote episodes of Balamory, Gumtree and Hubbub.

He was also a well-established theatre actor and comedian.

In 2008 he then began teaching at the University of Lincoln, where he specialised in Physical Theatre and Acting for Camera. Five years later he set up Lincoln Film and Television School.

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In 2022, he reunited with fellow Father Ted cast members Joe Rooney (Father Damo), Michael Redmond (Father Stone), and Patrick McDonnell (Eoin McLove) to film an impromptu TikTok video, which went viral.

Later speaking to The Irish Sun, he recalled: ‘The video went from 500 views to 50,000 and up and up. Joe now says we are up at half a million views on TikTok. It’s incredible.’

He went on to admit he was shocked by the lasting impact of his fleeting scene as a tedious priest.

‘I appeared in Casualty for three years, nobody cares. I did three minutes on Father Ted and it’s all people want to talk about and something which just sails through time,’ he declared.

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It looks like the end could be near for Theo in Coronation Street, and according to the actor who plays him, James Cartwright, things are about to spiral in a big way.

After weeks of tension, manipulation and some seriously questionable behaviour, Theo’s carefully crafted image is starting to fall apart. And as the drama ramps up, the actor has made it clear that his character is heading into dangerous territory, with no easy way back.

Since his split from Todd Grimshaw, Theo hasn’t exactly been heartbroken in the traditional sense. In fact, the breakup itself was all part of the plan.

‘Oh, 100%. Even the breakup is disingenuous. The breakup is about regaining control in itself.’

Rather than losing Todd, Theo made sure he stayed one step ahead, ending things first so he could keep the upper hand.

‘The last thing Theo wants to do is break up with Todd, but he’s seizing control.’

And from there, it’s all been about pulling the strings. Theo leans into emotional manipulation, making Todd question everything while presenting himself as the wounded one. ‘He’s got his hooks into Todd, and it’s all about trying to reel him in’, James admitted.

It only gets darker from there. When Todd pushes himself to take part in a marathon, something completely out of his comfort zone, Theo deliberately sabotages it.

‘Because in doing so he creates a need for himself to support Todd, to tell him don’t worry, it’s not your fault.’

What might have started as opportunistic behaviour has now become something far more calculated.

‘I think Theo started off as an opportunist, but now he’s definitely drifting into the arena of a master manipulator, and it’s very, very cruel now.’ The actor doesn’t hold back when describing where Theo is mentally, either:

‘He’s just completely lost sight of any moral compass, there’s absolutely no moral fibre left in the man.’

And while viewers can clearly see how toxic things have become, Theo himself doesn’t see it that way at all.

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‘He thinks it’s love, he thinks it’s all for the best. He doesn’t see that what he’s doing is wrong… but from the outside, you realise he’s become a monster now. He’s a total monster.’

Part of what makes Theo so dangerous is how he isolates Todd, slowly cutting him off from everyone else in his life. ‘He just keeps breaking Todd down so that Todd feels so low and alienated, that the only person who can support him is Theo.’

But cracks are starting to show. George Shuttleworth and Christina Boyd are beginning to question Theo’s behaviour, and that’s something he can’t afford to ignore.

‘George is the person who could really throw a hand grenade in the hearth. He’s a very strong person with a great moral compass.’

Knowing people are starting to catch on, Theo makes a desperate move to lock Todd in for good, a surprise wedding. ‘It’s to give him no choice.’

On the surface, it looks romantic. In reality, it’s all about control. ‘Essentially, he’s presenting it as this romantic grand gesture, but in springing it on him, he’s making sure that he doesn’t have a choice. He’s absolutely painting him into a corner.’ James confirmed.

The rushed timing is no accident either.

‘For Theo, the quicker it’s done, the less can be said; it’s almost too late if they’re already married.’

But despite his confidence, there’s a sense that Theo knows things are slipping. And then comes the moment that changes everything.

In a heated scene, Theo is heard shouting abuse at Todd, completely unaware that George is inside and listening. When George steps in, the truth is finally exposed.

