Gwen Taylor joins EastEnders cast as Stuart and Callum's grandmother

Don't be fooled by the warm smile in her promotional shot - we're told that Vi has "no qualms about putting people in their place".

Busy actress Gwen Taylor, who you'll know from series including Barbara, Duty Free and A Bit of a Do, will arrive as part of Ben and Callum's wedding storyline in the Spring, although EastEnders won't give us a specific date just yet.

It looks as though Ben may be in for a bit of a hard time when he meets his Grandma-in-law, as more details emerge. "With her hard façade and quick wit, Violet is sure to make someone even as tough as Ben Mitchell squirm," we're told.

"She hasn’t spent much time with her grandsons in the past, but there is a big heart buried, albeit very deep. Perhaps her boys might need her more than they realise…"

Taylor says her new role is a dream come true, revealing that she's wanted to be a part of the soap since it began in 1985. "I remember when the first episodes of EastEnders launched and I was desperate to be in it. Now after all these years, here I am playing a wonderful character," she says. "It’s fantastic and the cast are great, everybody has treated me so well and I feel extremely welcome.”

Executive Producer of EastEnders Jon Sen adds, “Having Gwen join the show is an honour, she’s the perfect actress to play the multi-faceted Violet Highway, a grandmother not to be messed with. Stuart and Callum are sure to find this out the hard way when she arrives in Walford for Callum’s big day. They’ll no doubt be wanting her visit to be fleeting but Violet definitely has other ideas.

"We welcome Gwen to Walford and look forward to the audience watching her make her mark.”

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