Devon Anderson on 'Enders return and Zöe Lucker

I managed to catch up with EastEnders' Devon Anderson at the end of last week for a quick chat about his character Billie Jackson's ongoing storyline.

Click here to read Devon's thoughts on Billie's romance with Whitney as well as the gang plot or read on to hear what he thought about returning to Walford, having Bryan Kirkwood as his boss again* and how he'd like Zöe Lucker to be his next screen romance.

Did you make any conscious decisions about what kind of guy Billie would be when he returned?
"Because he'd been away for so long, that decision was really up to [our last boss] Diederick [Santer] and the writers. There's a fair bit of Jackson history there for them, though."

How did they describe Billie to you when you returned?
"They told me he was the smartest Jackson, which isn't saying much! That might have changed slightly now! He's meant to be clever and very much a dark horse - you never know what you're going to get with him."

Were you pleased that the rest of the Jackson clan returned for a brief stint?
"I was well pleased. They came back before me, so technically I was joining them again but it was excellent. Lindsey Coulson is what every young actor should aspire to be. She's fun to work with and makes me laugh every day - she's just brilliant. As a child, you don't notice everyone around you, so it was almost like meeting her for the first time again. I couldn't really remember much from all those years ago, so it's been great sharing stories from back in the day!"

Is it strange to have Bryan as your boss again?
"It was to start off with, but now I see him around all the time! It's great to be working with him again."

Are you looking forward to Shane Richie, Jessie Wallace returning and and Zöe Lucker joining?
"Definitely. I wasn't here when Shane and Jessie were in the show, so I'm excited because I always used to watch it when they were in and they were two of my favourite characters. And Zöe Lucker - that's really exciting. I watched her in Footballers' Wives and Tanya Turner was a legend. She's going to have a lot to do with the Jackson-Brannings by all accounts, so I'm looking forward to it. Maybe an older woman for Billie?! Wouldn't that be nice!"

* For those wondering, Bryan was Devon's boss at Hollyoaks between 2006 and 2007.