‘EastEnders’ spin-off show ‘Redwater’ will make its BBC One debut on May 18 at 8pm.
The broadcaster announced last year that its long-running soap’s beloved characters Kat and Alfie Moon were getting their own primetime programme and, after months of planning, it has finally been revealed that the series will kick off next month.
Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace are set to reprise their iconic roles as the Moons, and will be joined by Orphan Black’s Maria Doyle Kennedy, ‘Game of Thrones’ veteran Ian McElhinney and iconic Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan.
The series will follow Kat and Alfie, who left Albert Square last January to search for Kat’s long lost son after she discovered she gave birth to twins when she was 14, rather than just to daughter Zoe.
The couple will trace the little boy to Ireland where he was taken immediately after he was born and adopted by an Irish family living in the remote fishing village of Redwater.
Although Kat and Alfie haven’t been seen in Walford since January when they fled to Ireland, the loveable couple are occasionally mentioned in the soap, and ‘Redwater’ showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins – who was at the helm of ‘EastEnders’ for three years before he quit last spring – has ensured viewers won’t forget their storyline.
He explained: "I’ve made sure that everything said on ‘EastEnders’ has been tying in with ‘Redwater’. I still speak to ‘EastEnders’ now and I believe that Sharon Batten has put a little reference to it in the main show."
What’s more, it was revealed earlier this year that bosses have been so impressed with filming ‘Redwater’ that they’re keen to make it a long-running soap.
A source revealed: "Everyone thought ‘Redwater’ would be just a one-off, but plans are being drawn up for it to return once the six episodes are done. There are high hopes that it will become a brilliant new long-running series."
Eastenders spin-off to air May 18
