EASTENDERS fans have learned actress Kitty Castledine comes from a famous family in real life.
As Penny Branning, Kitty, 22, is part of a well-known soap clan– while her real-life relatives are in the public eye.
Kitty Castledine joined EastEnders last year, playing Penny Branning[/caption]
Her mum is daytime TV legend Lucy Alexander[/caption]
However, the other members of Kitty’s family are also in the public eye[/caption]
Kitty joined EastEnders late last year, taking over the role of Penny, who’d last appeared in 2008.
Many viewers already know her mum is television presenter Lucy Alexander.
Lucy, 54, formerly hosted Homes Under The Hammer opposite Martin Roberts and now works on A Place in the Sun.
Meanwhile, Kitty’s dad is former professional footballer Stewart Castledine.
Now 51, Stewart played as a midfielder for Wimbledon and Wycombe Wanderers during his career.
Since retiring, he has worked a presenter for the BBC by hosting Big Strong Boys and Houses Behaving Badly.
Stewart has also modelled for brands such as DKNY and Topman.
After Lucy and Stewart married in 2000, they welcomed their daughter Kitty in 2002.
Three years later, their son Leo was born – and he’s also gone on to make a name for himself.
Leo, 19, followed in his dad’s footsteps by also becoming a professional footballer.
He’s currently playing as a midfielder from Shrewsbury Town, on loan from Chelsea.
From 2013 to 2020, Leo was a youth player at Wimbledon, one of his father’s former clubs.
It comes as Penny hasn’t been having an easy time with the Brannings in Albert Square.
The scheming character is plotting to blackmail her own father Jack (Scott Maslen).
A recent betrayal from Jack drove the two apart once again – with Penny determined to get her revenge.
Chelsea (Zaraah Abrahams) confessed to being at fault for the club crush at Peggy’s several weeks ago.
Calling a family meeting at No.27, he asked those present to vote between Chelsea and Penny, who, as manager at Peggy’s, had been blamed.
Soap characters who’ve been recast
Soap operas are staple viewing for many people, but even some of the most famous characters have been played by different actors. Here are some examples from over the years.
- Tracy Barlow: Kate Ford took on the role of Corrie legend Tracy Barlow in 2002. Before Kate, three other actresses had played Tracy – most notably Dawn Acton from 1988 to 1999.
- Nick Tilsley: Ben Price has been playing Gail’s oldest child in 2009, but the former Footballers’ Wives star is the third actor to take on the part.
- Sarah Platt: Although Tina O’Brien debuted as Sarah Platt in 1999, she is the third actress who has played the iconic role of Sarah Platt.
- David Platt: Completing the line-up of Gail’s children, David was initially played by Thomas Ormson for a decade before Jack P. Shepherd took over.
- Daniel Osbourne: For almost a decade, the role of Ken Barlow’s son Daniel has been portrayed by actor Rob Mallard. Before Rob joined, two other actors had previously played Daniel.
- Bethany Platt: Fans know Lucy Fallon as Bethany nowadays but before her, three other actresses had stepped into the character’s shoes.
- Kirk Sutherland: Before Andy Whyment took on the role of Kirk, he played by an uncredited actor in his very first appearance.
- Todd Grimshaw: Gareth Pierce stepped into the role of Todd back in 2020, becoming the second performer to play this part.
- Summer Spellman: Harriet Bibby became the second actress to play Summer, taking over the role from Matilda Freeman in 2020.
- Ryan Connor: Ryan Prescott currently plays the long-running character, but Ben Thompson and Sol Heras had earlier portrayed the role.
- Martin Fowler: Although Martin was the first baby born on-screen in EastEnders, he hasn’t always been played by the same person. His current portrayer, James Bye, is the third actor to star as the character.
- Peter Beale: Seven actors have portrayed Ian Beale’s elder son, with the current actor, Thomas Law, in his second stint as the character.
- Ben Mitchell: Ben has been played by a total of six actors – with Max Bowden bowing out of the role in March 2024.
- Bobby Beale: Before Clay Milner Russell, Ian’s younger son had been played by four other actors.
- Freddie Slater: Bobby’s best mate, Freddie Slater, had been previously played by twins Alex and Tom Kilby before Bobby Brazier took over in 2022.
- Chelsea Fox: Former Coronation Street actress Zaraah Abrahams took over the role of Chelsea in 2020. The character had been first played by Tiana Benjamin from 2006 to 2010.
- Lauren Branning: Jacqueline Jossa took on the role of Lauren in 2010, succeeding Madeline Duggan who’d played her from 2006 to 2010.
- Johnny Carter: Johnny has been played by three actors since debuting in 2013 – most recently, Charlie Suff has taken on the role.
He reasoned Penny would be unlikely to face prison time – and the charges would be downgraded as there were no deaths from the crush.
With the votes tied, Jack chose the “least worst option” by siding with Chelsea.
A furious Penny yelled: “What? You choose her instead of me, Dad? You know, screw you all and your stupid vote. I’m going to the police myself!”
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available to watch on iPlayer.
Her younger brother Leo currently plays for Shrewsbury Town on loan from Chelsea[/caption]
