EastEnders actress admits to being 'starstruck' by cast

Kim Medcalf says she felt like a starstruck outsider when she first joined the cast of EastEnders.

She made her debut in the soap as Sam Mitchell in February during a series of specials filmed in Spain.

Kim admits she spent the plane journey craning her neck to get a glimpse of Mike Reid, who plays Frank Butcher.

"It was good for me to go to Spain because I went out with Barbara Windsor, who plays Peggy and got to know her," says the actress. "She is lovely and I really admire what she's about.

"Once they start filming you've just got to get on with it. It was great to work with Martin Kemp as he helped me a lot and that storyline really helped me settle in. I feel I came across okay and I feel more confident knowing I can do all that, things like crying. Also I'm more familiar with everyone now.

"Everybody's got their roles to play on the show and nobody gets left out. We all need each other to make it enjoyable."

Kim adds that she thinks viewers have now accepted her as the new Sam Mitchell after taking over from Danniella Westbrook.

"I really hope people now think of me as Sam," she says. "It was difficult at first for me to get my head round it. And I think it was difficult for people to get their heads round it because I'm a new face to the public.

"But I'm getting a good response from people that come up to me when I'm out. They come up and say things like 'I didn't expect to like you but I really like what you're doing.'"

Viewers will see Kim involved in a big storyline with former husband Ricky Butcher, played by Sid Owen, this summer.