EASTENDERS star Scott Maslen has shared the fears he had that he might have been axed from the soap
EastEnders will celebrate its 40th anniversary this month, with the soap currently gearing up to celebrate in style – as speculation is rife regarding what the storylines might be.
Because of the soap’s anniversary, fans – and cast members – have been worried that some of the characters could be killed off or axed.
And it seems that Scott, who plays the role of Jack Branning, has been worried over this possibility.
Speaking on This Morning recently, Scott said: “We had a meeting, a phone call, with our boss who called all three of us in, which was strange.
“We had a little panic, thinking, ‘Oh no, it’s the end.’ But we were all on a call about the 40th anniversary, bringing everything together.
“They’ve done a really good job of that; there’s going to be a lot of surprises for people.”
He added: It’s exciting on many levels, not just ours. There are lots of different bits, segments of high-end madness.”
Scott’s character Jack is currently embroiled in a high stakes storyline with two of his soap co-stars.
The exciting storyline is interactive with viewers at home, and it involves Jack Branning, Denise Fox (played by Diane Parish), and Ravi Gulati (portrayed by Aaron Thiara).
The interactive aspect of the storyline is how viewers have the power to influence what happens for the first time in the show’s history.
INTERACTIVE NARRATIVE
Viewers have got the immense power to influence the narrative by voting on Denise’s romantic choice between her ex Jack and former flame Ravi.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”EXCL EastEnders’ Perry Fenwick and Emma Barton on ‘terrifying’ 40th anniversary live episode – and if it’ll be fourth time lucky for Billy and Honey” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6368651155112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]The outcome of the vote will be revealed during the live episode next week, with fans hotly anticipating how it will pan out.
Diane Parish, who plays the role of Denise, recently spoke out about the storyline and how she was “shocked” when she initially found out about it and the interactive aspect of it.
“I was shocked when I found out, but I knew I was blessed to tell this story with two amazing actors, Scott Maslen and Aaron Thiara.
“It’s going to be so interesting as I click with both of them in different ways.”
[boxout headline=”EastEnders’ 40th anniversary cameos so far” featured-image=”32590325″ intro=”With the 40th anniversary of EastEnders coming up, fans are looking forward to some more incredible cameos from iconic faces of Walford’s past. But who have we had so far? “]Tracy-Ann Oberman – Oberman returned as Chrissie Watts, a character she last played nearly two decades ago.
Paul Bradley – Bradley returned as Nigel Bates, a character he last played over 25 years ago.
Micheal French – French returned as David Wicks, a character he last played two decades ago.
Patsy Palmer – Palmer returned as Bianca Jackson, a character she last played in 2019.
Ricky Groves – Groves returned as Garry Hobbs, a character who has not been seen since 2009.
Cliff Parisi – Parisi returned as Minty Peterson, a character who was last seen on the square in 2010.
Ross Kemp – Kemp has returned to play Grant Mitchell, a character he first played in 1990. The BBC has described Kemp’s storyline as “explosive”. Kemp said it was an “absolute honour” to return to the show.
Other aspects of the EastEnders 40th anniversary celebration include: A wedding between fan favorites, A huge explosion at the Queen Vic, and A live interactive episode.
She added: “I love that the viewers are voting on Denise’s choice between two men, not the blokes’ choice.”
This comes after viewers were speculating whether or not Jake Wood’s character of Max Branning will make a comeback for the 40th anniversary episode.
POSSIBLE COMEBACK?
Jake Wood, who played Max Branning on the soap until four years ago, recently reunited with his on-screen brother, which majorly sparked rumours that he might return to the square.
Posing with Scott Maslen, who plays Jack Branning, on a night out, Jake looked overjoyed to be back in his brother’s company.
The on-screen brothers were beaming as they posed for the snap, with Scott’s wife Estelle also smiling in the photo.
Scott shared the snap on his Instagram page, writing: “He ain’t heavy he’s my brother!”
One person commented: “Lovely photo! Been saying Jake has to come back to Eastenders for the anniversary surely?!”
While another said: “Can’t wait to see you both on the 40th anniversary,” clearly feeling hopeful.
