EastEnders star Kim Medcalf has said the chaos that her departing character Sam Mitchell has caused in Albert Square has left her hoping for a Walford return for Sam in the future.
Speaking to the BBC after her latest stint in the soap came to an end, Medcalf said it had been "brilliant, as always".
"It was perfect timing for me and worked really well that Sam was coming back for another short stint," she continued.
"That's the beauty of this character – I love that she comes in, disrupts things, and then leaves the debris behind her.
"This time, she's been chucked out the back of a van, taken £100k from Phil to pay back a drug dealer and then blown up his marriage to Kat!
"There's a lot of drama with Sam, and it's never plain sailing. Hopefully, she'll be back again sometime for another stint of causing chaos."
When asked if she thinks the relationship between Sam and her brother Phil, played by Steve McFadden, is "broken irrevocably", Medcalf answered: "Funnily enough, I don't!
"I think it's feasible that there could come a point in the future where Phil admits that Sam might have been wrong in how she did it, but the situation was all caused by his error.
"Sam didn't make up the fact he slept with Emma – she just exposed him and his deceit.
"If Phil had a moment of introspection, he might think, 'This isn't about Sam, it's about me'.
"So, if I'm being positive, I believe there is potential for them to repair things.
"The Mitchells are a family who go through a lot and are used to this drama between them. Right now, it feels very broken, and Sam realises it's best to cut her losses and try to start again somewhere else. But if you think about what Grant and Phil have done to each other, this is nothing!"
As for her highlights playing Sam over 20 years, Medcalf said: "I loved all the drama with Andy Hunter, where he marries Sam for her money and the Mitchell empire! There was a big scene where Sam finds it out and bursts out crying, and Andy looks at her in this really cold way and says, 'My God, you are ugly when you cry'. I remember that really well because that was such a good moment.
"It was great being involved in Dirty Den's exit storyline and working closely with Tracey-Ann Oberman (Chrissie) and Michelle Ryan (Zoe). The dynamic of the three of us was great.
"I've loved all the stuff with Sharon and Kat this time around. Again, these are three strong women going for each other, so that's been brilliant.
"I love the friendship between Sam and Zack. Also, it's been great to have that experience of Sam having a child on the show and to play a different sort of mum to the one I am in my real life."
When asked if she had taken any keepsakes from the EastEnders set, Medcalf replied: "I haven't, but what I'd really like is a shot glass from Peggy's!"
EastEnders airs on RTÉ One and BBC One Monday to Thursday.
