3 hours ago
2
Beth Alaw WilliamsBBC Wales
BBC
Amanda Grey received the "best surprise ever" when her furniture, clothes, and even family members got a feature in her favourite soap
Sitting down to watch an episode of her favourite soap, Amanda Grey couldn't help but feel that EastEnders looked more familiar than usual.
That's because her furniture, clothes and even members of her family all made sneaky appearances to prank her as part of Michael McIntyre's Big Show.
Amanda, from Swansea, said it was "the best surprise ever", with made-up storylines and new characters introduced just for her.
After McIntyre himself showed up on her doorstep, Amanda also got the chance to meet Gillian Taylforth, the actress behind her favourite character Kathy Beale.
After returning home from holiday, everything was in its place in Amanda's home.
But little did she know that her furniture had been on a holiday of their own after the comedian came to her house and handpicked items to send to Albert Square.
The BBC show contacted Amanda's family after the super fan, who has watched the soap since it first aired in 1985, initially applied to be a contestant on Michael McIntyre's The Wheel.
Amanda said: "My daughter was helping them with this because she was at home.
"Apparently everything was put back but they took a big clock off the wall and she couldn't get that back on to sit properly."
Thankfully after enlisting other family members to put everything back, Amanda's daughter, Sophie Grey, got away with it and her mum didn't notice a thing.
Gillian Taylforth, who plays Amanda's favourite character Kathy Beale, travelled to Swansea with McIntyre to surprise the soap super fan
On the day of the special episode, Amanda's family took her for a meal while secret cameras were set up across the house, with McIntyre and the team next door watching it unfold.
As well as some real scenes from the show, the prank involved creating a new storyline where Kathy Beale was on the hunt for a dubious character called Amanda.
"I was just thinking 'hmm okay there's a few odd things at the minute'.
"I didn't know, obviously, that they were next door and they were filming me watching this fake episode of EastEnders."
Some of the items on the programme that Amanda noticed included her dressing gown, a world flags book and even her sofa.
But she failed to hear her husband Mark's voice on a phone call with Kathy, or see her son's walk-on cameo at the Queen Vic.
"They all should be on the stage because they're such good, good actors," she said.
Amanda and her family travelled to London to take part in Michael McIntyre's Big Show
The prank was revealed when McIntyre, who had his own cameo in the Eastenders episode, knocked on her door.
"I just could not believe it, it was absolutely brilliant," Amanda said.
"It was one of the best, best surprises ever.
"I'm so honoured to be part of it because they [Michael McIntyre's Big Show] don't do it very often."
Amanda's daughter Sophie helped make sure her mum's furniture was returned to its original place after filming
Along with McIntyre, Amanda got another shock when Gillian Taylforth, the actress behind iconic character Kathy, made the journey to Swansea.
Amanda said: "I just love her and she came and she was absolutely lovely. It was so nice for her to give up her time."
She and her family then travelled to London to take part in the McIntyre's Big Show, where she said she was treated "like a star".
After the prank was revealed, Amanda said: "I was like, 'did that actually just happen?'"
"I think I was walking around in like a stunned, surprised trance if you like for about three weeks."
Now a bigger fan than ever, Amanda jokes that the famous theme song makes her have a "little panic attack" at the thought of it happening again.
