Lucy Benjamin returns to EastEnders
Lucy Benjamin has reprised her role of Lisa Fowler in EastEnders.
The character’s comeback – first reported by The Mirror, though without confirmation – aired tonight (21 July) on BBC One when Lisa arrived at the hospital to be with her daughter Louise (Tilly Keeper).
Tonight’s episode saw Louise admitted to hospital where Sharon (Letitia Dean), Sonia (Natalie Cassidy) and Bex (Jasmine Armfield) were informed she had suffered third-degree burns as a result of the incident at the prom. As they comforted Louise who didn’t want to see Travis (Alex James-Phelps), they were stunned by the arrival of Lisa (Lucy Benjamin).
“Viewers will have to wait and see how her return will go down with the Mitchell family but after removing herself from Louise’s life; it’s safe to say the reception will be anything but welcoming.” – BBC
Lisa is best remembered for her stormy relationship with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) which led to her shooting him once and plotting to do so a second time. The character also had a long-term relationship with Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) who at one time pretended to be Louise’s natural father before Lisa succumbed to Phil’s charms once more – a decision she soon ended up regretting.
“It was great to be back at EastEnders as it has been such a long time since I had been there. I loved being back in Elstree for the few weeks I was there, seeing old friends again and working with really talented people. I loved every minute of it.” – Lucy Benjamin
The actress originally played the role between 1999-2002 before returning for a short while in 2003 (including a special flashback episode), and for one episode in 2010. The beeb say she will appear in a number of episodes in the coming weeks after filming her scenes in recent months.
“Only time will tell what’s in store for Lisa however with Phil’s return imminent, viewers can expect fireworks when the former flames come face-to-face once more.” – BBC
Meanwhile, at the school Alexandra (Sydney Craven) and Madison’s (Seraphina Beh) involvement in Louise’s injuries was quickly uncovered. Alex, who pushed Louise onto a table of burning candles, tried to shift the blame onto Mads and the two girls turned on each other before they were arrested for GBH and escorted out of the school amid heckles from fellow pupils.