‘Yeah, the game’s up, isn’t it? This could be the beginning of the end, the toothpaste out the tube.’ It’s a turning point that Theo can’t undo.

And from here, things aren’t looking good.

With his behaviour out in the open and his closest people turning against him, Theo’s grip is slipping fast, and it seems like his time on the cobbles could be heading for a dramatic end.

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Emmerdale’s Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) has been through a lot. He was believed to be dead for six years, which is, admittedly, a bit of a conversation starter. If anyone’s got a perspective on what really matters, it’s Graham.

He’s tried to dish out some words of wisdom to protégé Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) a number of times, but he hasn’t really listened. Joe spent the start of 2026 trying to get the Sugden farmland and Butler’s Farm, and resorted to some pretty dirty tricks to secure the land.

During this, Graham warned Joe and said that if he wasn’t careful, the power he was holding in his hands would eventually turn poisonous.

This went right over Joe’s head, and he proceeded to behave horrendously in the aftermath of Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) being told he’d need to move out of his home. Perhaps this was a first sign that Graham was right – the power is now going right to Joe’s head.

With the farmland secure, you’d be forgiven for wondering if Joe was going to have a rest from playing the evil villain of Emmerdale, but no.

Earlier this week, Graham found Kim Tate’s (Claire King) will in the safe. He gave it to Joe, who then discovered that Kim wants Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) to have Home Farm after her death.

Joe was furious, telling Graham that he deserves the big house because it’s his birthright.

Unsurprisingly, Joe wasn’t willing to do the adult thing and sit down and tell Kim how he feels about Lydia inheriting Home Farm. Why would he have an honest conversation when it’s far easier (apparently) to bend the rules and try and get what he wants that way?

Joe’s plan started when he gave Lydia a surprise pay rise, and attempted to be nice by telling her that if there’s anything she needs amid her constant Dingle family drama stress, he’ll be there.

He then called a friend and set up a bank account in Lydia’s name. Graham snoops on Joe’s computer in today’s episode – now available on ITVX – and realises Joe is intending on making it look like Lydia is stealing from Kim, hoping it’ll be enough to get her removed from the will.

Both Graham and Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) confront Joe about his vile move, but their words don’t seem to hit.

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It doesn’t look as though Joe is going to realise he’s gone too far – which means someone surprising needs to take him down a peg or two.

And who better to do this than the most innocent and kind-hearted Home Farm employee?

I’m talking about Lydia of course. On the same day Joe gave her a sudden pay rise, Lydia told Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper), Sam Dingle (James Hooton) and Cain that it’s a good job she still works at Home Farm, as she can keep an eye on Joe.

Is Lydia going to work out what Joe is up to with the new bank account and tell Kim?

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The following article contains spoilers from the episode of Emmerdale dated March 18. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX.

A very unexpected person has come forward as part of an attempt to save Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) from going to prison in Emmerdale.

On Monday, Bear was back at the police station being questioned by DS Walsh (Amanda Ryan), who was determined to get the truth out of him regarding what actually happened on the day Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) was killed.

For a little while, Bear maintained that he was the only one at the scene when Ray died, but got caught out thanks to a smart move from Walsh.

The detective asked Bear to tie the specific knot that was used when Ray’s body got wrapped up and dumped in a depot van. Because Bear couldn’t guess the correct one, it proved he was lying.

In an attempt to protect Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), Bear suddenly blurted out that he did intend on killing Ray after all, increasing his chance of being sent to prison for the rest of his life.

Paddy was desperate to find something to help his dad in yesterday’s episode, and concluded that the only way of increasing Bear’s chance of not facing a murder charge would be to tell Walsh that he lied about where he was when Ray died.

Paddy and Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle) headed to the station and told Walsh the truth. They were charged with perverting the course of justice and because their lies meant police time was wasted, Paddy and Dylan were told they wouldn’t be returning home anytime soon.

The absence of her two boys left Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) wandering the village like a lost dog as today’s instalment opened.

Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) was at the door ahead of a meeting with Zara the solicitor. Inside, Chas, Mandy, April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan), Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) all listened as Zara explained what will happen next with Paddy, Bear and Dylan.

