Yahoo News 6 soap characters recast BEFORE their first episode
We're no strangers to soap characters getting re-cast, and often for the better – Ben Mitchell, Robert Sugden and Tracy Barlow to name just a few – but what about those people who sign up to play a role, but viewers never get to see them on screen?
There can be a whole load of different reasons for this – some professional, and others more personal. In a few cases, the soaps don't ever reveal to the fans their decision behind axing one actor and replacing them with someone else at a moment's notice. Very curious indeed.
Here are six stars, who for better or worse, never made it into our living rooms...
1. Bethany Platt in Coronation Street
If you want a slightly controversial re-casting, look no further than the case of Bethany Platt. Within days of actress Katie Redford being announced as the new Bethany, Corrie bosses were left fuming when it transpired the actress had told them a teensy (aka very large) fib about her age.
Katie, who had pretended to be 19 in order to bag the part, was actually 26, meaning she was way too old to play a convincing 14 year-old. Katie found herself unceremoniously sacked by the show, and Lucy Fallon was quickly cast in her place.
It didn't all end badly though as Katie went on to land a role in The Archers, where luckily her age didn't matter. She also made a guest appearance in Doctors – playing a character called Bethany. What are the odds?
2. Jack Edwards in EastEnders
EastEnders fans will instantly recognise David Essex from his short-lived stint as Eddie Moon in 2011, but what they may not know is that it wasn't the first role he was intended for. Five years previously, the musician had been cast as Honey Mitchell's overprotective dad Jack (who, if you remember, had a brief romance with Peggy), and details of the signing had been released to the press.
However, when the role was expanded from the original agreement of three weeks, David wasn't able to commit to such a lengthy stay on the Square and pulled out just before filming started. Luckily, 'Enders were able to find a replacement in the form of Nicky Henson within a matter of weeks.
3. Sienna Blake in Hollyoaks
It's difficult to imagine Sienna Blake being played by anyone other than the brilliant Anna Passey, but she actually wasn't Hollyoaks' first choice. The role of Dodger's deranged sister was initially given to an actress called Emily Lawrance, who posed in publicity shots with on-screen dad Jeremy Sheffield, and gave a quote saying how delighted she was to be joining the soap.
But Emily never made it onto our screens, and Hollyoaks replaced her with Anna, without giving fans any explanation over what had gone on behind the scenes.
4. Glenda Mitchell in EastEnders
Back in 2009, news of EastEnders casting former C.A.T.S Eyes star Jill Gascoine to play Ronnie and Roxy's uber glam mum Glenda created quite a buzz of excitement amongst fans of the actress. But her new co-stars were left in lurch somewhat when Jill, who was 72 at the time, suddenly quit after just one day of filming, saying she felt 'she lacked the right experience to film such a big continuing drama'.
With such a tight filming schedule to stick to, 'Enders bosses were forced to act fast and chose to cast Glynis Barber, who was nearly 20 years younger than Jill, to take on the role of Archie's estranged missus. At least it worked.
5. Steph Scully in Neighbours
Just before the millennium, Neighbours decided to introduce the Scully family to Ramsay Street – and the role of sassy biker Steph was given to Emma Roche. The actress recorded three weeks' worth of episodes with the soap, only to then be replaced by Carla Bonner, who still plays the role today.
No reason was given at the time over the decision to re-cast, and Carla re-recorded all the existing Steph scenes that had already been shot. Bit of trivia here for you – if you manage to get hold of the episode of the Scullys' arrival to Erinsborough, Emma Roche can be seen for a split second, in the long shot of Steph driving the family car.
6. Angie Watts in EastEnders
The iconic character of Angie Watts very nearly belonged to someone other than Anita Dobson. Before EastEnders even aired, Jean Fennell had been cast as the Vic landlady, she'd had her costumes fitted and news of her casting had been released to the media.
But the show's co-creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland had doubts. Agreeing that Jean wasn't right for what they considered to be the most important role in their show, the decision was made to let her go.
The account of the dismissal, detailed in official companion book EastEnders: The Inside Story in 1987, reveals Jean was left heartbroken and left the set the very same day. While Anita Dobson went on to win rave reviews for her performance as Angie, Jean became a drama teacher, and taught right up until her death from cancer in 2011.
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Digital Spy Soap Scoop video – hit play below for all the latest Coronation Street gossip, as the fightback begins against Michelle Connor's stalker and Bethany Platt's dark storyline is revisited.
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