EastEnders' Sonia Fowler actress Natalie Cassidy has had a dramatic makeover for her new role in BBC Two sitcom Mandy, as she takes on the character of a foul-mouthed gangster.
Natalie, who has played long-suffering Sonia on the soap for various stints since 1993, is set to play tough crime boss Donna Ball in an episode of the comedy.
Diane Morgan, who writes and directs the series and stars as central character Mandy, revealed to The Guardian that she thinks viewers who are more used to seeing Natalie as caring nurse Sonia could be "appalled" by her Mandy character.
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"(Natalie) messaged me on Twitter one day and we started chatting," Diane said, explaining how the actress was cast. "Then I wrote this part and thought: 'Who can I get to play this cockney gangster lady? Aha, Cassidy!'
"Everyone knows her as softy Sonia with her trumpet. I thought I'd wrestle that trumpet off her and get her a bloody Oscar. I'm not sure how people will feel about her effing and jeffing. They'll either be appalled or think it's fantastic."
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Considering the tragedy-filled life that Sonia's endured, we're surprised that she hasn't started turning the air blue sooner.
Mandy will feature an impressive line-up of guest stars including Happy Mondays musician Shaun Ryder and actress Maxine Peake.
Related: Ex-EastEnders star on her struggles to find work
Another famous soap star who could end up guest-starring in future if Diane has anything to do with it is Coronation Street legend Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Lynch in three stints between 1966 and 2003, because Diane is distantly related to her.
"Julie's got a touch of the Mandys, actually. Maybe I could cast her as Mandy's mum," Diane joked.
As for Sonia, she was just about to start exploring her past in a big new story for the character when the soap went off air in June.
Feeling lonely, Sonia decided that she needs to make some changes in her life and she put the wheels in motion to start searching for her long-lost father.
Fans will see Sonia's new story continue when the soap returns on September 7.
Mandy airs Thursdays on BBC Two.
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