Patsy Palmer: 'I haven't watched EastEnders in six years'

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 4mo

Former EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer reveals that she has not watched the soap in six years and believes that airing four episodes a week is "a big mistake".

Former EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer has claimed that she hasn't watched the soap since she left for a second time in 2014.

The 48-year-old played loud-mouth Bianca Jackson from 1993 to 1999, returning for a second stint from 2008 to 2014, and also making several guest appearances in the last year.

Palmer now lives in California and in an interview with The Sun, revealed that she does not watch the show that made her a household name, while also criticising the BBC's decision to go to four episodes a week nearly 20 years ago.

"I haven't watched EastEnders for six years, so when I go back I have no idea who anyone is. There's all new people there," she said. "That's how that show goes. I don't know what's going to happen to it.

"When I was on set I was talking to one of the writers and I said they should never have had EastEnders go three or four times a week. It was a big mistake in my book. They should have kept it at two times a week, not followed what all the other soap operas did.

"They should have stayed at two times a week and written really solid, good stories that lasted for quite some time instead of chopping and changing. Now you go away from it for a week, come back and don't know what's going on."

EastEnders launched in 1985 with just two episodes a week, increasing to three in 1994 then adding a fourth in 2001.