EastEnders star teases explosive return for major villain years after BBC soap exit
Speaking to Alan Titchmarsh, Annette Badland revealed she wasn't against a return for her EastEnders alter ego Aunt Babe. The actress left the BBC soap in dramatic scenes in 2017.
Annette Badland once said she was ready to reprise her EastEnders role as fans have speculated Aunt Babe could be lurking in the shadows, spying on Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).
A decade has gone by since the actress made her debut in the BBC One soap as Babe Smith, the aunt of well-established Walford residents Shirley and Tina Carter.
But her villainous antics led her to be booted out of Albert Square by Mick Carter himself and, while she obliged, Aunt Babe vowed: “it ain’t over”, before “cursing” her entire family and wishing them to lose The Queen Vic.
Babe’s wishes have partially come true – the Carter children have flown out of the nest, while Mick’s disappearance at sea and Tina’s murder led Shirley to wave goodbye to the Square herself, leaving a vulnerable Linda alone.
Aunt Babe was kicked out of The Queen Vic and the Square in 2017 and sensationally cursed her whole family
And as the pub landlady faces imminent trouble with Dean Wicks’ trial looming on the horizon, Aunt Babe has been expected to make her threat a reality, which Annette Badland once admitted she’d love to play out on screens.
Speaking to Alan Titchmarsh in a repeat episode of Love Your Weekend aired on ITV this Sunday, August 11, 2024, the soap star, 73, revealed she would like to reprise her role: “Yes. Yes, I would. I say ‘I’ll be back’ when? I don’t know.”
This wasn’t the first time Annette mentioned she was keen to return to the London-based soap. Just last year, she told the Loose Women panel she was open to a return, but not on a permanent basis. “I would go back for a story but I wouldn’t go for a long journey”, she’d admitted at the time.
Regular viewers of the long-running drama have recently speculated Aunt Babe could have made a secret return to Walford as Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) received poison pen letters from a mystery person.
Taking to social media, viewers predicted this would be the moment Aunt Babe returns after seven years away. Sharing a picture of Aunt Babe on X, one fan posted: “She looms!” Another viewer agreed: “I really think it’s Aunt Babe or Janine,” as a third added: “Shirley, Bernie or Aunt Babe!”
Others wondered if it could be Dean’s mother and Linda’s mother-in-law Shirley Carter who is behind the campaign against her, amid return rumours following her abrupt exit in 2022. Another theory was that it was Linda’s rival Janine Butcher, and some fans are convinced Keanu’s mother Karen Taylor could be the culprit helping Dean.
The mystery person was later revealed to be Keanu Taylor’s sister Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris) as part of a set-up with Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo). But could another member of the Carter family fly to his rescue?
While this remains to be seen ahead of Dean’s trial, one soap legend was confirmed to be on her way back to the Square, months after she was last seen in the midst of Whitney Dean’s exit storyline.
