EastEnders' Natalie Cassidy and Jack Ryder share important message as they reunite after 20+ years

EastEnders actors Natalie Cassidy and Jack Ryder have reunited, nearly 24 years after they last shared the screen together.

The two played love interests Sonia Jackson and Jamie Mitchell, respectively, and while Natalie left shortly after the 40th anniversary celebrations last year, Jack's time in Walford came to an end in 2002 when his character died on Christmas Day.

Now the two have reunited, appearing in a new video as part of a campaign that carries quite an important message.

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In the video, available on the National Rail YouTube channel and socials, the two share a hug as they meet for the first time in decades, before reflecting on the public's love for the characters, what they used to get up to between takes, and how Jack and his family took Natalie on her first holiday.

The reunion took place as part of National Rail's 'Proper Catch-Up Carriage' campaign, which is based on research where participants admitted to struggling to find the time to see people they've not hung out with in ages, and even when they see people, find it tough to have any sort of deep conversation.

The idea is that being on a train is the perfect time to have meaningful conversations with each other, as you can't go anywhere else and there's less distractions (lack of phone signal, etc).

The campaign includes some conversation starters, such as "What's a good piece of advice you've recently received?", and deeper questions like "What's an experience that changed your outlook on life?". These are seen on the dice that the EastEnders duo read from in the video.

The dice are set to be available to the public on National Rail trains across 2 and 3 October, while the full list of catch-up questions is available on the website now.

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Natalie also reflects on how she and Jack have gone so long without seeing each other, calling it a "travesty" and noting how people who knew them back then would never have pictured that they'd go their separate ways for decades.

"Sitting down together again felt really special," she said in the press release.

"It was a reminder of how important it is to make time for the people who matter most."

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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