EastEnders has opened casting for a new character named Meghan, days after reports of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s return to the U.K.
The timing has already sparked jokes and memes online about the Duchess of Sussex appearing on the long-running BBC soap.
Coincidentally, the new EastEnders character is also named Meghan. Producers describe her as “confident, gorgeous and ready to cause chaos.”
New Meghan character
The show first mentioned Meghan on screen on April 17. That came three days before reports emerged about Markle and Harry’s plans to return to the U.K.
However, the character has no link to the Duchess of Sussex. EastEnders producers had reportedly developed Meghan months before the recent news.
BBC Studios has now sent the character breakdown to agencies as casting begins.
The production team wants a female actor around 30 to play Meghan. She will join the Hawkins family, which recently arrived in Albert Square.
The character will work as a “senior member of the team behind a bar.” The role will likely place her at the show’s famous pub, The Old Vic.
The casting call compares Meghan’s arrival to “an Essex bombshell walking into the ‘Love Island’ villa.”
It also describes her as “funny, fearless and fiercely loyal.”
‘Funny, fearless and fiercely loyal’
The casting breakdown gives more details about Meghan’s personality.
“Quick-witted and impossible to intimidate, Meghan never backs down from a confrontation; she has spent her whole life proving she can handle whatever is thrown at her,” it reads.
“Meghan knows what she wants in life and has never relied on anyone else to get by. She’s worked every job imaginable over the years, grafting hard to build a life for herself and earning every penny she’s made… a trait that has made her family very proud of her.”
The character can also be “warm, charismatic, effortlessly charming.”
However, Meghan has a tougher side. The breakdown says she is “equally capable of throwing someone out on their ear if they cross a line.”
Meghan is Gemma’s daughter. Patricia Potter plays Gemma, while Jamie Bamber plays her husband, Ned. Felix Uff plays their son, Ryder.
Royal links to ‘EastEnders’
The coincidence has amused fans following the news about Markle’s return to acting in the U.K.
EastEnders has also featured members of the British royal family before.
King Charles and Queen Camilla made a cameo on the soap in 2022. They appeared during a street party for the Platinum Jubilee.
Queen Elizabeth II also visited the EastEnders set in 2001. However, she did not appear in an episode.
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