With the 30th anniversary celebrations for EastEnders in full swing and the cast from the present and past reminiscing about some of the amazing storylines, that have kept the show at the forefront of popular British Television viewing over the years, the producers look to have pulled off yet another coup. It has been announced that Denise Van Outen is to make a guest appearance on the show some time during the spring.
The full details are yet to be confirmed as to the expected length of her stay on the show, with the soap's bosses preferring to keep their cards close to their chests in terms of just what part she will play on the top soap.
To whet the appetite though, they do promise that it won't be long before she sends "sparks flying", with her new character set to quickly make moves on one of the men of Walford.
With 2015 marking the 30th anniversary of the show's beginnings, the bosses behind the big ratings' winner for the BBC are clearly in no mood to rest on their laurels, after claiming the prestigious top award at the recent National Television Awards, where they topped the soaps in the hearts of the viewing public.
Van Outen will certainly bring some sass and attitude to the show, judging by her previous stints as a presenter with Johnny Vaughan on the Channel 4 breakfast show Big Breakfast and her time as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, where she was unlucky to finish as runner-up on the tenth series of the Saturday evening success.
Her popularity with the public was further demonstrated by being voted as Rear of the Year in 1999.
Forty-year-old Van Outen gushed: "I'm really excited to be joining EastEnders as I've been a fan of the series for years." She comes into the cast with some television acting pedigree behind her, having featured on The Bill on the rival channel as a teenager.
Her stage presence will have been enhanced by also performing on the West End and Broadway in the smash hit musical Chicago in the role of Roxie Hart. That should give her plenty of latitude when it comes to a good old knees up down the Queen Vic!
