EastEnders Spoilers: Is Annette Badland Returning As Aunt Babe?

EastEnders star Annette Badland said she’s open to return as Aunt Babe following her exit from the soap last February 2017. She was written off not long after Sean O’Connor was brought in to take on the role of executive producer.

She added that she’d love to go back if offered the right story. Badland hopes that Mick, who is her character’s nephew, will ask Babe to come back.

Badland described her exit from EastEnders as “heartbreaking.” In an interview with the Radio Times Magazine, she explained: “I’d been brought in by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who said it would be Dickensian and fun, but the new executive, Sean O’Connor, wasn’t as interested in Babe.”

“Sean said it was ‘au revoir’ and not ‘goodbye’ but he didn’t want Babe in the pub or on the Square. I’d been there about three years and it was my life. It was heartbreaking, really. They gave me such an ugly end,” Badland continued.

EastEnders – Sean O’Connor At The Helm For Only One Year

After replacing former boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Sean O’Connor stayed at the helm for only a year. During that time, his reign over BBC’s flagship soap was a controversial one. He made high profile decisions to kill off favorites like Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell. This did not sit well with the fans.

Despite drawing a lot of criticism for how he handled the soap, he was also lauded for a few great storylines like Bex Fowler’s bullying and Denise Fox’s descent into poverty. For some viewers, they considered O’Connor’s exit as the soap’s saving grace. After O’Connor was axed, John Yorke was named as the interim executive producer in 2017.

Yorke was succeeded by Kate Oates, who is known for her successful stints as a producer on radio soap The Archers and other soaps like Coronation Street and Emmerdale. With Oates recently hinting the comeback of an old character, Aunt Babe’s return could possibly happen someday. But for now, viewers will have to wait.