A popular character is set to return to EastEnders tonight

Tiffany Butcher was cute as a button when she first arrived on EastEnders, with a streak of mischief that any smart Walford resident could spot a mile off. Nowadays the talented Maisie Smith looks VERY grown up (we want her hair!), and is still very keen to pursue an acting career. Speaking about what she learned from her role on the soap, she said: "Perhaps my most useful lesson has been that while this is an amazing experience, whether you are famous or not, directors can be quite strict, so you must listen all the time and be punctual....Working to such a tight schedule can also mean very long days and I do get tired – but I still can't wait to go back in the next time."

Helen Flanagan grew up before our very eyes as Coronation Street's resident bad girl, Rosie Webster. She had some seriously meaty storylines before Rosie decided to head off to London to make her fortune - and we still hope that, one day, she might just strut into the Webster house and give Sally a shock. Since then, we've seen Helen on I'm A Celeb, Celebrity Super Spa, Celebrity Wedding Planner, and Holby City. However Helen has since taken a step back from the limelight following the birth of her first child, Matilda, with Scott Sinclair. And it seems as if she's hoping to expand her brood soon. She said: "We might give Matilda a brother or sister when she is around two... I definitely want more children as it's just the best thing in the world… Scott seems happy about that too – maybe we'll end up with our own football team!"

Aha, you see - Rosie Webster wasn't ALWAYS played by Helen Flanagan, despite what some may think. Nope, before she came along, Rosie was played by Emma Collinge - although she was just as naughty, if a little blonder, than we remember. Emma, who portrayed her, has since retired from acting. She studies medicine and science at the University of Manchester.

Lucy Beale may have been tragically murdered, but she lives on in our hearts - although many of us remember Melissa Suffield's portrayal of the feisty twin, as opposed to Hetti Bywater's. Since growing up in Walford, the EastEnders actress has gone on to act in Casualty AND play the titular role of Norma Jean in a musical about the iconic Marilyn Monroe. She's also been focusing on her music, proving to be quite the talented wee thing at guitar and piano. Too bad she can't ever return to the soap, eh? Unless Lucy had an evil clone we don't know about yet…

Hollyoaks fans will definitely recognise Tom Cunningham,who has transformed over the years from a teeny tot dealing with his mother's death, to getting his girlfriend, Peri Lomax, pregnant. Eep! Ellis Hollins has played Tom since he was just four-years-old, and has since become a favourite amongst Hollyoaks fans - even winning the British Soap Award for 'Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress'. However he DID forget quite a few names during his overwhelmed speech, requiring prompts from his on-screen sibling Matt Littler. Bless!

Sam Aston was such a wee little thing when he first appeared on ITV's Coronation Street - but, thanks to him, Chesney has transformed from an awkward little kid into a strapping teenage dad over the past thirteen years. Speaking about his life in the public eye, he said: "At 16, when all my mates were getting fake IDs and going out to pubs I always knew I couldn't do that. I missed most school trips because I was working and I couldn't join after-school clubs like football in case I got injured. Sometimes I think I maybe grew up too soon. There were sacrifices but I wouldn't change what I have now."

Hollyoaks fans definitely have a soft spot for Holly Cunningham - although she's definitely been played by a LOT of people over the years. One of our faves, however, was Lydia Waters, who featured heavily in the storyline of her mother Cindy (Stephanie Waring) and Tony Hutchinson's (Nick Pickard) wedding, despite Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor-Dawson) and Jacqui McQueen (Claire Cooper) teaming up to split them up. She was nominated for best young actor at the Inside Soap Awards in 2009 and 2010 - but left in 2010, to be replaced by Wallis Day.

Yup, as in fellow EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa's actual cousin! Little Courtney was a dream to watch on screen - particularly when she was pitted against her cousin, Ben Mitchell; remember when he told her that her dad, Grant (Ross Kemp), had murdered her mum, Tiffany (Martine McCutcheon)? She later moved to Portugal with her dad to start a new life, and was last heard of on the phone to Peggy in 2010. But there's a chance she COULD return alongside her dad later this year… watch this space!

Eden has been playing Belle since war back in 2005, with her first meaty role being the moment Belle fell down a mineshaft on Christmas Day. Dramatic times, eh? Speaking about life as a child actor, Eden said: "There is no time for me to go off the rails like Belle. I go home and learn my lines and I am in bed by 9pm – my mum and dad love it! I don't feel like I have missed out though. I see my friends at weekends – my favourite thing to do is hang out with them for a sleepover and go to bed at 7pm watching Netflix with a Chinese takeaway."

Ben Mitchell has definitely undergone the most transformations of any child star (nowadays he's played by Harry Reid), but we'll never forget the little Ben who was bullied and tormented by EastEnders villain, Stella. Charlie Jones gave us a sweet little boy, who occasionally got a little psychotic with a wrench, but - after a few good years on the soap - it was time to bid goodbye to Ben the child, and usher in the era of Ben, the murderous adult. Charlie is still working on his acting career, and we hope to see him again on screen sometime soon.

