EastEnders fans still yell 'You ain't my mother' at Jessie Wallace

The soap star just can't escape the immortal line
Still iconic: EastEnders fans just can't forget Jessie Wallace's iconic scene
PA

Despite the famous scene having taken place 15 years ago, EastEnders fans still yell "You ain't my mother" at Jessie Wallace on the street.

In 2001, viewers watched as Michelle Ryan's character Zoe Slater discovered that her sister Kat, played by Wallace, was actually her mother.

The truth came out as Zoe stormed across Albert Square and screamed, "You can't tell me what to do! You ain't my mother!", to which a tearful Kat screeched back: "Yes I am!"

The moment has gone down in TV history, and Wallace - who is soon returning to the soap after leaving in January 2016 - said that fans have yet to forget it.

She told the Radio Times: "I still get people yelling at me in the street, 'You ain't my mother' and asking me to say, 'Yes, I am', which is tough when you're having a really bad day.

"At the time, it said in the script that I just had to say the line. But I was like, 'No, Kat's held this secret for 18 years, I'm going to scream it out'."

Wallace, 46, said she really wants Ryan to to come back with her because "that would make for a brilliant storyline".

Ryan left the serial drama in 2005 after five years, and has previously said she has no plans to reprise the role of Zoe.

Wallace has also admitted that it feels "weird" coming back to the set without Shane Richie, who played her husband Alfie.

"I'm sure he's busy doing other stuff," she said.

"I'm not sure what the writers have in store. What I'd like, though, is for Kat to be single for a while and for her to spend more time with the family."

New TV shows to look forward to in 2018

1/17

Kat was last seen in EastEnders spin-off Redwater last year, which saw Kat and Alfie head to Ireland to look for her long-lost son.

In the closing scenes of the series, Kat was cut to ribbons by the propeller of a boat she had fallen from, turning the water red with blood, while doctors battled for Alfie's life in an operating theatre.

It was confirmed in December that Kat, along with her grandmother Mo Harris (Laila Morse) and her sister Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) would be returning to Walford in spring 2018.

Wallace, who has played the role of Kat on and off since 2000, promised that viewers will see the Slaters going back to their roots and being "scallywags".

Asked about the fan reaction to the Slater family's return, she said: "I'm hoping it'll be good - I don't want to walk through Sainsbury's and get a fish slung in my face."

She added: "I certainly haven't stopped smiling since I started filming.

"It really does feel like coming home."

Radio Times is on sale now.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT