Natalie's character Sonia Fowler will be saying goodbye to Albert Square in the coming weeks
News Liam De Brun TV and Celebrity writer 00:01, 25 Mar 2025
EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has opened up about her upcoming new TV show ahead of her leaving the soap that made her a household name.
The actress has been a prominent fixture in the long-running BBC soap, playing the role of Sonia Jackson since 1993. The character is most known for her trumpet playing skills and falling pregnant at 15, not knowing she was expecting until she went into labour.
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Sadly for Sonia's fans, Natalie is leaving the show in the coming weeks after her character recently gave birth to her daughter Julia and witnessed the death of her evil-ex Reiss.
However, it won’t be long before Natalie is back on the small screen, with her new Channel 4 documentary investigating what viral products are actually worth buying.
Titled What’s The Big Deal: Britain’s Best Buys, the documentary will see Natalie looking at the new products advertised on a daily basis that are said to change our lives.
With social media full of more ads and influencers flogging items than ever before, Natalie is determined to find out what is a fad and what is worth spending your hard-earned money on.
Speaking to PA Entertainment about the four-part series, Natalie admitted that it was a break from Albert Square that opened her eyes to new opportunities.
“I was on my break, Sonia was in prison at the time, and the timing was the first thing. It’s very difficult, as you know, being on a soap, to fit other things in, and it just really worked out… I thought: ‘Well, what a lovely thing to be asked to do, to actually front a show’.
“In my head, I thought: ‘Oh, I’m not ready to do that’, or ‘someone wouldn’t want me to do that’, but actually, it was a real honour to be asked to do it.
“And I love documentaries. I love talking to people. And I just thought the subject matter is very relevant to all of us Bombarded, aren’t we? On social media, emails, what are we going to buy, what’s the next craze? Or the kids are telling us to buy stuff. And I just thought: ‘Oh, actually, this is quite interesting’,” she said.
The series will showcase the ice baths, teeth-whiteners, lion’s mane mushrooms and LED face masks being promoted online, with experts working hard to determine what’s the real deal.
“I found the journey with the barefoot trainers interesting, because you hear about grounding and all of those sorts of things being very good for you. And I’ve always been a bit: ‘Oh, can’t really be bothered’, but you do feel very different wearing those very close to the ground…
“However, when I went to see the foot doctor, she said they’re not good for me because of how my feet are. We can all go: ‘Oh, that looks good, and that’ll be good for me’. But really, the age old thing is (that) you need to get advice, you do need expertise about things.
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“Like the mask, the LED mask… Unless you know your skin type, you don’t really know what light is going to work on your face, and actually, if your skin will ever work with that – the science behind things we don’t really look into,” she stated.
Natalie added: “So what I hope this does, in a very easy way, not a boring way, is just inform people a little bit of the science of it all before they buy something and waste their money.”
What’s The Big Deal: Britain’s Best Buys? starts on Channel 4 at 8pm on Friday, April 4.
