Sometimes in soapland you have to rewind the telly and think to yourself… where have I seen that face before? It’s not uncommon for actors to bounce between continuing dramas, but it can still take us by surprise!
Take for example actress Catherine Cusack, who has a wealth of roles under her belt – you may have seen her in The Bill and Doctors.
But her most famous role was as deranged nanny Carmel Finnan, who became dangerously obsessed with Coronation Street’s Martin Platt (Sean Wilson) back in 1992.
We were first introduced to the Irish student nurse when she babysat Nicky, Sarah Lou and David for Martin and Gail (Helen Worth), and the couple soon called upon her services more frequently.
Carmel was a lonely woman who had escaped to the UK to start her career, following her grandparents’ decision to place her in a hospital for stalking a family friend, and accusing him of fathering her non-existent child.
It wasn’t long before she began twisting a knife in the Platt’s relationship, in a bid to break them up. She managed to orchestrate a huge row and then told Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor) that they were suffering marital issues.
When Sally addressed the situation with her bestie Gail, Carmel denied that she ever said anything and painted her as a troublemaker.
Later, when Gail spent the night at mum Audrey’s (Sue Nicholls) house in Grasmere Drive, she climbed into her bed, with Martin not realising until the next morning.
The following year she turned up at No. 8 and announced she was pregnant with his baby. Gail began to doubt whether she could trust her husband and decided to confront Carmel. Following a scuffle, she fell down the stairs and the hospital confirmed she was never expecting.
After pressing charges, her grandfather returned from Ireland to apologise and took her home for further care.
Imagine our surprise when 31 years later, actress Catherine should show up as a detective inspector questioning Reiss Colwell over the murder of his comatose wife Debbie.
As we know, he smothered poor Debs with a pillow in a desperate attempt to better his finances, knowing that her private care was holding him back.
Catherine Cusack in tonight’s episode of #EastEnders as the police officer I’m shaking. pic.twitter.com/BtLaGzj8Zi
— cam 💥 (@camjmes0) August 21, 2024
Obsessed with Reiss spending all episode being tormented by Nanny Carmel from Corrie #EastEnders pic.twitter.com/MXBgH8m9zy
— TellyAddict (@TVAddict2024) August 21, 2024
Fans were very quick to pick up on her new role, with one saying: ‘Catherine Cusack in tonight’s episode of #EastEnders as the police officer I’m shaking.’
‘Obsessed with Reiss spending all episode being tormented by Nanny Carmel from Corrie’ added another.
Her part comes as somewhat of a strange coincidence, given Martin Platt was due to return to The Street to coincide with Helen Worth’s departure after 50 years.
Last week, an ITV spokesperson confirmed that actor Sean Wilson had left the serial for ‘personal reasons’ prior to his scenes airing, with any footage already shot due to be left on the cutting room floor.
The ‘happy ending’ plot line that executive producer Iain Macleod has been revised, with Cold Feet actor John Thomson reportedly reprising his earlier Corrie role as Jesse Chadwick, effectively stepping into Martin’ shoes.
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