EastEnders legend Sid Owen made a surprise return to TV screens yesterday evening, as he appeared on Dancing on Ice to support his former co-star Charlie Brooks.
Charlie, who is known for her iconic role as Albert Square villain Janine Butcher, is currently competing in the 2025 series of Dancing on Ice, and this week's show saw her reminiscing about the '90s.
"Being cast in EastEnders at 17 was amazing," she said during her VT. "Big friendships were formed and Sid Owen is one of my really good friends, very much like my off-screen brother."
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Charlie and her professional skating partner Eric Radford were then seen arriving at a pub and being cheekily greeted by Sid, who joked, "Hey, get outta my pub!"
Former co-stars Charlie and Sid went on to share their memories of the '90s, with Sid joking that "I had long hair and I was out raving".
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"It was about '98 when I got into EastEnders," Charlie said. "I can remember walking onto set being absolutely terrified."
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Although Sid added that you would "never know" about Charlie's nerves, saying that "she always knew what she was doing", Charlie replied with "I was faking it!"
Going on to show support for Charlie ahead of her routine, Sid said, "My only advice is just to have fun with it - and let's hope it don't all go Pete Tong!"
Charlie went on to perform her '90s inspired routine to 'Common People' by Pulp alongside stand-in partner Brendyn Hatfield, and achieved her highest score of the series with 32 points.
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Charlie was last seen on screen as Janine in December 2022, when Janine was arrested after her brother Ricky reported her to the police. It was later revealed that she had been sentenced to five years in prison for her various crimes.
Sid returned as Ricky as part of Janine's exit storyline, having last been seen in 2012. After Janine's arrest, he returned to his home in Germany alongside Janine's daughter Scarlett, with Ricky having been granted custody of her.
Sid's cameo on Dancing on Ice follows last week's guest appearance by Coronation Street icon Malcolm Hebden, who returned to the Corrie set to support Chesney Brown actor Sam Aston.
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
