Annette Badland joins Corrie writer's play

Annette Badland has joined the cast of \'Coronation Street\' writer Jonathan Harvey\'s new play.

The former \'EastEnders\' actress - who played Babe Smith from 2014 to 2017 - will star in \'Our Lady of Blundellsands\' alongside \'Benidorm\' star Tony Maudsley at Liverpool\'s Everyman from March 6th to 28th.

Gemma Bodinetz, artistic director at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, said: "We have an extraordinary spring season this year featuring a wealth of new writing and the very best of touring work from around the country.

Tony Maudsley joins Coronation Street

"We are proud to produce the world premiere of \'Our Lady of Blundellsands\' by Liverpool playwright Jonathan Harvey, directed by Nick Bagnall and featuring a stellar cast."

Annette will star as Garnet, the sister of Sylvie Domingo, and it will be her first appearance at the Everyman since 1979.

In a tweet to Jonathan, Annette wrote: "At last we\'ll be in a rehearsal room together! (sic)"

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Earlier this year, the 69-year-old star admitted her \'EastEnders\' exit was "awful" and "very painful" - but she would be up for returning to the soap.

She said: "I\'d been brought in by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who said it would be Dickensian and fun, but the new executive, Sean O\'Connor, wasn\'t as interested in Babe.

"Sean said it was \'au revoir\' and not \'goodbye\' but he didn\'t want Babe in the pub or on the Square. I\'d been there about three years and it was my life. It was heart-breaking, really. They gave me such an ugly end.

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"Lovely and fabulous to relish the scripts by Daran Little, but it was just awful, very painful. I felt Babe had let them all down."

Despite her anguish at being told Babe wasn\'t needed in Walford any longer, the former \'Bergerac\' star would consider returning to the soap and hopes Mick Carter - her character\'s nephew, who is played by Danny Dyer - will reach out to her one day.

She added: "I\'d love to go back for a specific story. Hopefully one day Mick will need Babe and want her back."