Zoe Slater made a surprise return to EastEnders this week, 20 years after she last left Walford, but fans have noticed the show had previously been dropping hints.
Actor Michelle Ryan is reprising her role in the iconic soap, making her first comeback appearance during Monday’s (16 June) episode, where she had a dramatic reunion with her cousin Stacey Slater and her step-dad Alfie Moon just before the credits.
In the run up to Zoe’s return, EastEnders posted some cryptic videos to social media, showing an unnamed character leaving Walford tube station and heading towards Albert Square.
Each of the three short clips was filmed from the view of the character walking, with their POV occasionally blinking and their heels heard clacking on the pavement. The return was teased with the caption: “Blink and you’ll miss it!”
Eagle-eyed fans theorised who could be set to return, with some pointing out some possible clues.
🌐 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔.𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐 – 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍
One fan noticed a poster advertising a jazz festival outside the station, with the letters ‘Z’, ‘O’ and ‘E’ seemingly highlighted. “You can’t convince me it’s not Zoe with the tube entrance and all,” they wrote.
Another viewer spotted some graffiti which seemed to spell out ‘Y2K’, in reference to the year 2000 – the year Zoe first appeared on the soap.
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One of the clips sees the character walk through the street market where Zoe delivered the iconic line “you ain’t my mother!” in the big 2001 reveal that Kat Slater was actually her mum, not her older sister.
Zoe stayed in Walford until 2005, leaving for Spain after telling Kat about the role she played in Den Watts’s murder.
Zoe’s emotional return is expected to continue to play out this week, with the character returning to the show properly later this summer.
🌐 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔.𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐 – 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍
Monday’s episode was the first from EastEnders’ new executive producer Ben Wadey, who said bringing back Zoe was on his wishlist in his new job.
He said: “Before I even stepped into the role, Zoe Slater was on my wish list of returnees, as although we haven’t seen her on screen for twenty years, her character has transcended time due to her popular storylines.
“I was absolutely delighted when Michelle agreed to return, and I’m thrilled to welcome her back to Walford. Whilst I can’t say too much at this stage, Zoe’s return is just one of the many exciting storylines we have planned.”
