EastEnders star Scott Maslen has reflected on two former characters as the soap prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

The BBC soap is gearing up for a special period as it honours a major landmark, with a fully-live instalment being planned for February 20 in addition to an interactive storyline, in which fans can have an impact on the romantic future of Denise Fox.

Ahead of the celebrations, Maslen – who has played Jack Branning since 2007 – reflected on his time on the soap, sharing that he had particularly fond memories of working with Samantha Womack, who played Ronnie Mitchell for a decade before her departure in 2017.

“I really enjoyed Jack and Ronnie’s relationship,” said Maslen. “It was great to work with Sam, who is my old mate, because we weren’t sure how it would be as we’re like brother and sister in real life, but the on-screen chemistry was great as Jack and Ronnie.

“Those two would always try to get one up on each other, but sometimes Jack would win, and other times Ronnie would win, so it would level out. That dynamic was fun because it was so passionate and complicated!”

Maslen, who returned to the soap in 2015 after previously departing two years prior, continued by expressing his admiration for Jake Wood, who played his on-screen brother Max for 15 years before exiting the show in 2021.

“Jake is something else!” said Maslen. “As soon as we got to know each other, we were brothers. Although Max and Jack don’t look alike, people believe they are brothers. That dynamic of Jim’s golden child (Jack) and the one [who] caught all the flack (Max) was great.”

“Jake really evokes all the emotion out of you in those big moments and he always delivers something you feel in the gut. He’s brilliant and a big part of EastEnders and he always will be,” added the actor.