Michelle Collins: Soaps like EastEnders show women’s voices should be heard
By Hannah Roberts, PA Entertainment Reporter
EastEnders actress Michelle Collins has reflected on the soap’s 40th anniversary and said the BBC programme shows women have got voices and stories that “should be heard”.
The 62-year-old returned to the long-running BBC show as Cindy Beale in 2023, long after she was said to have died in prison while giving birth in 1998.
Her character was attacked on Christmas Day in 2024, and the perpetrator’s identity is to be revealed during the show’s anniversary week.
Asked if she had imagined making it to the soap’s 40th anniversary, Collins told Radio Times: “Cindy was originally only meant to be in the show for 11 episodes. And then she died, off-screen, in 1998 – so no, I never imagined being here for the 40th.”
“Now I’m back again, I’m happier to stay,” she added.
“I think I’m more comfortable in my own skin, more content, and I’m not running away all the time. I’ve certainly grown, and hopefully I’m a better actor.”
She continued: “TV isn’t great for women of a certain age, but soaps are. What EastEnders and characters like Cindy show is that we have got voices, we have got stories – and they should be heard.”
The raft of programming for the show’s anniversary also includes a 45-minute interview special, hosted by Joe Swash, and a special documentary, EastEnders: 40 Years On The Square, hosted by Ross Kemp.
As part of the celebrations, a live episode will air where viewers will have the power to decide whether Diane Parish’s character, Denise Fox, reunites with her estranged husband Jack Branning, played by Scott Maslen, or her secret lover Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).
Parish’s character has been involved in a number of storylines and was seen struggling with her mental health last year.
Asked if this had taken its toll, Parish said: “Her psychosis storyline did, but only because I wanted it to.
“That might sound masochistic, but it had to be truthful, so I isolated myself from the cast in order to do the story justice. That was intense, but I enjoyed it.”
Asked why women are so integral to soaps, she added: “Women were always the silent, tragic heroes, and until recently their stories were told through men’s voices.
“Soap has given women their own voice – you see how they run the household and keep everything together.”
A special hour-long episode of EastEnders will air on the show’s anniversary, Wednesday February 19, followed by a full live episode on February 20th.
Each episode during the soap’s anniversary week, starting from Monday February 17th, will drop on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7.30pm.