EastEnders: Tamzin Outhwaite to return as Melanie Owen after 16 years

The character will return in the new year as part of an 'incredible storyline'

The BBC has announced the return of Tamzin Outhwaite to EastEnders after 16 years away from the soap.

Outhwaite will reprise the role of Melanie Owen who she originally played from 1998 to 2002.

A spokeswoman for EastEnders confirmed the character will return as a regular in scenes to be aired early 2018.

Outhwaite said of her return: “EastEnders is in my DNA and I always knew deep down that someday I would revisit Mel.

“To be stepping back into Mel's shoes nearly twenty years after I first started feels just perfect.”

Her return, creative director John Yorke has teased, will comprise an “incredible storyline” that will “awaken a lot of old ghosts, some great memories, and a whole new series of adventures too.”

“We're thrilled and flattered to have Tamzin back and we can't wait to reveal just where she's been, and just who Melanie Owen is now.”

During her original appearance on the BBC One soap, the character has marriages with both Ian Beale and Steve Owen ultimately fleeing the country when she faced prison time for the latter's death.