Maximum WATTAGE!

Walford favourites ANITA DOBSON and TRACY-ANN OBERMAN on teaming up in a thought-provoking drama

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PLAY FOR TODAY NEW THURSDAY, 9PM, 5 DRAMA

It isn't every day you sit down with two EastEnders legends. So imagine TV Times' delight when actors Anita Dobson and Tracy-Ann Oberman join us to chat about their first joint project: Play for Today: Never Too Late. The drama is the first of four standalone stories in 5's much-anticipated new franchise Play for Today, a revival of the iconic anthology series of the same name that ran on BBC1 between 1970 and 1984, and which was renowned for exploring societal issues.

The opening chapter takes an irreverent look at ageing, and sees Anita play fiercely independent Cynthia, who moves into a retirement village at the insistence of her daughter, Amanda, portrayed by Tracy-Ann. It's not long before rebellious Cynthia is ripping up the rulebook but buried secrets soon start to surface.

'It's a good story and pertinent today because people are living longer lives,' says Anita, who famously played Den Watts' first wife Angie in EastEnders between 1985 and 1988 before reprising the role in a special episode earlier this year as part of the BBC1 soap's 40th-anniversary celebrations. 'We need to find the fun in every moment we can.'

'What I loved about the script was seeing older characters not being patronised - they're funny, witty, sexy and fall in love,' shares Tracy-Ann, who was Den's second wife, Chrissie, from 2004 to 2005, making a brief return to Walford last year. 'You can't be what you can't see, so we need more characters like Cynthia on TV, living their best lives!' Here, Anita, 76, and Tracy-Ann, 59, tell us more...

It's a TV treat to have the two Mrs Watts starring opposite each other!