Stacey and Janine to return to EastEnders in 2021; soap merger talks scrapped

EastEnders legends Janine Butcher and Stacey Slater are returning to the soap for a special episode, the BBC revealed today.

In a coup for the Walford show, Charlie Brooks and Lacey Turner have agreed to reprise their roles after both recently finished work on significant movie projects.

While Brooks has just completed filming for Tim Burton's 'twisted' new film version of Mary Poppins, in which she takes the lead role, Turner recently shot her last scene for the much-anticipated new movie adaptation of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, which will see her play the complex Egyptian queen.

With Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) still on the Square and enjoying a new relationship with Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), Stacey and Janine's bitter rivalry over the barman looks likely to re-emerge in spectacular circumstances.

An EastEnders spokesperson said today: "When Stacey left Walford on Christmas Day 2010, nobody could have imagined that she would one day return and have a chance of getting even with Janine. Fans will remember that it was Janine who drove her out of the Square all those years ago, but they'll have to wait and see whether she'll get her revenge or if there'll be another triumph on the cards for Janine."

Tentative plans to merge Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks in a bid to cut TV production costs have been dramatically scrapped today following a storm of protest from viewers.

Sources close to the talks between ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC have told reporters that the creation of a five-times-a-week serial named East Hollydale Street will now "absolutely not happen" after fans held sit-ins outside the programmes' respective studios in Manchester, Elstree, Leeds and Liverpool.

The proposal to bring the four shows together into a single 30-minute drama was first made public five months ago following the recent financial crisis which has hit British drama production.