Mandy Salter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nicola Stapleton. Introduced on 12 March 1992 by producer Leonard Lewis, Mandy was portrayed as a teenage tearaway. She was featured in storylines about teenage homelessness, child abuse and recreational drug taking. Her relationship with Aidan Brosnan (Sean Maguire) was one of the prominent storylines featured in 1993. Due to the character's antagonistic behaviour, it has been suggested that Mandy was one of the most hated characters on television during her initial tenure. The character appeared in a special episode of Doctor Who in 1993, which was set in the fictional soap setting of Walford. Stapleton left the role and Mandy departed on-screen on 13 January 1994. Following Mandy's initial exit, Stapleton claimed that she was asked to reprise the role on several occasions; she turned these offers down until producer Bryan Kirkwood negotiated her comeback in 2011. After a 17-year hiatus, Mandy reappeared from 29 August 2011 and began a relationship with the long-running character, Ian Beale (played by Adam Woodyatt). Mandy's return storylines focused on her dysfunctional relationship with her mother Lorraine (Victoria Alcock), her unconventional engagement to Ian, and her fuelling conflict with Ian's daughter Lucy (Hetti Bywater). On 4 April 2012, it was announced that Stapleton would be leaving EastEnders for a second time. Mandy and Ian were not given a happy ending; their relationship dissolved and Mandy departed in the episode broadcast on 31 May 2012.