Earlier this year it was announced that alongside fellow returnee Lauren Branning<\/a> (Jacqueline Jossa), Penny Branning will be returning<\/a>, now played by newcomer Kitty Castledine.<\/p>\n Fans haven\u2019t seen Penny since 2008 but she\u2019s a key part of the backstory of her father Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) who previously lived near her in France from 2013 to 2015.<\/p>\n Penny was left paralysed from the waist down as a child after she was targetted by criminal associates of Jack, meaning the pair have a complicated relationship.<\/p>\n In the New Year, we catch up with Lauren and Penny in Paris where events lead to them deciding to return to Walford.<\/p>\n However, we later know that Penny arrives in Walford alone \u2013 what has happened to Lauren?<\/p>\n By the end of the first week of January, Penny will be left with a difficult decision to make.<\/p>\n In a new interview shared with RadioTimes.com<\/a> and other press, actress Kitty Castledine lifts the lid on Penny Branning\u2019s return.<\/p>\n What has it been like to join EastEnders?<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to expect because I\u2019ve watched EastEnders for a long time, but to go into the Square is something I couldn\u2019t really fathom. It was so overwhelming to be with all the big stars. I do feel like I\u2019m getting used to it, which I never thought I\u2019d say. I\u2019m getting used to the flow of EastEnders and EastEnders life. I keep thinking, \u2018I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m a Branning! It\u2019s so cool.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Tell us about your first day on set<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cMy first day on set was incredible. When I got home, I felt really proud and that I\u2019d had a good day at work. The day before I went on set literally felt like Christmas Eve, so it was a great feeling. Everyone is so lovely on set. I really did feel like I slotted in, which was a weird feeling because it was like my first day at school, and I was really nervous. I was with brand-new people, learning a brand new way of working and now doing what I\u2019ve been training for at drama school. It was a funny feeling, but I\u2019m loving it.\u201d<\/p>\n What is Penny like?<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cPenny is great. She\u2019s so cool, and she\u2019s got this dry humour that I love. She\u2019s very quirky, and it\u2019s funny because I think she\u2019s got a French persona which she adopted to keep up with the people she was around there. But coming back to Walford is a reality check for her.\u201d<\/p>\n What is the relationship between Lauren and Penny like?<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cFamily is really important to everyone in Albert Square, and it\u2019s nice to have this family connection between Lauren and Penny because it\u2019s something they\u2019ve both been missing.<\/p>\n \u201cPenny is so aware of Lauren missing Abi, and Penny would never want to replace Abi, but I think it\u2019s a nice little outlet for Lauren to grieve because in Penny, she has someone who is there to be close to.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong><\/p>\n What\u2019s it been like to work with Jacqueline\u00a0Jossa<\/span>?<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cWorking with Jacqueline is great \u2013 she\u2019s the best. I am so grateful to have her as part of this dynamic duo, Penny and Lauren. I felt really at ease with her \u2013 even on the first day we were working together, I knew we\u2019d get along. I do feel like she is my cousin. She has been a really nice person to have to show me the ropes, but also lark about with at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong><\/p>\n EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.<\/strong><\/p>\n Visit our dedicated\u00a0EastEnders<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0page\u00a0<\/strong>for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.\u00a0<\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for more to watch, check out our\u00a0<\/strong>TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310 \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0and celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who with a special issue of Radio Times. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n “Penny is so aware of Lauren missing Abi” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":41636,"template":"","categories":[1,2,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/12\/eastenders-newcomer-kitty-castledine-teases-quirky-penny-branning-return-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/12\/eastenders-newcomer-kitty-castledine-teases-quirky-penny-branning-return-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/12\/eastenders-newcomer-kitty-castledine-teases-quirky-penny-branning-return-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/12\/eastenders-newcomer-kitty-castledine-teases-quirky-penny-branning-return-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/12\/eastenders-newcomer-kitty-castledine-teases-quirky-penny-branning-return-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/12\/eastenders-newcomer-kitty-castledine-teases-quirky-penny-branning-return-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/12\/eastenders-newcomer-kitty-castledine-teases-quirky-penny-branning-return-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"\"Penny is so aware of Lauren missing Abi\"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/41635"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Kitty](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/12\/456499-3030cf7.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"456499,EastEnders\\"\/")
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