BBC EastEnders star reveals huge rule that Walford legend was allowed to break on set

A former EastEnders actress has revealed a special privilege was granted to a legendary character in the BBC soap.

Katie Jarvis played Hayley Slater on EastEnders after she joined the show in 2018 and quickly became embroiled in major storylines, including scandalous affairs to battling alcoholism. After a dramatic stint, she exited the series in 2019.

Recently, Katie opened up about her experiences on the set during an interview on The Criminal Connection podcast. She revealed that one iconic cast member was given unique permission to flout a particular rule.

Reflecting on her time at EastEnders, Katie shared: "106 episodes I did, and they gave me Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year episodes. I was very lucky."

The Mirror reports how she loved watching the soap growing up and recalled: "I watched Eastenders all my life growing up, it was like a church in my house. My mum would not go a night without missing it."

Podcast host Terry Stone, who also had a stint on the soap, brought up a memory of June Brown, known for her role as Dot Cotton, and her distinctive habit on set.

"I always remember, June sat down, and she was just smoking and smoking," recalled Terry. Katie confirmed, saying: "Yeah she was the only one that was allowed!" Terry went on to discuss how June considered landing the part of Dot as her "big break" in acting.

After their chat, Terry was left astonished by June's talent, recounting: "She [June] went 'Oh I've got to go now' and she went on set and she's just running out pages of dialogue! And you sit there going 'How do you remember all that?!"

Katie interjected: "Yeah she was definitely known for that! She knew all of her lines never got them wrong, and obviously, she was always allowed to walk