EastEnders spoilers follow for Thursday’s episode (30 October), which is available to watch now on streaming service BBC iPlayer and hasn’t yet aired on TV.

Note: This article contains discussion of topics including sexual abuse.

 

 

EastEnders’ Kat Moon has confronted her past in today’s emotional episode, when a video of the Slater family from 1988 was uncovered and played on an old VHS player. Seeing Harry on the footage was distressing for both Kat and Zoe, but it prompted an important conversation that viewers have waited years for.

 

 

Kat found the courage to tell her teenage son Tommy about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her uncle Harry. She explained that Harry is Zoe’s dad, and that Zoe was brought up as Kat’s sister to cover up the horrific abuse.

 

 

On Christmas Day 2018, there was a flashback scene which depicted a Slater family Christmas 40 years earlier in 1978. Now, for this video camera footage, EastEnders has once again casted every member of the iconic family for a compelling glimpse of life a decade on from this last look back.

 

 

It’s a powerful episode that arguably opens the door for a full Slater flashback special, especially after the two hugely successful editions which showed younger versions of the Mitchells. But for now, who plays each of the young Slaters, and what might you know them from already?

Kat is obviously at the very centre of this flashback footage, and Amelia Crouch has the tough job of portraying the younger version of a character we know so well. In a few brief scenes, she manages to brilliantly capture Kat’s mannerisms, as she attempts to mask her utter turmoil when Harry returns.

Amelia made her stage debut in the West End when she was only seven years old and has appeared in films such as The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, The Huntsman: Winter’s War and Alice Through the Looking Glass as a child.

Uncle Harry’s return home from Spain appears thrilling for the whole Slater clan, except for Kat. It’s uncomfortable to watch him encouraging Kat to give him a hug and trying to bond with Zoe, knowing the abuse that has taken place and been swept under the carpet by the family.

Stephen Leask is a well-known face on the West End, having originated the role of Cal in Waitress, played the lead role of Dewey in School of Rock and most recently appeared in Back to the Future. On screen, he has had minor roles in Trigger Point and Silo, and will appear in comedy drama film Mother’s Pride, which will be released next year.

Back in 1988, Zoe would have only been four years old, and young actor Effie Mander brings her to life in this flashback, sporting not one but two adorable Halloween costumes

Effie’s theatre school celebrated her exciting new role in a post online, writing: “We are so so proud of you Effie. At just 6 years old and already gracing our screens, Effie had so much fun filming this and charmed all her fellow cast members and directors in true Effie style!”

Teenage Lynne, portrayed by newcomer Libby Brake, is seen on the phone to a love interest – and is furious when she realises that her dad has been filming this private call. Later, she tells Harry that Jean, who is days away from giving birth – will call her baby Wayne if it’s a boy or Stacey if it’s a girl. We wonder how that turned out…

While we don’t see too much of Little Mo and Belinda, played by young actors Layla Ingleby and Cerys Wing, in the flashback. But the pair help to bring the Slater family to life, with the gang of sisters dancing enthusiastically to Bananarama in their Halloween costumes – before Harry’s surprise arrival causes tension.

As the mother of Kat, Lynne, Belinda and Mo, Viv has only ever been seen in EastEnders via a number of flashbacks – as she died shortly before the Slaters first arrived in Walford.

Viv’s appearance in this footage gives an insight into how the family used to view Jean – mocking her mental illness, calling her “jumpy Jean”, and labelling her baby name choices “common as muck”. In the present day, Jean explained the isolation she felt at this time as she opened up to Lily about her difficult past.

Scarlett Brookes, who plays her in this video footage, is a seasoned theatre actor, but has also made appearances in huge TV shows such as Ludwig, Foundation, Silent Witness, and National Treasure: Kiri.