She pointed out that if anyone saw Ray before he went to attack Dylan on that day, they could tell the police about his state of mind, and increase the possibility of the jury believing Bear killed Ray in self-defence.

Aaron later told Mandy that all they need to do is get someone to lie, make up a statement about Ray, and it would give Bear, Paddy and Dylan a little bit more hope.

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In the café, Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) happened to mention seeing Ray before he went into Tenants, and Mandy and Aaron’s answer was staring them right in the face.

They asked Laurel to lie to the police, but she really didn’t want to due to the fact she could also end up in prison for not being honest.

Overhearing the conversation was Arthur Thomas (Alfie Clarke), who – to literally no one’s surprise – had something to say about Laurel’s reluctance to help out.

He pushed Laurel to make the statement, pointing out how much things could change if she did. The fear of leaving her children behind because she lied to the police was too much though – Laurel wasn’t going to do it.

So, Arthur took it upon himself to head to the pub and tell Mandy and Aaron that he’d do it instead.

Maybe this is some weird way of getting rid of his guilt because he put his mum Laurel in hospital the other week.

Potentially being hailed as a hero who freed three people is no doubt an attractive prospect to Arthur, who was only telling his mum the other week that it he feels bored and stuck in the village.

Does Arthur simply want to help because he’s being kind?

Or is there another reason?

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Patrick Trueman’s (Rudolph Walker) life in EastEnders has been hellish since the Christmas Day murder of his son, Anthony (Nicholas Bailey).

Prior to his violent death, Patrick and Anthony spit venom at each other over Christmas dinner after Patrick discovered that Anthony had lied to Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) that his and Zoe Slater’s (Michelle Ryan) twins had both died at birth, in a bid to find them himself without Zoe discovering.

As things continued to intensify, an enraged Patrick declared that the wrong son had died prior, and he wished Anthony had perished in the place of his brother, Paul (Gary Beadle). With things at their absolute worst, Anthony headed to the Vic for what proved to be his final showdown with Zoe and his daughter, Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness).

Zoe and Kat were convinced that the culprit was Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman), and that she’d struck the killing blow to frame Zoe, who kept her mouth shut in order to protect Jasmine from the wrath of the wicked witch of Walford.

While Zoe languished in prison, Anthony struck up a relationship with Jasmine upon discovering that she was his granddaughter, seemingly finding a light amid all of the darkness he’d endured, though he was broken all over again when he discovered that she had killed Anthony.

Struggling to grieve, his beloved wife Yolande (Angela Wynter) and surrogate daughters Kim and Denise Fox (Tameka Empson and Diane Parish) worried further when a well-meaning Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) introduced Patrick to an AI recreation of Anthony.

Patrick became completely absorbed by the app, and was reluctant to disengage.

He did mange to pour his all into attempting to reunite a recently returned Howie Danes (Delroy Atkinson) with Kim, though, facilitating a lavish drag performance and reconciliation between the two.

Next week sees the arrival of Sandra Goodwin (Dawn Steele), piquing Kim and Denise’s interest when they learn that she’s been asking questions about Jasmine. Confronting her, they learn that she’s the adoptive mum of Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan), though as they learn more about Jasmine and Josh’s backstory, all three are shaken to learn that Josh has arrived in Walford.

Josh, Sandra, Denise and Kim share a drink in the Albert, though the mention of Zoe causes Josh to flee, unwilling to have anything to do with her. When Denise relays this to Patrick, he’s wounded all over again that he’s lost the opportunity to connect with his grandson.

Denise and Kim encourage Patrick to write Josh a letter, detailing his life story, and later deliver it to Sandra. The Trueman’s are buoyed when Josh returns to Albert Square to arrange a meeting the following week.

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Will forging a bond with Josh set Patrick on the road to finding peace after Anthony’s death?

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Families on the brink of collapse, mended hearts set to break again, long-lost relatives, sinister schemes and an unsettling undercurrent of organised crime? Yup, it’s another week of EastEnders spoilers.

It’s a week of prime Maxxing for Max Branning (Jake Wood), as he finds himself in, out and in again with both daughter Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) and baby mama/potential love interest/who knows what Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).

