EastEnders Shona McGarty, Louisa Lytton and James Bye return to filming after three months in lockdown

EASTENDERS star Shona McGarty was seen returning to the Square for the first time since production was halted on the soap three months ago due to the coronavirus. The 28-year-old, who plays Whitney Dean on the soap, was pictured driving through the barriers of the BBC studios at Borehamwood. Shona’s appearance was quickly followed by co-stars […]

EASTENDERS star Shona McGarty was seen returning to the Square for the first time since production was halted on the soap three months ago due to the coronavirus.

The 28-year-old, who plays Whitney Dean on the soap, was pictured driving through the barriers of the BBC studios at Borehamwood.

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Shona McGarty was seen returning to the Square for the first time since production was halted on EastEnders three months ago [/caption]

Shona’s appearance was quickly followed by co-stars Louisa Lytton and James Bye in their respective cars.

31-year-old Louisa, who plays Ruby Allen, couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she arrived to set in her white car while sporting a pair of oversized shades and her hair in a voluminous curl.

Following behind Louisa was James, who portrays Martin Fowler on the Square, in his Land Rover ready for a day on set.

The cast’s appearance on set will no doubt delight fans who have been missing the long running soap, which has been on the air since June 16.

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She was followed into the studios by co-star Louisa Lytton[/caption]

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James Bye, who plays Martin Fowler, was also seen driving to set[/caption]

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic halted production on all soaps back in March, with the number of weekly episodes slashed in an effort to keep the show on air for as long as possible.

But EastEnders final pre-lockdown episode aired on June 16, forcing the soap to go off air for the first time in its 35-year history. 

With filming resuming today, following new health and safety guidelines, fans have been promised four 20-minute shows a week as of September.

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Louisa, 31, appeared in jovial spirits returning to work[/caption]

The insider told the Mirror: “We normally work 6-8 weeks ahead of what viewers see on screen, in terms of a block of storylines, and we would look to do the same thing again when we restart work.

“Filming with the new rules and regulations will take longer and so we could be back on screen at the end of August but that is being optimistic and it may take longer than that, which would mean the soap returning in September.”

And EastEnders star Dayle Hudson may have inadvertently confirmed that the soap won’t be returning until September by sharing new scripts on his Instagram page, one of which had a transmission date which read September 8.

The news will be a relief for viewers, who have been left hanging after the finale on Tuesday, June 16, ended on a huge cliffhanger. 

Fans were left speechless as Sharon Mitchell and Ian Beale swooped in to buy the Queen Vic, leaving Sharon’s ex-husband and prospective buyer Phil Mitchell raging and setting the scene nicely for the soap’s famous doof doof theme tune.

Currently, the BBC is airing an iconic vintage episode of the soap once a week, as well as a behind-the-scenes series, Secrets of the Square.