Tilly Keeper talks EastEnders

Tilly Keeper, who plays Louise Mitchell in EastEnders, has spoken about the return of her on-screen mum, Lisa played by Lucy Benjamin.

Lisa made a dramatic return to Albert Square on Friday (21 July) after an absence of seven years to be with her daughter following a candle catastrophe at the school prom.

Friday’s episode of EastEnders 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 flaming incident. As they comforted Louise who didn’t want to see Travis (Alex James-Phelps), they were stunned by the arrival of Lisa.

The BBC had tried to keep the unexpected arrival of Lisa under wraps before the edition aired, however The Mirror newspaper revealed all to fans of the soap before the edition went out on BBC One.

How did you find out about Lisa coming back?

For definite when I got the script (laughs). Well, I got called into a meeting to be told what’s going to happen at prom and what that meant for Louise. I was told she’d have a few surprises in hospital and I kind of twigged what they meant. And when I opened up the script I saw it for sure.

How did you react?

I was really excited. I’ve always wanted to meet Lucy. The girls who’ve played Louise before me have all got to work with her and it was something I really wanted to do. It was so lovely to meet her. I knew we would get on as soon as we met. Just from what I’d heard from other cast, such as Letitia, I knew she was brilliant. I loved her straight away.

 When did you first meet her? Had you met her before?

I hadn’t met her, no. I first met her when I was finishing filming the block before. So I got to meet her briefly just before we filmed our first scenes.

What was it like filming scenes with her?

A bit surreal actually. It was very different to anything I’ve experienced on EastEnders. Everyone works so hard on EastEnders but there was just something different about this, she was so incredible. She really switched something on in me, without sounding cheesy. I kind of had this “oh, that’s how you do it” moment. You have different experiences and learn different things when you work with different actors.

But I think because this was so new and fresh, and we had to get the relationship right straight away and we were just so comfortable together from the beginning it just felt special. We wanted to do the storyline justice. It’s Lisa’s return. It’s massive. As soon as I joined people started saying to me “where’s Lisa?” so it’s lovely that we finally got to do it. I just felt so comfortable working with her.

Do a lot of people come up to you and ask you about Lisa?

Yes, loads. “Where’s your mother?”, “When is she back?” (laughs) I’ve asked that question too, she’s gone through a lot and I think she needs her mum there. It’s all explained though.

What was it like seeing these iconic characters back together?

It was so weird! It felt like I’d been in a time machine. I’m in the hospital bed just lying back and just have this perfect view of three EastEnders’ legends standing before me. And they’re all playing my parents so it was really weird. It was lovely though, it was a lovely atmosphere. Although everything we were filming was quite intense, the relationships between everyone off camera were so great. People were saying things like “Oh, it feels like nothing’s changed”.

What’s Lisa and Louise’s relationship like at the minute?

Louise and Lisa had a very fractured relationship when Louise came to live with Phil. Louise said she’d left because her mum had gone off with another man which was typical Lisa behaviour. They haven’t really spoken at all. So for Louise, I think it’s a moment of relief when Lisa steps through the door because when she wakes up the first thing she says is “where’s my mum?” because she’s so disorientated. I think every girl needs their mum at some point, and Louise is definitely at a crisis point right now.

She just wants something familiar and has lived with Lisa for most her life. She knows Phil isn’t in the country and it’s probably just that instinct that I want my mum now. She has her step mum and friends but it’s not the same. I think it’s been building up to this for a while. I think there would have been a point where Louise says “I need my mum”. So there is still love there. I think Louise looked after her mum as much as she looked after Louise.

What reception will Louise give Lisa?

Well there’s a lot of bad blood there, and also unfinished business. Louise just stormed out so there wasn’t much closure there. There’s a lot they need to settle before they move on.

What’s it like having Sharon there too?

Louise turns to Sharon quite a lot. Especially when Lisa is first brought back into the fold. Louise knows Sharon is probably the most level-headed person around her. She can trust her. I think she realises too that at the moment, Sharon is the only connection she has to Phil. So I think she hopes Sharon is relaying everything to him so he will come home. She wants her dad there. Although when Lisa shows up she’s probably thinking “get them away from each other” (laughs). She wants her dad there but doesn’t want any stress.

Can you give us a tease about what’s in store for the coming weeks?

Let’s just say it’s going to be a rough few weeks for Louise. She has a lot to deal with. There’s going to be lots of drama.