Peter Beale was last played on screen by EastEnders hunk Ben Hardy, but, before him, we had Thomas Law. Who was, we hasten to point out, the FOURTH actor to play Peter - although he was, in our opinion, the most memorable. He starred on the soap from 2006 to 2010, and, during that time, we saw him form a super-sweet relationship with Lauren Branning - and snog the face off Zsa-Zsa Carter (Emer Kenny). And Whitney (Shona McGarty) - phew! Things all came to a head when he learned his dad Ian (Adam Woodyatt) had been cheating on Jane (Laurie Brett), causing him to move to Devon… and come back with a new face. Nowadays Thomas is still acting, appearing in Casualty and Peter Pan. He also went on tour with the play Beautiful Thing alongside Charlie Brooks and Sam Jackson.

Little Jay has certainly grown up, hasn't he EastEnders fans? Nowadays he's struggling with the news his girlfriend, Linzi, is actually underage - but plenty of us still think of Jay as the boy he once was. Which has a lot to do with the fact that we've all watched Jamie Borthwick grow up on screen as the troubled tyke. He's certainly had some tough storylines to deal with, from being orphaned at 14, to becoming part of a gang. We've also witnessed him mature from wayward teen to responsible adult - and a lot of this had to do with his childhood sweetheart, Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald). Anyone else still sad they split?

Jacqueline Jossa may be an amazing Lauren Branning, but, before her, we had Madeline Duggar. And she was, without a doubt, one of the finest child actors we've ever seen on EastEnders. This is the same Lauren that ran her dad, Max (Jake Wood), over with the car - not to mention the sly little girl who exposed her father's affair with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) over Christmas dinner. Good times, eh? Since leaving the soap in 2010, Madeline has starred in Silent Witness as well as TWO films - Rules Of Love and Everyone's Going To Die. We have a feeling that Madeline is definitely one to be watched in the future…

It's another EastEnders child actor who managed to keep her role from being given to an older, more experienced star - and we're so glad that they kept Lorna Fitzgerald on the soap for the long haul. We've watched her grow up from an innocent pigtailed cutie-pie to the ULTIMATE bad girl; she's 'battered' Lucy Beale, stalked her sister, attempted to DROWN her sister, and faked a pregnancy - and miscarriage - in a bid to keep hold of her boyfriend, Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid). Long live Lorna - may she never leave Walford!

Alex has played Simon Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street since 2008 - although he's definitely gotten a lot meaner over the years. Despite loving his step-mum Leanne (Jane Danson) and remaining with her after his dad, Peter (Chris Gascoyne), left Weatherfield to find help for his drinking problem, he's since turned on her. In fact, his nasty temper has seen him become violent and abusive towards his doting stepmother - causing her to report him to the police in one of Corrie's most controversial storylines yet. We wonder what Simon has in store for us next, eh?

Natalie Cassidy first appeared as EastEnders's Sonia Jackson in 1993, complete with her trumpet. She went on to deal with a bullying and kidnapping storyline, before unwittingly becoming a teenage mum after a one night stand with Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou). She put Chloe (later renamed Rebecca) up for adoption, but was later devastated by her actions - and reunited with her daughter many years later. Despite falling in love with doomed Jamie Mitchell (Jack Ryder), Sonia later found love with the very man who ran him over, Martin. The pair later eloped and left the square, returning many years later as husband and wife… although their relationship was obviously doomed from the start. Natalie's character is now dating Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White), although she remains good friends with her ex. In the real world, the actress is married to cameraman Marc Humphreys and the duo are expecting their second child. N'aww.

Brooke Vincent joined Coronation Street in April 2004 as the third actress to play Sophie Webster, replacing Emma Woodward who decided to leave the soap at the end of 2003. She's definitely made the role her own since then, tackling Sophie's sexuality with deft and sensitivity - making her one of the most popular Corrie characters to date. Brooke recently revealed that she found bullying comments from tabloids and trolls to be very hurtful. Speaking on the Key 103 Breakfast show with Mike Toolan, she said: "When you're walking out of a restaurant or a club and there are all these photographers, you don't want to smile because it's embarrassing when you're with your friends. So you just keep your head down. But then everyone turns around and says I look miserable… it can ruin your day."

Oh Jamie, may he rest in peace. The floppy-haired Mitchell became the soap world's answer to Leonardo DiCaprio very quickly, until his untimely death in 2002, when he was run down by Martin Fowler. After leaving the show, Jack split from his partner, Corrie's Kym Marsh, and appeared in a number of film and television productions. Nowadays he's focusing on directing, and acts as a literary consultant to David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers the West End and Broadway theatre producers. However he WILL be back on our screens as a new character Gareth in Kay Mellors' BBC drama In the Club, which is set to air in May 2016.