Veteran actress Gwen Taylor joins EastEnders as Violet Highway

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 3h

Gwen Taylor joins the cast of EastEnders playing Stuart and Callum's tough-as-nails grandmother Violet Highway.

Gwen Taylor has joined the cast of EastEnders as Callum and Stuart's "straight-talking" grandmother Violet "Vi" Highway.

The veteran actress, 82, has an extensive CV stretching back five decades with roles in shows such as Duty Free, Barbara and Heartbeat, and in 2011-12 had a brief part in Coronation Street playing the mother of Carla's ex-fiancé Frank Foster.

The character of Vi will arrive in Albert Square in the run-up to Ben and Callum's wedding and will have no trouble making her future grandson-in-law squirm with her "hard facade and quick wit".

"I remember when the first episodes of EastEnders launched and I was desperate to be in it, now after all these years, here I am playing a wonderful character," said Taylor.

"It's fantastic and the cast are great, everybody has treated me so well and I feel extremely welcome."

Gwen Taylor as Violet Highway in EastEnders © BBC

Executive producer Jon Sen said: "Having Gwen join the show is an honour, she's the perfect actress to play the multi-faceted Violet Highway, a grandmother not to be messed with.

"Stuart and Callum are sure to find this out the hard way when she arrives in Walford for Callum's big day and they'll no doubt be wanting her visit to be fleeting but Violet definitely has other ideas.

"We welcome Gwen to Walford and look forward to the audience watching her make her mark."

Taylor will begin filming this month and Vi's first scenes will air later this spring.