EastEnders spoilers: Sylvie Carter arrival details revealed

Sylvie - who is the estranged mum of Tina and Shirley Carter - is to be played by veteran actress Linda Marlowe, who will make her debut in the run-up to Christmas.

Scenes to be shown on Thursday 11 December will see Shirley and Mick (who is under the impression that Sylvie is also his mother) make an impromptu visit to Aunt Babe's house, only to come face to face with Sylvie.

Viewers have been teased over the last few months with hints that Sylvie has been living with Babe…and that Babe has been keeping these details from the rest of her family.

Now, both Mick and Shirley are left stunned as they stand in front of Sylvie, who they haven't seen for years. But what reception will they receive?

"Babe has been keeping Sylvie hidden away," reveals Linda Marlowe. "So when Shirley and Mick go the house, Sylvie's there and it's a big shock to both of them. They've gone there for a different reason and then they find Sylvie. So that's the first time you see her on screen."

Speaking recently about Marlowe's signing to the BBC1 soap, executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said: “We've had Sylvie Carter - and Linda Marlowe - in our heads for almost as long as Shirley has been on Albert Square. Linda is such an intuitive, raw and skilled actress, perfect to bring to life the brittle faded glamour of this most selfish of mothers.

"Sylvie's return is going to open old wounds in the Carter family - and watching Linda Marlowe, Annette Badland, Ann Mitchell and Timothy West going for it on screen is going to be electric”

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's drama on EastEnders below: