Lynne Hobbs – played by Elaine Lordan – was introduced as part of the Slater family alongside the likes of Kat Slater and Mo Harris on EastEnders more than two decades ago

Former EastEnders co-stars Elaine Lordan and Lucy Benjamin prompted excitement when they reunited.

Elaine, now 58, played Lynne Hobbs on the BBC soap opera from 2000 until 2004, with her character introduced as a member of the Slater family. Lucy, now 54, is instead known for playing Lisa Fowler on-and-off between 1998 and 2023. The pair reunited last year, two decades on from Elaine’s departure from EastEnders. Lucy shared a photo of them together on Instagram in July last year, which has now resurfaced amid the show’s 40th anniversary.

The photo showed Elaine – who withdrew from the public eye in the years following her departure – wearing a striped top as she stood beside her pal Lucy, who wore a leopard-print shirt for the reunion. Lucy wrote to fans: “Oh I love this woman with all my heart! #ElaineLordan #eastenders.” The post was liked by former co-star Tamzin Outhwaite and James Bye, whose character Martin Fowler was killed off in a live episode last week. Whilst fans took to the comments section to tease their potential returns, with one writing: “Lisa and Lynne return for the 40th?”

Another said: “Please say it’s an EastEnders return. Miss seeing Elaine.” Someone wrote: “We need you both back on [EastEnders] both great characters.” A fourth said: “Great photo [Lucy] would be great to see you both back some day.”

The resurfacing of the post comes following speculation over Lynne and some of her relatives potentially returning to Albert Square. Fans teased that Lynne, her sister Mo Mitchell (Kacey Ainsworth) and niece Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) could return after seeing them in a family photo that was showcased in a scene on EastEnders this month.

Although they have yet to reunite with Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) and grandmother Mo Harris (Laila Morse), Lynne’s ex-husband Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves) headed back to Walford recently. He made a surprise appearance with his pal Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi) as part of pre-wedding celebrations for Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) and Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) on a recent episode.

Lucy is known for having played Lisa Fowler between 1998 and her most recent appearance in 2023 (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

And despite not yet reprising her role on the show, Lucy contributed to the BBC’s marking of the 40th anniversary by appearing in a documentary about the show. The special, 40 Years on The Square, which was hosted by Ross Kemp, also included interviews with Anita Dobson and Pam St Clement, who played Angie Watts and Pat Butcher respectively. Following its release, Anita was seen reprising her role on EastEnders, with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) having seen a vision of her late mother Angie whilst fighting for her life inside the Queen Vic after being caught up in an explosion at the pub.

EastEnders continues tomorrow at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.