When she was offered the role of the matriarchal Irene Raymond in EastEnders, Roberta Taylor told the producers that she did not mind what the character was like as long as she did not have to wear a cardigan.
Having barged her way through three years (1997-2000) of melodramatic plot lines – Irene was an ex-wife and estranged mother with a toyboy lover, a grocery store and a penchant for new age fads (including feng shui and aromatherapy) – she promptly jumped the good ship BBC for another hard-hitting role in ITV’s The Bill (2002-08), as the hard-drinking, no-nonsense Inspector Gina Gold.
