I'm told the character is back next year to deal with all the Grant finding out he's Mark's dad fall out. I hear Ross Kemp is back briefly too. She's now a teacher having an affair with a student.

So revealed to me by a source at Elstree. Ya heard it here first!

Did the source have a folder under their arm, if not they can't be trusted?

I don't ever see Michelle returning.

Okay...

Recasting Michelle so that Shaks can finally sink the pink?

Cant see this happening

Michelle will never return, either with Susan Tully or another actress playing her. Nor should she...after all the hype from people wanting the Mark Jr secret to be revealed, it was predictably a damp squib when it finally was. Michelle's return would be exactly the same.

I agree completely. The return of long ago characters often doesn't work and they tend to be hyped up on this site to the max... Kathy is a perfect example

I would say, stay tuned....

I hear Katie Redford can play a pretty versatile age range?

It would be great though

Michelle has been gone 21 years- its time she was killed off now.

Her miserychops can stay in America thanks. Even Walford has a gloom threshold.

I think it's too late now. Pretty much her whole family died and she couldn't care less- she could only come back as a villain.

I usually hate it when they kill off characters off-screen. Cindy's, Angie's and Kathy's (before it was reversed) off-screen deaths were unnecessary as all three actress hadn't ruled out one day returning to the show. Michelle on the other hand is one character who an off-screen death would actually work for as Sue Tully has outright stated she has no desire to ever return to eastenders or even acting in general. Its obvious they wont recast Michelle otherwise it would have happened years ago. So an off-screen death really wouldn't do any harm, if anything its doing more damage to Michelle's character keeping her alive off-screen. There really is no excuse for missing her closest relatives funerals not the mention all the weddings she's missed. They really should just bite the bullet and kill her off, her death could result in the returns of Mark Jnr, Vicki and even the introduction of Michelle's unseen husband Tim.

They should kill her off and bring Mark in full time. End the stupid bring her back or recast. I'd personally have recasted be but I don't think any producer we will get will ever recast her.

I think you're soon going to find out those are famous last words...

I totally agree.

No, she's fine in America. It also gives Martin and Sharon an exit story should they need a break at any point.

It's realistic for some people to move away, killing everyone off when there's no point to it would just damage the show.

I love it when someone has a source at Elstree.

As for Michelle, she won't ever be back nor is there really the demand for her. I loathed DTC towards the end of his tenure - he was like a child gone made with fan-fiction plots, unrealistic plots and a style of substance approach.

He should've left the Michelle / Grant secret well alone but couldn't help himself. In the end we got an awful damp squib of a story with no real purpose.

Martin has already lost his parents and brother. Killing off his sister too would be too much. Sometimes people do move away and start new lives for themselves. I don't think it's realistic for an entire family unit except one to be dead in just over 30 years with the deaths occurring prematurely.

Michelle attended the first two of Mark's weddings and Ian's first wedding when she lived in London. I think it's understandable for someone who lives in another country not to be at every wedding. Particularly when it's not the person's first. She had good reasons for missing Arthur and Mark's funerals. It only got ridiculous when she missed Pauline's funeral too.

Killing her off would be pointless now. They can introduce Vicky without doing so as Sharon's her sister.. I agree the Mark story was handled atrociously but he can also come and go now without there being a need to kill off Michelle.

Michelle being alive in America also serves as a bolt hole for Sharon, Martin and Ian as someone else said. Keeping Michelle alive doesn't have to boil down to how likely a return is. It's just nice to think somebody got out of there and is living a life elsewhere.

What was the reason for missing marks funeral?

He visited her in America in the months leading up to his death and asked her not to attend, to remember him how he was.

Anyone who dismissed me feel like apologising now?