Hit or Miss... 'Enders shock leaves Vera for dead

The BBC, whose head of press Jane Fletcher left last month, gained acres of coverage for flagship soap EastEnders by announcing the return of popular character Bianca Jackson, played by Patsy Palmer, on Monday. Later that day, the Coronation Street press office hit back by revealing show stalwart Vera Duckworth, played by Elizabeth Dawn, would soon be killed off. But the BBC held the trump card, revealing on Tuesday that Ricky Butcher, played by Sid Owen, would also return. The media lapped it up.