Soaps love a good old-fashioned recast, even though the jury's out on how successful a gambit it is. But we're positive types here at Digital Spy, so the following are the times where an actor switcheroo actually worked a charm. We know that recasts can be quite a bizarre experience and some often don't work out at all, but sometimes they can turn out to be a great success.
Here are some Soapland recasts that went down really well...
1. Peggy Mitchell (EastEnders)
(Jo Warne, Barbara Windsor)
It may be hard to believe, but Peggy Mitchell once had a very different face to the one we all knew and loved. Actress Jo Warne played the Mitchell matriarch for 10 episodes between 1991 to 1994, with Barbara Windsor taking over in 1994.
It's fair to say that watching Jo playing the first incarnation of Peggy is something of a bizarre experience now, as we just can’t imagine a world where Barbara wasn’t in the role.
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2. Robert Sugden (Emmerdale)
(Karl Davies, Ryan Hawley)
Given that Karl Davies played bad boy Robert Sugden for an action-packed eight years, it was hard to imagine Robert any other way. After taking centre stage in a number of the show's biggest plots between 2001 and 2009, Karl eventually bowed out for pastures new and by the time we saw Robert again things were very different.
When Karl chose not to return to Emmerdale in 2014 Robert was reintroduced with a new face, a new family and a whole new batch of stories. Ryan Hawley's portrayal of Robert saw him become one half of one of the show's most popular couples, earning him an army of ardent shippers in the process. It's no wonder that fans were devastated when Robert bowed out this year.
3. Aaron Dingle (Emmerdale)
(Danny Webb, Danny Miller)
It might be painful to think about thanks to the 'Robron' phenomenon, but popular Aaron Dingle once had a very different face as well.
Danny Miller took over the role from Danny Webb when Aaron was reintroduced in 2008, and he's gone on to win an impressive number of awards and an even more impressive fan base since.
Fun fact: The first Aaron, aka Danny Webb, is the brother of Charley Webb, who plays Debbie Dingle. What a talented family!
4. Tracy Barlow (Coronation Street)
(Dawn Acton, Kate Ford)
The role of Tracy may now be synonymous with Kate Ford these days, but do you remember an era when Dawn played her? Original Tracy was actually on the cobbles for an entire decade from 1988 to 1999, with Kate taking over the role when the resident bad girl was reintroduced three years later.
Apparently, Dawn was actually invited back to audition as Tracy ahead of her return in 2002, but ultimately lost out to Kate.
5. Lauren Branning (EastEnders)
(Madeline Duggan, Jacqueline Jossa)
While Madeline undeniably did a great job of playing Max and Tanya's rebellious daughter Lauren, it's Jacqueline who stands out in our memories the most.
Jacqueline replaced Madeline as Lauren in 2010, and played her right up until earlier last year, taking the troubled character through an alcoholism story, pregnancy, a murder plot, numerous romances, and even a horrifying rooftop fall. So, it's not all that hard to see why we can’t imagine Lauren any other way.
6. Holly Cunningham (Hollyoaks)
(Wallis Day, Amanda Clapham)
Holly's had so many faces over the years that it can be hard to keep up, but it's undoubtedly Amanda who made the biggest mark.
Back in 2013, it was announced that Wallis Day was leaving the role after a year with Amanda Clapham taking over as Holly – who had previously been played by Karis Sharkey, Katie Hynes and Lydia Waters. But despite her multiple predecessors, Amanda came in and immediately made the role her own, impressing fans with her strong performances, hard-hitting stories and great on-screen connection with Stephanie Waring, who plays her mum Cindy.
Interestingly, when Amanda bowed out of the role last year, she was laid-back about the prospect of Holly being getting a new face again, simply saying that "people are recast a lot". You don't say!
7. Shabnam Masood (EastEnders)
(Zahra Ahmadi, Rakhee Thakrar)
Back in 2014, Rakhee Thakrar was brought in to play Shabnam – a role that had been previously played by Zahra Ahmadi for a year in 2007.
Despite the switch, it wasn't long before Rakhee was blowing us away with her performances as Masood's much-missed daughter Shabnam, who later took centre stage in a heartbreaking storyline which saw her give birth to a stillborn son in 2015.
8. Martin Fowler (EastEnders)
(James Alexandrou, James Bye)
Alexandrou played Pauline and Arthur’s son Martin for a whopping eleven years before bowing out in 2007 and therefore, the news that he was being recast eight years later certainly came as a surprise.
But although seeing Bye in the role arguably took some getting used to, we now couldn’t imagine it any other way. While his predecessor Alexandrou (who chose not to return) understandably still holds a special place in some viewers' hearts, Bye won fans over thanks to Martin’s genius pairing with Stacey, his strong storylines, and powerful performances.
9. Ryan Connor (Coronation Street)
(Sol Heras, Ryan Prescott)
Ryan is another character whose had multiple faces over the years, but that hasn't stopped fans taking a shine to current actor Ryan Prescott.
Prescott took over the role of Michelle's son Ryan last year and he's certainly been involved in his a fair share of Weatherfield drama since returning. So much so, in fact, that we’re already struggling to remember a time when Prescott wasn't in the role.
10. Ali Neeson (Coronation Street)
(Dario Coates, James Burrows)
Much like Ryan, Corrie's new-look Alex Neeson made an immediate impression on viewers when he returned to Weatherfield last year, with a new face and a (slightly) new name.
James Burrows took over the role of Michelle Connor's estranged son from Dario Coates, who played him for a year between 2007 and 2008.
Since returning, Alex, now called Ali, quickly became involved in some of Corrie's biggest storylines, from his tense reunion with mum Michelle to ruthlessly killing gangster Ronan Truman to protect his family.
11. Joel Dexter (Hollyoaks)
(Andrew Still, Rory Douglas-Speed)
Believe it or not, there was actually a time where Rory Douglas-Speed didn't play Joel. That's right, Warren's son was once played by Andrew Still from 2011 to 2013, with Rory only actually taking on the role in 2016.
It's fair to say that Rory has fully immersed himself as on-off priest Joel since then and has quickly become a show staple with fans, thank to his unpredictable storylines, his dramas with Cleo, and of course, his real-life romance with co-star Nadine Mulkerrin. Oh and the odd hair scandal, too.
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