As things seem to finally come together, can Max manage to not destroy all of the progress he’s made?

Meanwhile, the emergence of Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan) and Sandra Goodwin (Dawn Steele) sends the Trueman family into a spin.

Can Kim and Denise Fox (Tameka Empson and Diane Parish) bring Josh and grandad Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) together?

Elsewhere, Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) is creeped out by an increasingly sinister Bea Pollard (Ronni Ancona), Suki Panesar-Unwin (Balvinder Sopal) reacts horrifically to Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) and Penny Branning’s (Kitty Castledine) baby news, while Mark Fowler Jr’s (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) criminal operations infiltrate the Square.

Consider the tea spilled…

Monday, March 16

Albert Square celebrates an Mother’s Day, in a fashion. When Lauren invites Max to lunch with the Beale/Branning faction, tensions bubble, and he finds himself squarely at odds with his family.

Later, Lauren makes a deal with Mark to sell high-end cars, supplied by him, completely unaware of his dodgy intentions.

Linda’s Mother’s Day goes from bad to worse after Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) maintains his distance from her, and Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) and Bea clash over money in the Vic.

As Linda ends up in a bitter clash with an irked Max, Bea heads home and fraudulently applies for a credit card in Honey Mitchell’s (Emma Barton) name.

Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) arrives back in Walford, but it’s clear there is still friction between her and Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) over Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness).

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Jean overhears Zoe on an emotional call with Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace), and after some encouragement from Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), decides to offer an olive branch to Zoe and the pair finally put aside their differences.

Tuesday, March 17

Denise and Kim join forces to confront a newcomer named Sandra, who’s snooping for information about Jasmine, but are floored to realise that she’s the adoptive mum of Jasmine’s twin, Josh. They’re even further gagged to find out that Josh is on Albert Square, looking for his mum.

Lauren is chuffed to shift one of Mark’s luxury cars, but Max is perturbed by the provided paperwork.

Lauren is shaken to discover the car involved in her mugging has been located, and the scales fall from her eyes as he continues to tell her that expensive cars in the local area have started being stolen. Rattled, she heads off to confront Mark.

Meanwhile, Billy, Will (Freddie Phillips) and Janet Mitchell (Grace) arrive home to find Bea has annihilated their food supply. Embarrassed, Bea lands a job at McClunky’s before her fraudulent credit card arrives.

While Vinny struggles to tell his mum, Suki, about Penny’s pregnancy, but is beaten to the punch by Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).

Wednesday, March 18

When Denise drops that Zoe is close by, Josh flees the Square, unwilling to have anything to do with his birth mum, forcing her and Kim to relay the news to Patrick.

Feeling as though he’s lost any chance of connecting with his long lost grandson, the door is left ajar when Sandra reaches out to Kim and arranges a meeting between them and Josh.

Lauren is utterly crestfallen when she and Peter Beale (Thomas Law) meet the mother of a baby who’s also visually impaired and learns of the astronomical cost of specialist nursery. With few options, they both turn to their families for money.

Elsewhere, Billy’s chilled to the bone over Bea’s obsession with his family and Suki faces off with both Penny and Vinny over their pregnancy.

Thursday, March 19

After a week of conflict between her, Vinny and Suki, Penny makes it clear to the grandma of her child: Penny and Vinny will be having their baby, whether she likes it or not.

In response to Max making effort to make things right with her, Linda invites him to spend the day with her and Annie (Lois Hawkins).

She’s emboldened further later on when he stands up for her when Johnny coldly dismisses her. Deeply heartened, she heads to The Albert to find him, but is utterly floored by what she finds.

With Denise and Kim’s encouragement, Patrick writes a letter for Josh, and, with Sandra’s encouragement, Josh reads it, later returning to Walford to plan a meeting between himself and the Trueman family. As Denise and Kim revel in delight, Josh’s attention is piqued when he locks eyes with Oscar.

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Hollyoaks is set to grant yet another fan wish as a brand new family are all set to rock up in the eponymous village – and it’s safe to say they waste little time in making a splash, with the stars warning viewers to ‘buckle up’.

