Michelle Fowler is to return to Eastenders although it will not be Susan Tully who plays her....



whaddya think of THAT?!

Well they have to do something cos quite frankly the excuse as to why Michelle didn't attend her own brothers funeral was pretty lame, the only other alternative is killing off the character and I feel there is still some milage left in Michelle.

It's a shame Susan Tully won't come back in the role but, if handled right, recasting would work.

Helen

i hate it when they re cast characters, it takes time though but i get used to them after a while. Although with someone like michele i dont think they should re cast her, they should kill her off, because bringing her back as a different character is useless.

It's a bit strange they couldn't recast for Mark's one off funeral eposode yet they're willing to for what sounds like a more dragged out storylike involving Vicky.

The conspiracy theory in my head wonders if Todd Carty did something to upset Louise Beridge & co between the rushed exit & the lame funeral episode. As one of the few characters to be in the programme from the first eppi (granted played by 2 actors) I would have thought Mark's funeral deserved more coverage & possibly more old character's returning.

The last I saw of Sanjay (the actor) was when he was playing a gay undertaker in River City (Glasgow's failed attempt at EE's but I still watch it ) I'm sure this actor & a few more past EE's out of work actors would have gladly returned for one episode.

Instead we have half of the programme dedicated to the shambles that is the Kat/Alfie & Andie storyline.

I think Michelles charactor should be re cast to someone who looks and acts like Michelle, possibly a real american (so we dont get an annoying false american accent for 10 weeks then suddenly changes to a londoner accent)

I also hope with Michelle now had Grant mitchells baby and peggy returning i hope they dont recycle the granny / mother / grandson storyline she had with lisa and louise.

Is it really worth going to the trouble of recasting what was a major character just for one episode though?

I think they were holding out hoping Sue would return but have now decided to recast as they know she won't.

Helen

I think what he means is that they should have cast the new Michelle for the funeral episode and then they could gradually work her in to the series as Chelles body replacement.

What kill Michelle off? So we're expected to have Pauline go through losing Arthur, Mark and Michelle? lol I think if they recast well enough we'd get used to her. It is a shame though Sue Tully wouldnt' come back. I'd love to see her and Letitia (Sharon) on screen again. Anyways I think Michelle's reason for not going to Mark's funeral will be her returning storyline. In what will seem like an attempt to get Vicki back will turn out to be something a bit more sinister as to why Chelle is back. It will be interesting having the character of Michelle Fowler back in the Square with Dirty Den and Sharon

I think that they are trying out the new actress. Michelle's visit is going to be a short one but, if the re-casting is seen to work, the character will probably be bought back full time.

I wonder whether they will bring back Mark junior as well, and whether he will be a Grant mini-me...

He probably was a Grant mini-me for a while (when younger) - bald, whingey, a couple of facial expression but now ... who knows.

Susan Tully isn't coming back because of her sucess the other side of the camera - that's right isnt it?

I personally don't really like re-casting but it has worked in the past - it annoys you for a little while and then you forget that anyone else ever played the character - ok it may take a while for Michelle ! Then again she has been off our screens for so long will it make a huge difference .... as long as the get a decent actor in to play the part.

I thought they were going to have a big send off for Mark but it was very poor and if they were going to re-cast for Michelle why not do it for the funeral? However I'm quite please they will bring in a new actress because Susan was terrible in the role all spotty and greasy hair.

However the worst was yet to come - the reading of the will. Completely devoid from reality as only EE can do, I also hate it when people are in debt on soaps - I suppose Kat will get a few shifts at the laundrette and everything will be hunky dory.

I heard ages ago that they were going to get a new actress to come back and be Michelle. I think it could work - it's a long time since we've seen the teenage Michelle, and think how much Sharon's changed in that time. Peggy and Sam Mitchell were both originally played by different actresses - and how many people can remember what the original Petty looked like? Corrie has also had different Tracy and Peter Barlow's, and we accepted them.

The only one that I found it hard to accept was Miss Ellie in Dallas - she turned into a glamour puss for one series, then came back as the original dowdy granny.

The original Peggy wasn't really a major character so when Babs Windsor came in it was easy to accept her. I've managed to accept the new Tracy Barlow/Preston whatever, but only because she was a kid to me when she left originally.

I've never managed to accept the new Sam Mitchell though. I think this may be because nowadays Sam Mitchell the character is so different from olden days Sam Mitchell. The Sam played by Daniella Westbrook would not be strutting around the square throwing her weight around.

Re-casting isn't such a big issue for me, but then Eastenders has a problem by changing peoples characters anyway. Take Minty, when he arrived about a year ago he was a big hard man, not the same guy who's been on the screens this last week.

What I'm trying to say is bring back Michelle if you must, recast her if you must, but whatever you do write the character as she was when she left.

Mostly re casting actors works. The only time when it doesn't is when its somone totally different. If I was in charge of EE a few years ago I would have had peggy confess to having another daughter - Susan. Susan would be played by Kim Medcalf. Sam Mitchell would either have been recast as someone who looked and sounded like Daniellia Westbrook - or preferebly Daniella Westbrook would have returned. If her nose was still dodgy i would have said she got into herion while in Spain due to depression - thus dealing with a serious issue showing what drugs can do...but also showing that even if you have had trouble with drugs its possible to give up and return to normal life. There. penny for ur thoughts

True. And Ian Beale's character changes from nasty to nice and back again almost every week, depending on the plot he's in.

I doubt if Pauline would even notice that Michelle has swapped heads, she didnt notice when Mark and Martin both went through head swaps all those years ago...

Just as long as the new actress looks a little like Michelle please
I'm still getting over the tall, sexy, long haired, blonde gorgeous Flynn, to the cuddly, short dark haired Flynn in Home and Away