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Kim Medcalf to reprise Sam Mitchell role for EastEnders?

Soapworld

Kim Medcalf to reprise Sam Mitchell role for EastEnders?

It’s a recast of the original, for the second time…

A tabloid newspaper reports that the BBC has lured Kim Medcalf back to reprise the role sixteen years after she last stepped into Sam’s shoes.

The character’s return, according to The Sun, has been planned since last autumn, when communication was opened up with the actress to lure her back to Walford. The paper notes execs are ‘planning a series of explosive storylines.’

Currently, brother Phil (Steve McFadden) is trying to deal with a host of issues that could see the ageing hardman face the rest of his life in prison as the police swarm around him to finally bring down his reign of dodgy deals and criminal activities. This past week Phil has heard the voice of brother Grant (Ross Kemp) and mother Peggy in sound clips, so it could only be a matter of time before Sam is there in the flesh to support her big brother, with her ever-revolving facial looks…

Danniella Westbrook originated the role of Sam Mitchell between 1990-1993 before returning “full-time” in 1995 and 1999, both stints lasted less than a year due to her high-profile drug use. She later returned to the role for guest spells in 2009, 2010 and 2016.

When bosses chose to bring the character of Sam back full-time in 2002, they opted to recast the role to Kim Medcalf, who played Sam for three years until 2005.

Sam’s storylines under Danniella have included a teenage elopement with Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen), a love triangle with Ricky and Bianca (Patsy Palmer), and a ‘Who’s the daddy?’ scenario after cheating on Ricky with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and falling pregnant.

Kim Medcalf’s time in the role saw Sam feud with the Watts family after taking control of the Mitchell empire, marry gangster Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs) who dumped her after she found herself penniless and witness Dirty Den’s (Leslie Grantham) murder at the hands of wife Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman), later digging up his body to expose Chrissie’s actions to the police.

The character headed to Portugal with her son Richard, who was proven by DNA test to be the son of Jack, following a spell behind bars for covering up the murder of Den – a storyline that bridged across both Medcalf and Westbrook’s performances in the role. The character’s last appearance to date, in 2016, was for the funeral of mother Peggy (Barbara Windsor.)

The recasting of a character then recast back to the original performer to then once more be replaced by the replacement is seemingly rare in UK soap, in fact with little to suggest otherwise it is possibly the first time to have happened.

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