Meet the Keanes.

Fresh images show the newcomers packing up a removal van as they prepare for a new life in the Chester-based village – and they’re very much giving off good vibes and great dynamics.

The first stars announced as part of this long-awaited new family have already filmed their debut scenes for the Channel 4 soap and they’ve done so on-location, which will surely make them ones to remember.

If you’re a fan of the soaps – and I imagine that you are if you’re reading this – then you might just recognise the actors set to take Hollyoaks by storm, with Emmerdale’s Matthew Wolfenden playing the patriarch of the clan alongside Coronation Street stars Rebecca Ryan and Lewis Walton.

Matthew, who starred as David Metcalfe in the ITV soap for 17 years, said of his casting: ‘I’m so excited to finally share that I’m joining Hollyoaks as part of a brand-new family arriving in the village.

‘It’s an absolute privilege to step into this world and be part of something so iconic. From the moment I read the scripts, I knew this was going to be something special.

‘I can’t wait for the audience to meet them and see how they turn a few heads along the way… it’s going to be a ride, buckle up.’

Rebecca, meanwhile, played Adam Barlow’s ex Lydia Chambers on Coronation Street between 2021 and 2022, as well as Debbie Gallagher in long-running Channel 4 series Shameless.

Discussing her new role, she said: ‘I am so excited to be joining the cast of Hollyoaks.

‘My character is feisty and a bit of a firecracker but fiercely loyal. I am so excited for everyone to meet her. I am having the best time so far and can’t wait for her story to unfold.’

The third cast member set to be introduced is Lewis Walton, who is best known for having played the role of young Mick in a flashback episode of Coronation Street.

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Coincidentally, the one episode of Corrie that Lewis featured in also starred Brook Debio, who recently joined Hollyoaks as Ant Hutchinson.

On his Hollyoaks alter-ego, Lewis said: I’m thrilled to be joining the Hollyoaks cast. My character is charismatic, sporty and someone who’s always been the fun, positive presence in the room.

‘He’s incredibly close to his family and determined to follow in his dad’s footsteps, while chasing big ambitions of his own, especially when it comes to sport.

‘But life doesn’t always go to plan, and an unexpected challenge will force him to dig deeper than ever before…’.

Consider us intrigued.

Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 6am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.

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It doesn’t take a genius to work out Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) hugely dislikes Kim Tate (Claire King) in Emmerdale.

Ever since he returned from the dead, Graham has grown annoyed at how much protégé Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) has changed as a result of living with and learning from Kim.

After making a comment about how he’s technically still married to Kim, Graham left her fearing that he was only back in the village because he now believes he’s entitled to some of her assets.

They were also involved in a tense scene recently, where Graham left Kim somewhat on edge when he pointed out that he’s the only person at Home Farm who knows her incredibly well and because of that, it puts him at a huge advantage.

He didn’t confirm his plans to go up against her, but this moment allowed Graham to state that if they were to go to war, she wouldn’t have an easy fight on her hands.

It’s not often we see Kim unable to hold her own, but the expression on her face once Graham left suggested that he had touched a nerve.

If Graham is busy planning on destroying Kim, he will need someone other than Joe Tate to help him.

This is where Caleb Miligan (William Ash) could be about to prove very useful.

Shortly after Graham entered the pub to announce his return to a number of other village residents, Ruby Miligan (Beth Cordingly) got up and introduced herself. Caleb didn’t need to though, as he already knows Graham.

In 2023, when Caleb was busy trying to take Home Farm from Kim, we also learnt that he’s the son of Frank Tate.

Frank died after suffering a heart attack, and Kim took great pleasure in watching it happen.

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Caleb believed that he was entitled to what Kim owns, and arrived in the village hellbent on completely destroying her. In June of that year, Caleb revealed his identity to Kim, and said that he knows she let Frank die.

Curious as to how he knew of something that occurred so many years ago, Kim was stunned when Caleb confirmed he got Graham Foster drunk, and then learnt everything about Frank’s final moments.

If it comes down to it, Graham could easily get Caleb involved with his plan to remove Kim from Home Farm.

