EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders aired its Mother’s Day-themed episode on Monday, with beloved stall holder Shrimpy making a small appearance as he was seen alongside his mother. In a neat little twist, the off-screen pair actually have a real-life connection!
Ben Champniss has played Shrimpy for over a decade now, with the figure being a background character on the BBC soap since 2014. Shrimpy’s mother only made a small appearance, but she had a special connection to Champniss.
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That’s because it was his real-life mother, Jackie, with the actor revealing the news on Instagram as he shared several pictures from the set of the soap as Jackie posed outside The Vic.
“Shrimpy and his mum don’t ‘arf look like my mum and me in today’s episode of EastEnders…! (Don’t blink!) 😉” he wrote in the caption. Happy Mother’s Day, Walford…! What an incredible morning we had!
“Makes a change from the usual Mother’s Day flowers, eh ‘Crabby’…?! 😂❤️🌺 @jackiechampniss Mum says she’s more than happy to sign autographs and stop for selfies….😂” he quipped.
Several fans expressed their delight at the casting in the comment section, with one viewer writing: “LOVE THIS!!! Wish they’d do [a] tour so fans could get to experience this. So happy for your mum x.”
“This is lovely seeing your mum being part of your work will look out when I catch up. You have your mum smile ❤️,” added another fan, while a third commented: “I thought as much as soon as I saw the scene – how lovely.”
A fourth viewer echoed this sentiment as they shared they had the same thought, writing: “Watched the episode tonight, turned to my wife and said ‘I wonder if that’s Shrimpy’s mum IRL?’ Very happy for her!”
BBC
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While Shrimpy and his mother were featured in the Mother’s Day episode, the instalment was also noteworthy for the surprise return of Cora Cross, with Ann Mitchell reprising her role after eight years away from the soap.
The unannounced return saw Cora surprise the Brannings as they settled in for a Mother’s Day lunch, with it subsequently being revealed that Peter Beale had orchestrated her comeback to Walford.
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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