Many fans had voiced their concern over exec producer Diederick Santer's decision to bring back Sam with a different face - that of the original actress Westbrook, as opposed to the last actress to play the character Kim Medcalf.
It's certainly split viewers - as has the new opening titles, but that's for another blog - with some puzzled by the change in Sam's image from 'businesswoman' to 'chav', while others are confused by how much the character's aged.
And so to the results of the Sam poll. Nearly half of those who voted (48.6%) would rather EastEnders have decided to #BringBackKimMedcalf, while 30.5% are quite happy that Danniella's reprising the role. The remaining 20.9% aren't sure until they've seen her in full swing.
Having already seen Sam's first full week back on the Square, I can't say that a 'different' Sam has bothered me - I'm just pleased the character's back. A full four years have passed since we last saw Kim playing the part, so I think she's been out of public consciousness for enough time to allow the producers to switch.
I'm hoping, though, that there's a bigger storyline on the horizon. And from what I hear through my sources, we're in for an interesting final quarter of 2009...
> 'EastEnders' Trail: Sam Mitchell's Return
> First Picture: Sam Mitchell returns to 'EastEnders'
> Walford exec teases about Sam's return
Moving onto this week's Hollyoaks Later-themed poll, in which I ask 'Who'll die in Hollyoaks Later?'
As I exclusively announced a few weeks ago, a tragic skydive death will send shockwaves through Hollyoaks village at the beginning of next month as either Sarah Barnes (Loui Batley) or Zoe Carpenter (Zoë Lister) plunge to their death when their parachute fails to open.
The unlucky daredevil is completely unaware that they have a tampered parachute pack on their back and Lydia (Lydia Kelly) - the saboteur - is too frightened to say anything.
After a set of funeral pictures were uploaded online, fans believed Sarah to be the victim of the incident, but it was subsequently revealed that two endings have been filmed - one in which Zoe dies and one that sees Sarah fall to her death.
It has been confirmed that both actors are leaving Hollyoaks.
Unfortunately, I've been sworn to secrecy over the storyline, so I won't be able to talk about 'the death' until after the episode's aired on Thursday, October 1.
That said, who do you think falls to their death from a plane, wearing goggles, a jump suit and a faulty parachute? Let me know by casting your vote below! Don't forget to check back next week for the results!
Earlier this week, I managed to catch up with Zoë Lister and Loui Batley to talk about their involvement in Hollyoaks Later and their impending exits, so check back soon to see what they had to say for themselves.
