EastEnders legend Annette Badland lands major role in Netflix drama Heartstopper

Annette Badland, 74, played Babe Smith in EastEnders from 2014 to 2017. The actress has now joined the cast of Heartstopper for the Netflix drama's third season

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EastEnders legend Annette Badland has landed a major role in an iconic Netflix drama seven years after leaving the BBC soap in dramatic scenes.

The 74-year-old actress, who played Babe Smith on EastEnders from 2014 to 2017, is now starring in Heartstopper. The popular LGBT show, which is beginning its third season in October, is an adaptation of Alice Oseman's novels.

The storyline follows Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) as they develop their relationship. Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony in Bridgeton, is also appearing in the series as Jack Maddox, an Instagram-famous author and Charlie's celebrity crush, Netflix confirmed.

Confirming the news, Netflix UK and Ireland said in a statement in April: "It's not just Jonathan Bailey joining Heartstopper S3, we're also welcoming Hayley Atwell as Nick's Aunt Diane and Eddie Marsan as Charlie's therapist Geoff!" The third season of Heartstopper lands on Netflix on October 3.

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In February this year, fans were stunned by Annette as she took to the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles after her Apple TV+ comedy show Ted Lasso was nominated for a number of awards. Annette plays Mae the Landlady in the hit series which is made by American comedian Jason Sudeikis.

The actress joined her castmates as the show stood to win the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Award - but sadly lost out to chef comedy-drama The Bear. The TV star was beaming nonetheless as she arrived at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles where the awards were hosted.

She wore an ivory-coloured floor-length gown with gold detailing by London fashion brand Bombshell. She had gold jewellery in her hair that was in the shape of a tree branch with leaves, and accessories with elegant dangling earrings, a gold bangle, and a sparkly gold bag. Fans were blown away by her red carpet make-over - with many leaving messages of approval via social media.

One fan gushed: "You look amazing…what a lady." Another typed: "What a beauty!" And other complements ranged from calling Annette "stunning", "beautiful" and "gorgeous" to branding her dress "exquisite".

Previously, during an interview with Alan Titchmarch, Annette revealed she would like to reprise her role on EastEnders. She said: "Yes. Yes, I would. I say 'I'll be back' when? I don't know." She also made the admission while appearing on the Loose Women panel last year but said that while she was open to a return, this would not be on a permanent basis. "I would go back for a story but I wouldn't go for a long journey", she admitted at the time.

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