EastEnders veteran June Brown is understood to have signed up to play Dot Branning for another year.
The 12-month deal means the actress will remain with the popular BBC One soap opera until she turns 90.
Brown, who will celebrate her 89th birthday next month, has played Dot since 1985 although she took a four-year break in the 1990s and a sabbatical in 2012.
In 2005, she received a lifetime achievement award at the British Soap Awards. She also shared the award for best on screen partnership with her TV husband John Bardon, who played Jim Branning.
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A spokeswoman for EastEnders said: "We never discuss contracts."