She'll play Stuart and Callum’s Grandma, Violet Highway.
Gwen Taylor will join EastEnders later this month playing Violet Highway, Stuart and Callum’s straight talking Grandma who has no qualms about putting people in their place.
Vi arrives in Albert Square in the run up to Ben and Callum’s wedding. With her hard façade and quick wit, Violet is sure to make someone even as tough as Ben Mitchell squirm.
She hasn’t spent much time with her grandson’s in the past but there is a big heart buried, albeit very deep, so perhaps her boys might need her more than they realise…
Gwen is best-known for her many television and theatre roles including Amy Pearce in Duty Free, Rita Simcock in A Bit of a Do and of course the title role in hit comedy Barbara.
Speaking about her arrival to Albert Square, Gwen said "I remember when the first episodes of EastEnders launched and I was desperate to be in it, now after all these years, here I am playing a wonderful character. It’s fantastic and the cast are great, everybody has treated me so well and I feel extremely welcome."
To which Executive Producer for EastEnders, Jon Sen added "Having Gwen join the show is an honour, she’s the perfect actress to play the multi-faceted Violet Highway, a grandmother not to be messed with."
"Stuart and Callum are sure to find this out the hard way when she arrives in Walford for Callum’s big day and they’ll no doubt be wanting her visit to be fleeting but Violet definitely has other ideas. We welcome Gwen to Walford and look forward to the audience watching her make her mark."
EastEnders continues Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One