Patsy Palmer set for brief EastEnders return

The flame-haired actress is headed back to Albert Square.

Her popular character, Bianca Butcher, will be back on screen later this year in a “blistering” storyline.

“When I joined the show in January, bringing Bianca Jackson back to the Square was high on my wish-list. I’m thrilled to announce that Patsy’s agreed to return to reprise her iconic creation in a blistering storyline that will grip fans this autumn. There is no one more excited than me to see her step back into Albert Square again. I simply cannot wait.” – Jon Sen, Executive Producer

It has been almost five years since Bianca decided to leave Albert Square to make a fresh start in Milton Keynes with her partner, Terry.

Palmer has been living in Malibu since she quit the BBC soap in 2014 and has been working as a DJ there. She originally played Bianca between 1993-1999 before returning to the role in 2008. The character is remembered for her volatile relationship with Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen), which spawned her iconic catchphrase – a caterwauling of his name.

Bianca’s daughter Tiffany (Maisie Smith) was recently at the centre of a County Lines drug-dealing storyline while stepdaughter Whitney (Shona McGarty) is about to get hitched to secretly-gay Callum Highway (Tony Clay), with Bianca expected to return as a guest at the wedding.

“Confident, brash and one of the Square’s loudest and most memorable characters, a trail of chaos is never far behind Bianca but just what brings her back to Walford?” – BBC

Bianca’s memorable storylines from the 1990s include unwittingly making a pass at her biological father, David Wicks, the turmoil she faced with Ricky including a pregnancy that they chose to terminate due to the baby having spina bifida, and leaving the Square in shame following an affair with her mum’s boyfriend, Dan.

Ricky and Bianca were later the subject of a two-part spin-off when Ricky tracked his ex-wife down to Manchester and became embroiled in a bungled scam she was attempting to pull off. In 2008, Palmer made a further return to EastEnders and Bianca – now a mother of 4 – was involved in a dark storyline in which her partner Tony King (Chris Coghill) sexually abused her step-daughter, Whitney.

Bianca went on to reunite with Ricky and the pair tied the knot for a second time as part of the BBC One soap’s 25th anniversary. However, the reunion proved to be short-lived when Ricky cheated on Bianca with Mandy Salter whilst Bianca was in prison for ABH. Bianca latterly supported her mum Carol (Lindsey Coulson) through her cancer and embarked on a new relationship with Terry Spraggan (Terry Alderton).