Where is Big Mo in EastEnders? Walford has never managed to keep her for long
If you're wondering where Big Mo has got to, the official answer is reassuring: Laila Morse rejoined EastEnders permanently in 2024, and Mo Harris remains part of the current cast. The practical answer is more familiar — Mo drifts in and out of episodes exactly as she has for a quarter of a century.
Here's the full record, because no character in Walford has come and gone quite like her.
The short answer
Mo arrived on 18 September 2000 as the matriarch of the newly introduced Slater clan, and Morse has since played her across three separate stints: 2000–2016, 2018–2022, and 2024 to the present. Her latest return, alongside great-grandson Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier), aired on 20 May 2024 — the pair announced themselves by accidentally convincing Alfie his flat was being burgled.
A history of leaving
- 21 January 2016 — first exit. After Charlie Slater's death, Mo headed to Spain. No farewell scenes; Morse later told Inside Soap she hadn't realised it was an exit at all.
- 16 March 2018 — back, reintroduced alongside Jean and Kat, and straight into the scam where she pretended Kat had died to raise cash.
- 3 June 2021 — out again after the BBC opted not to renew Morse's contract. Mo sailed off on a cruise with her fancy man, Fat Elvis.
- August–September 2022 — a five-episode guest stint, timed for Phil Mitchell and Kat's wedding.
- 20 May 2024 — the permanent return, confirmed by the BBC on 28 February 2024.
When the 2021 exit was announced, the BBC's own spokesperson essentially shrugged: Big Mo departs Walford regularly, and she'd doubtless be back before long. They were right within 14 months.
Why the 2024 return felt different
This one came with a contract, a family unit — Freddie moved back to the Square with her — and Morse's own enthusiasm on record:
"I'm delighted to be coming home to Walford to bring Mo back to life," she said in the BBC's February 2024 announcement.
Since then Mo has been doing standard Mo business: dodgy earners, knock-off goods, and setting her sights on Stevie. She doesn't anchor big storylines, so she can disappear from screens for stretches without any in-show explanation beyond visiting family — which is where the "where is she?" searches come from.
The trivia that outdoes the character
Morse's real name is Maureen Bass, and she's Gary Oldman's older sister. Her stage name was suggested by Isabella Rossellini, who was dating Oldman at the time — "Laila Morse" is an anagram of "mia sorella", Italian for "my sister". And in 2026, at 80, she went viral fronting a Reebok fashion campaign alongside K-Trap and Lisa Maffia.
Walford can't keep her. Evidently, neither can anyone else.