Janine Malloy meets her match

EastEnders' Janine Malloy is to meet her match when her evil gran descends on Albert Square.

While the bolshie baddie - played by Charlie Brooks - thinks her relative's arrival will put her on the road to riches, she couldn't be more wrong.

With a reputation among her neighbours for being one of the most fearsome pensioners on the block, Lydia Simmonds - the mother of Janine's late mum - it a force to be reckoned with.

It will soon become clear that Janine gets her wicked streak from her grandmother - who will be played by 'A Clockwork Orange' actress Margaret Tyzack - but her attempts of manipulation won't work out as she had intended.

An 'EastEnders' insider told Inside Soap magazine: "Janine is going to think there's a potential meal ticket arriving in the form of Lydia. But she's a very complex woman - and Janine won't be able to manipulate her as easily as she'd imagined."

It looks as though the nasty nan is planning to stick around, as she BBC One soap's boss Bryan Kirkwood admitted she has "endless possibilities" as a character.

He said: "What a coup to have Margaret Tyzack starring in 'EastEnders'! She's an actress of incredible class and talent. Lydia has endless possibilities as a character and I can't wait to see Janine meet her match."