Ten Things You Probably Need To Know About EastEnders’ Courtney Mitchell

So there was muchos excitement after Courtney Mitchell made a surprise return to Walford in last night’s EastEnders.

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If you’re as old as us, you’ll have been wondering where the missing Mitchell has been and why she didn’t bother turning up to Granny Peggy’s funeral.

If you’re not as old as us, you’re probably wondering, ‘who the flippin’ heck is Courtney Mitchell?’

Well, wonder no more mateys. Here are some cold, hard #facts.

1. She’s an EastEnders thoroughbred.

Her parents are Walford legends Grant and Tiffany Mitchell. Trust us, this is a BIG DEAL. Tiffany was the original Albert Square party girl and if Courtney is anything like her mum then she’s going to be a handful. And don’t forget she’s a Mitchell too. That’s quite the combination of DNA.

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2. She’s a bit of a daddy’s girl

Courtney’s mum, Tiff (yep, that’s who Bianca’s little girl was named after) was run over and killed by Frank Butcher back in 1998. Court was only a baby at the time. The following year Grant fled to Rio de Janeiro and took Courtney with him. Because it’s been the two of them for so long, they have a very close bond. She probably doesn’t know that her mum was trying to run away from her dad at the time. Or that her dad had an affair with her NAN!

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3. She’s been off-screen for ten years

Last time we saw Courtney was back in 2006 when she was played by Megan Jossa (yep, Jacqueline’s cousin). She was a bit of a madam back then - she’d obviously been spoiled rotten by her doting dad. Her and Ben had a tricky relationship too with Courtney teasing him for his love of dancing. Ben tried to cause trouble by telling his cousin that Grant killed her mum. Naughty Ben!

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4. She’s got a brand new face

Like so many other returning characters, Courtney has undergone a head transplant in the last ten years. She’d now played by actress Alice Nokes. Alice told Metro.co.uk about landing the role: “I was at home with my mum having a cup of coffee. Suddenly I heard from my agent and I just froze. We’d been waiting for a call for a while so we were over the moon… we couldn’t stop smiling!”

Alice Nokes/Twitter

5. She’s named after rocker Courtney Love

When Tiffany was trying to think of the perfect name for her baby girl, she initially ruled out any names with an ‘ee’ sound on the end. She wanted her daughter to be named after someone cool who loved a party and ALMOST called her Janis after Janis Joplin. Luckily, Bianca was on hand to point out that Janis might not be the coolest name in the world, and they settled for Courtney.

6. She’s got some juicy storylines coming up

Alice, who describes her alter-ego as feisty but not malicious, has hinted at some very juicy stuff coming up involving Grant and the rest of the Mitchell clan. She said: “Courtney has a lot of fun whilst she’s there but I think she learns a lot of lessons. She learns how much she needs her family and how important family is - especially for the Mitchells. Drama follows Courtney wherever she goes so expect lots of that in the next few weeks. There’s some juicy storylines coming up.”

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7. She’s at uni in London

Courtney has obviously got some brains as she’s left Portugal - where she lived with Grant after they left Rio and Grant’s ex-wife Carla (she was a bit of a schemer and Courtney helped reveal her true colours) - and is studying at uni in London. Yes, a Mitchell at university. But we have to wonder why she’s never popped in to say his to Uncle Phil or Cousin Ben when she’s been so close all this time….

8. She’s keeping secrets from Grant

An EastEnders source revealed that Courtney’s relationship with her dad will be at the forefront of episodes coming up. Courtney wants to get to the bottom of Grant’s odd behaviour and it soon becomes clear that they’ve been keeping secrets from each other. Alice says of the relationship between Courtney and Grant: “She adores her dad and their relationship is strong. But I think she wants to hate him and teach him a lesson all the time. She feels like the adult in the relationship and that’s not the greatest thing for a teenage girl.”

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9. She’s not back for long

At the moment, Courtney is only back in town for a handful of episodes. Boo.

10. But there’s always the chance she could return

Alice revealed: “I’m in the show for a few episodes and we’ll have to see about the future. I had such a fun time filming there.”

Alice Nokes stars as Courtney Mitchell on EastEnders on BBC One tonight at 8pm