His own attempt at doing so failed miserably, so he will more than likely jump at the chance of finally getting what he believes he’s entitled to.

If Graham brings Joe and Caleb in on his plan, what hope does Kim have fighting this battle alone?

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Maggie Driscoll (Pauline McLynn) is holding two secrets very close to her chest in Coronation Street. One of them is that she murdered her husband, the other is that her son shares a father with someone else in Weatherfield.

The possibility of the latter being revealed increases next week in the show, as she discovers grandson Ollie Driscoll (Raphael Akuwudike) is interested in Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney).

To anyone else, this isn’t a problem, but for Maggie, it’s an absolute nightmare, as she secretly realises Ollie is developing romantic feelings for his cousin!

As Amy and Ollie head to Speed Daal for another date, Maggie pulls Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) to one side and tells her to go home, dress to impress, and head to Speed Daal to show Ollie what he’s missing.

Lauren does just that. When she gets to the restaurant, she finds Ollie and Amy chatting and getting on well. However, when Ollie spies Lauren, he cannot tear his eyes away.

The next day, Ollie rounds on Maggie for using Lauren to sabotage his date with Amy. He’s then left feeling further torn between the two women, as Lauren admits to Ollie that she really likes him.

Also next week, Maggie watches Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker) support Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) at Jim McDonald’s (Charles Lawson) wake.

After waking up with a hangover, Ben ends up missing his hospital appointment, increasing Maggie’s agitation.

Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) tells Maggie that while she realises Jim’s funeral must’ve stirred up memories of losing Ben’s father, she cannot take it out on the punters.

Unbeknownst to Eva, Ben’s biological father is actually Jim McDonald, making him Steve’s brother.

This is why Maggie is trying to sabotage Ollie’s new romance with Amy but as she’s so reluctant to tell the truth, is she just going to permanently damage her relationship with her grandson?

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Former EastEnders star Danielle Harold has ruled out joining another soap after leaving the genre.

The actress, who is 33, played the role of Lola Pearce between the years of 2011 and 2023.

Granddaughter to Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick), Lola was a bit of a troublemaker growing up, and was never afraid to speak her mind.

The young woman became pregnant in 2012 with Ben Mitchell’s (eventually played by Max Bowden) baby. She gave birth to Lexi in the soap’s live episode in the same year.

Lola left Albert Square in Newcastle to stay with her friend Dexter. Her relationship with Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) had broken down due to his involvement in Lucy Beale’s murder investigation.

In 2019, Lola moved back to London with Lexi and Ben. As she got settled back into Albert Square life, Lola reunited with Jay.

It was in 2022 that everything changed for Lola, as she was given a brain tumour diagnosis. She was eventually told the tumour was incurable, so Lola tried to make every single day count while her health was deteriorating.

Lola died in 2023, with Jay and Lexi beside her. The storyline was hugely powerful but also incredibly intense. Recently, star Danielle Harold reflected on her EastEnders journey, and how she enjoyed taking a small break once she said goodbye to Lola.

‘I took a little minute after I left EastEnders. I did the jungle, which was so much fun as well. I just took a little break because the storyline was so heavy and, obviously, I’ve played that character for such a long time’.

Adding to her chat with The Sun, Danielle confirmed that she’s now ‘kind of getting back to auditions’.

The actress also revealed that she’d be interested in exploring the world of documentaries and TV series rather than venturing back into soapland.

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‘I feel like everything’s changed, the whole industry’s changed, so it’s crazy. I’ve always said I’d love to do a series, where you get the whole story in one.

‘Because obviously when you film EastEnders, you never know where the story’s going, so I’d love to do something like that. And I’d also love to do a documentary, actually, something a bit different I’d love to do.’

She added: ‘It’s not that [I’m too loyal to EastEnders]. It’s just more, it’s so hard work. Soap is…actors in soap, oh my gosh, take my hat off. Like, it’s such a hard job. And, yeah, I like the freedom a little bit of being able to move from job to job.’

Since leaving EastEnders, Danielle has appeared on our screens in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity, and Celebrity Hunted.

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