EastEnders star Kellie Bright has opened up about the challenges of joining the soap.
Classic EastEnders has flashed back to one of the most memorable Christmas episodes in recent memory this week by re-airing the Carter family's first significant festive storyline.
In the episode, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) learned the shocking truth that Shirley (Linda Henry) was his mum, not his sister — as he'd been led to believe his whole life.
Bright promoted the episode on The One Show on Tuesday night (August 11), crediting co-star Linda Henry with pulling the Carters together on-screen and off.
"It was amazing to have her as an anchor for all of us," Bright said. "When you join the show, it's kind of like a rollercoaster. That's how I've described it. You jump on and you have to try to get used to the speed you are going very, very quickly. The show doesn't slow down just because you're new."
The whirlwind experience of Bright's first year on the soap meant that she doesn't have many strong memories of this week's Classic EastEnders episode.
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"It's a bit hazy for me," she admitted. "A lot has happened since this episode! I do remember the dress I wore and I can remember it being a very exciting thing to film because, even though we'd joined the show the previous Christmas, this was our first proper Christmas on the Square.
"There's nothing quite like filming that time because they're our biggest shows. You know, the Christmas Day episode is our biggest episode of the year, without a doubt. To be part of that was really exciting.
"I loved this time on the show… It was a really special time and the culmination of a really hard-hitting, difficult storyline that I had been a part of, which was amazing."
Bright will chat more about the Carters on next week's Secrets from the Square, revealing one memorable scene that she didn't initially support.
EastEnders: Secrets from the Square with Kellie Bright and Letitia Dean will air next Monday (August 17) at 8pm on BBC One, and then Classic EastEnders airs for a full hour next Tuesday (August 18) at 7.30pm for an iconic Peggy Mitchell episode.
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