Soap fans stunned as they spot THIS familiar face in EastEnders

EastEnders logo

EastEnders fans were thrilled when a familiar face popped up in EastEnders last night - but where have you seen Jean Slater's doctor before?

EastEnders fans were sent into a spin last night as they spotted a very familiar face playing Jean Slater's GP.

As Jean went to see her doctor after experiencing ongoing ailments thanks to what she through was the menopause, fans were left devastated for the character when her GP revealed she'd found a lump that was showing signs of possibly being cancerous.

EastEnders Jean Slater and Dr Elinor Walters

Fans were surprised to realise they recognised Jean's GP from another soap...

But as the doctor sent Jean for further tests, fans couldn't shake the feeling they had seen Jean's GP somewhere before... and they were right.

Eagle-eyed viewers took to Twitter trying to guess where they had seen the actress before, with some correctly guessing it is Esther Hall, who has a very varied CV to boast about.

While some fans thought wrongly the actress had appeared in BBC 90s drama Goodnight Sweetheart, Esther has in fact been in hit TV shows like Spooks, Waking The Dead and Black Mirror.

She also played Toni Macpherson in Doctors and Cat Barling in Casualty.

But soap fans might recognise her because she has also been in Coronation Street, where she played the editor of the Weatherfield Gazette.

But many viewers probably recognise Esther from the now infamous BT adverts where she played Kris Marshall's girlfriend between 2005 and 2011.

Jean at the doctors in EastEnders

Jean was devastated when the doctor revealed she would need to have further tests

Kris played Adam, who met an older woman called Jane, played by Esther, who already had two children from a previous relationship.

The adverts told the story of their relationship together over the years as Adam adapted to life as Jane's kids' stepdad.

For six years fans watched as the couple moved house, broke up, got back together, and even prepared for a wedding.

BT even asks viewers to vote for how they wanted things to end for the couple, with over 1.6 million fans voting on Facebook for the pair to have a baby of their own.

EastEnders airs Monday and Friday at 8pm and Tuesday and Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Picture credits: BBC / Kieron McCarron

Claire Crick
Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia. 

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz! 

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.