Jo Joyner enjoyed Cab ride

Jo Joyner loved taking a break from her "downtrodden" 'EastEnders' character to star in new comedy drama series 'Candy Cabs'.

The actress - who is best known for her role as wronged wife Tanya Branning in the BBC One soap - heads up the new three-part series at the corporation about a group of female cab drivers and Jo has admitted she found the change of genre refreshing.

She explained: "It was lovely playing someone who wasn't constantly crying or doing the 'Walford sigh'. Going up north with a wonderful group of women was so much fun - as was working on something that is easy to watch for a change."

Despite her relief at taking a break from the dramatic storylines on 'EastEnders', Jo has no plans to leave the show and is hoping for some more juicy storylines similar to the one where she discovered her ex-husband Max (Jake Wood) was cheating on her with Stacey Slater.

She said in an interview with Radio Times magazine: "My favourite was the Christmas one where Tanya found out about Max's affair with Stacey - that's when 'EastEnders' is at its best and sums up what I think really works in soap - the story wasn't rushed, the viewers were invested in the characters, there were no big stunts just good acting and writing. I felt very lucky to be part of the story."