Louisa Lytton and James Alexandrou, ex-EastEnders, to star together in play Casserole

Mixed · 2Former EastEnders actors Louisa Lytton and James Alexandrou are to star together in Casserole, a dark comedy set around Christmas, at Playhouse East in Haggerston, east London. 1 2 Right · 1The Daily Mail says the run is from 24 November to 19 December 2026. 2 Mixed · 2Lytton, 37, played Ruby Allen and Alexandrou, 41, played Martin Fowler; Lytton was on the soap from 2005 to 2006 and Alexandrou from 1996 to 2007, so they overlapped on screen only briefly. 2 1

Mixed · 2Both characters later returned and were romantically involved from 2019, but Martin was then played by James Bye. 1 2 Mixed · 2Alexandrou is also one of the play's writers and directors, alongside Kelly Flood and Dominic Morgan, and co-founded Playhouse East, which he opened with Avital Lvova in 2024. 1 2 Centre · 1In a statement relayed via WhatsOnStage, Alexandrou said: "Casserole is our attempt to prove that independent theatre can be artist-led, accessible, commercially ambitious and genuinely excellent at the same time." 1

Right · 1The one-act, 65-minute play was developed over roughly five years through improvisational workshops. Its synopsis concerns Kate, who believes her late mother is sending her signs, and Dom, whose views on the afterlife differ from hers. 2 Mixed · 2The outlets differ on how Lytton came to the project: Digital Spy reports that she reportedly saw the play at the Arcola Theatre in 2024 and wanted to be involved in a later staging, while the Daily Mail says she saw an early workshop and campaigned to co-star. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Daily Mail says it is the first time the pair have performed together on stage, and lists their other stage and screen credits. Digital Spy notes that Lytton's latest EastEnders stint ended in 2025 after Martin's death in the live 30th anniversary episode. 2 1