Soap stars work twice as hard

It must be a huge shock for actors, returning to a show they were once a part of, when that show has twice as many episodes as it did when they were in it.

It's why Jane How was "amazed" at the transformation in EastEnders.

She returned recently for the funeral of Angie Watts, 16 years after her character Jan Hammond, mistress of classic Albert Square baddie "Dirty" Den Watts, was written out.

"I couldn't believe how fast the show was, how much more quickly the actors were expected to work," she says.

"In my day, we did two episodes and that involved working swiftly.

"Now, doing four episodes a week requires such concentration and stamina."