Zammo is coming to Walford!
Lee MacDonald, who played Sammy "Zammo" McGuire in long-running children’s show Grange Hill, is to make his TV return on EastEnders.
The 50 year old former child star will appear in two episodes of the soap later this Spring playing a London bus driver called Terry, who goes up against Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in a radio competition to win tickets for a concert.
Mick is desperate to get the prize for his beloved wife Linda – but will Terry stand in his way?
Says Lee: “I am absolutely chuffed to bits, and so excited to be briefly joining the cast of EastEnders. I can’t say too much yet…but watch this space! Top banana!”
The actor starred in Grange Hill from 1982-1987, and was at the centre of the show’s most memorable storyline, when his character became addicted to heroin.
The hard-hitting plot famously sparked an anti-drugs campaign in which cast members released the single “Just Say No” – which reached number five in the UK charts. The “Just Say No” slogan was also used Stateside, and Lee was amongst several cast members invited to The White House in 1986 by then first lady, Nancy Reagan, as part of her own anti-drugs crusade.
After leaving the show, Lee became a boxer but continued to act and made a string of appearances in programmes including The Bill and Birds of a Feather. He also opened his own shop – the Mentor Lock and Safe Company in Wallington, Surrey – which he has now been running for over thirty years.
EastEnders continues on BBC1.
Main pic: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
