BBC EastEnders legend could 'return from beyond the grave'

An EastEnders icon who was "empty and let down" when her character was axed, could make a shock return. Fans of the BBC soap were devastated when Pat Butcher was killed off in 2012.

Pam St Clement was one of the show's longest-serving actresses, having made her Walford debut in 1986. She was a soap staple for 25 years, with her character being at the centre of many dramatic storylines.

Although Pat died shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the character made a surprise appearance in the late Barbara Windsor's final episode back in 2016. But now, more than a decade after her on-screen death, Pat has been tipped to make a comeback, the Daily Star reports.

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Crypto Casino LTD has chalked up Pat to return next year with odds of 50/1, with PR expert Dom Aldworth, from Slingo, adding it could be "believable". He said: "Pat Butcher, portrayed by Pam St Clement, was a central and much-loved figure in EastEnders for many years, so her return would undoubtedly generate excitement among fans.

“Though Pam's iconic character passed away in the show some years ago, soaps are known to bend reality just enough to make such returns believable. It's easy enough to imagine that she may reappear as a ghost or in a dream to another character, as she did previously in scenes with Barbara Windsor's character, Peggy Mitchell, in 2016.” Dom predicted it would "go down a storm with viewers" if it was "handled sensitively and appropriately to the character, evoking a sense of nostalgia to loyal fans of the show."

Pam had previously said she didn't want her character to be killed off, telling the Mirror in 2015: “It was very, very difficult. I was saying goodbye to a character I'd inhabited for almost 26 years and, while I had chosen to leave EastEnders, I didn’t want Pat to die. I was adamant there should be a chance for her to return and had been assured by the executive producer she wouldn’t be axed... I went away feeling empty and let down.”