EastEnders spoilers follow.
Lord Michael Cashman has shared new details of an emotional EastEnders return.
The actor is reprising his groundbreaking role as Colin Russell alongside former on-screen love Gary Hailes (aka Barry) for EastEnders' extended funeral episode for Dot Branning.
This will be Lord Cashman's first appearance in EastEnders since 2016, when he returned to the show for Colin to invite longtime friend Dot to his wedding.
"When I went back in 2016, it was specifically to work with June on what we thought would be a very important story for the two of them – Colin’s wedding," he has recalled.
"Going back this time, it felt like I’d never been away. I have never worked with such a warm, generous, welcoming group of actors in my life. I was overcome when, after some of the scenes which were very dramatically challenging for the actors, I heard their colleagues applaud them. It lifted my heart."
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He went on: "When I got the first message asking if I’d be interested in returning, it was an unequivocal, unqualified ‘yes’. I couldn’t imagine Colin not being at his amazing friend Dot’s funeral and I couldn’t imagine not being there for June.
"She created a television icon that will stretch beyond the test of time. I had to be there, and I was humbled that they thought of me."
This send-off for June Brown gave Lord Cashman a chance to reunite with several of his co-stars from EastEnders in the 1980s, including Tom Watt (Lofty) and Linda Davidson (Mary the Punk).
"Working with Tom, Linda and Gary is like being thrown back with a group of people who you learned how to ride a bike with! We were quickly talking in shorthand, and it was like we’d reached back through time to nearly 40 years ago.
"The strength of EastEnders has always been the integrity of the characters, and I hope viewers will remember those characters fondly and, with us, jump into that little time machine," he said. "All of them were changed in some way, certainly for the better, by Dot Branning. That’s lovely. It’s like the weaving together of a beautiful tapestry.
"Working with them was a joy. Every morning that I went in, I’d go through the corridor past my old dressing room, the studio where we rehearsed and recorded. Every day, I had a date with the past, and it never disappointed me.
"My beautiful late husband, Paul Cottingham, used to work on EastEnders as a supporting artist, so that also had a wonderful resonance for me. People said, ‘Michael, you’ve changed. You are smiling so much! Are you at the House of Lords?’ I said, ‘No, I’m at Elstree!’ Even now, I have a smile on my face as big as a church organ thinking about it."
Lord Cashman also had a chance to reflect on working with June Brown in groundbreaking storylines that explored LGBTQ+ people before they were widely represented in TV drama.
"The scene she did with Gary Hailes must go down as an iconic scene. Subsequently, Colin tried to talk to Dot, and every time he approached her in the Square, she put her hand over her mouth and ran away because she thought she was going to catch AIDS," he remembered.
"I loved the way she suddenly started to listen to Colin and then told others the facts about AIDS and HIV. June and I used to go off together and visit people in the hospices who were then dying of AIDS-related illnesses, and she did a lot of work for AIDS and HIV charities, so that sticks in my head."
The acclaimed activist went on: "Dot represented a particular type of woman who saw the world in black and white. She couldn’t abide injustice or hypocrisy, and her faith got her through things. Dot was one of those women you see down the market, their coat clutched to them, their bag even closer, going about their business, just wanting a nice, quiet, easy life. Of course, she never had it.
"But whatever the world threw at her, she didn’t roll over. She took it and challenged it. Dot always did the right thing, and that’s why the character remains so loved. Dot was a contradiction, and they are much more interesting than one-dimensional characters. She made you think, she made you laugh, and oh my god, she made you cry. Dot is one of television’s greatest icons."
Reflecting on June's legacy in the soap, he said: "June was the ultimate professional, and she wanted you to know your lines, preferably in the right order. She wanted everyone to succeed, but she would call out anyone who lacked commitment or professionalism.
"She used to say, ‘We are lucky that we do what we do, so let’s do it the best’. Her legacy is to show what brilliant work and commitment can achieve. Walk through the door, commit yourself to what you are doing, and walk out with your head high."
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.
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