EastEnders actress Maisie Smith has already spent most of her life on the soap but she's not stopping there, because she wants to stay on Albert Square long enough to become landlord of the famous Queen Vic pub.
Maisie has played Tiffany Butcher – the daughter of iconic characters Bianca Jackson and Ricky Butcher – since she was six years old and now at the age of 18 she has her sights set on the pub.
"There would be a lot of pressure," she told The Sun. "All of the landlords are such iconic characters on the show and I'd have to live up to the hype. But I would love to give it a go and I think I'd do a good job. It's a big aim for me. I've got the sass of Peggy (Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor) and the roughness of Shirley (Carter, played by Linda Henry). I'd be perfect."
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And the famous ladies of the Queen Vic aren't the only characters who have inspired Maisie. She's also influenced by the iconic Dot Branning, who June Brown has played into her nineties. Maisie said it would be "quite cool" to "have my entire life shown on EastEnders", adding, "If I started and ended my career like Dot, that's pretty iconic. It's definitely the goal.
"But I'm only young, you know – EastEnders might not even want me next year. Who knows? But if ever I did leave I'd want to come back because it's a lovely show to be on." Another hope of Maisie's is that Tiffany will be joined by the rest of her family in Walford once again, particularly her mum Bianca (played by Patsy Palmer).
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"It would be lovely because we've got such a nice chemistry on and off screen, and I think it would definitely be a waste if we didn't show that," Maisie said. "And Patsy is a brilliant actress and it would be sad if I didn't get to explore my adult life with Bianca as well as my childhood with her.
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"When I came back after my couple of years off, I did research on Patsy as a teenager on the show because I thought that would influence a lot of my character choices and so I'm hoping that has come across. And we might have to bring Ricky (played by Sid Owen) back as well. I'd love that – to have all the Jacksons back in the Square."
But before she can take over the Queen Vic, Tiffany will need to deal with her current problems – following her husband Keegan Baker (Zack Morris)'s arrest after he tried to defend her, as well as the couple's discovery that they were about to be evicted from their home.
EastEnders is currently on a reduced schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, airing on Monday evenings at 8pm and Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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