Yahoo News EastEnders lift ban on cast appearing in panto
New EastEnders showrunner John Yorke has lifted a ban on the show’s stars appearing in pantomimes in the hope it will lift the cast’s morale.
The BBC soap’s long-running stars like Adam Wyatt and Letitia Dean have historically turned to money-spinning productions as a means of boosting their earnings, but were banned from taking on such roles for some time until now, and Yorke reportedly thinks it will improve the overall mood on set.
‘John has made it his mission to meet with disgruntled stars and find out what has gone wrong. He had a mountain to climb with some of them – but he’s really had an effect and people are already much happier.
‘His aim was to get some of the big names back onside and secure their futures – and his plan is working,’ a source said.
The ban on pantomimes left some members of the cast feeling annoyed and frustrated, with veterans actors like Adam Woodyatt – who plays the part of Ian Beale in the long-running soap – being one of few who has been allowed to appear in a production.
The source told The Sun newspaper: “One of the concessions was to give
people the green light to take on pantos if they balance it with filming.
“The ban has always been a big bone of contention with many of the
stars so it was a smart move.”
Meanwhile, it was reported last month that John is plotting a cull of
the current cast.
The acclaimed producer – who previously worked on ‘EastEnders’ from
1999 until 2002 – has been brought on board to transform the fortunes
of the BBC soap, and he is apparently planning to revamp the cast and
introduce some more dramatic storylines.
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