EastEnders viewers were left in disbelief as Michelle Ryan made her first appearance in Albert Square in 20 years, reprising her role as Zoe Slater after weeks of speculation
EastEnders’ Zoe Slater made her welcomed return to the BBC soap on Monday night(Image: BBC)
EastEnders fans were left stunned following tonight’s show on Monday, June 16 as Zoe Slater graced the screen for the first time in two decades. After weeks of speculation, it’s now confirmed that Michelle Ryan has reprised her role as Kat Slater’s daughter.
It marks her first appearance since departing Albert Square back in 2005. In one of EastEnders most riveting storylines, Zoe Slater’s life was thrown into turmoil when she discovered that her ‘sister’ Kat (portrayed by Jessie Wallace) was actually her biological mum
This was a result of Kat being assaulted by her uncle Harry at just 13 years old. The plot which played out on the BBC soap took another twist in 2015 with the revelation that Kat had given birth to twins, indicating that Zoe has a twin brother.
Zoe was last spotted in Walford in 2005 before jetting off to Ibiza. Her final dramatic scenes on the Square saw her sleeping with Dirty Den to feign a pregnancy with his son Dennis Rickman’s child and conspiring with Chrissie Watts and Sam Mitchell to seek revenge against Den for his misdeeds, mistakenly believing she had killed him.
It later emerged that Zoe wasn’t Den’s killer and that it was actually Chrissie who was the guilty party, leading to her being slammed behind bars while Zoe departed for sunnier shores, reports the Mirror.
Actress Michelle Ryan hasn’t been seen on the BBC soap for 20 years(Image: BBC)
Fast forward twenty years, and Zoe made a sensational comeback to EastEnders, leaving viewers stunned as she appeared dishevelled after using Kat’s credit card for a shopping spree.
In a moment of sheer desperation, Stacey Slater (played by Lacey Turner) found herself seeking the aid of Alfie Moon (Shane Ritchie), who had just married Kat yet willingly returned to his stepfather duties. The episode culminated with Alfie extending a forlorn welcome to Zoe as she made her return, uttering a desolate: “Hello Zoe.”
The twist set social media ablaze as soaps enthusiasts at home couldn’t contain their excitement. One Twitter user announced: “ZOE BLOODY SLATER #EastEnders.”
Another shared their elation with a tweet: “ZOE YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO YOU AIN’T MY MOTHER SLATER IS BACK! #eastenders,” while another expressed disbelief: “An actual Zoe Slater return i can’t believe my eyes #EastEnders.”
Yet, not everyone was caught off-guard by Zoe’s reappearance. Tweets reflecting less surprise also surfaced: “Such a shame Zoe’s return was leaked- imagine the shock we would have got #EastEnders,” and its sentiment echoed by another: “Me acting shocked when Zoe Slater turns up even though her return got leaked weeks ago #EastEnders.”
Looking back at her decision to return to Albert Square, actress Michelle reflected on her return: “It all happened at the right time. I’d already been thinking about a return because I’d met up with Kacey Ainsworth (Little Mo) and Kim Medcalf (Sam Mitchell) and we were reminiscing our fond memories of the show, and I’d also joined social media and saw that there was still a lot of love for the character.
“It just so happened that at the same time, EastEnders had announced a new Exec who was keen to explore the potential of a return as he was such a massive fan of Zoe and the Slaters, so both of our worlds aligned at the right time, and I’m so excited to be back. When Ben pitched me the storylines, and when I read the scripts, I knew it was the right decision.”
The show’s producers have hinted that Zoe will make her comeback bearing 20 years’ worth of “deep-rooted resentment” towards her mum, strained family ties, and siblings she has yet to meet.
They added that the character is set for quite the rollercoaster ride upon her return. Michelle, while discussing Zoe’s upcoming storyline in Albert Square, intriguingly noted: “I can’t say too much as there is a lot of drama to come, but Zoe is a mess. She’s not the girl that left Walford twenty years ago, and she’s been really struggling on her own. She has her defences up, but this week you will see that she needs help, but whether she is willing to accept it is another story.”
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