Why is Pam St Clement in Rivals season 2? The real reason behind her iconic cameo

*Rivals season 2 spoilers alert*

Rivals is back, people, in all its hedonistic 1980s glory. Season 2 dropped yesterday, and if you're anything like us, you spent your Friday night sipping on Peach Schnapps (it was *the* drink of the decade, darling) and bingeing the available three episodes.

While plenty of our fave faces returned for round two — from Emily Atack's Sarah Stratton to Danny Dyer's Freddie Jones — there was one TV legend who we did not expect to see. Yep, we're talking about the one-and-only Pam St Clement, who we all fondly know as the iconic Pat Butcher from EastEnders.

Despite leaving the soap in 2012 after 25 years, Pam will forever be associated with the show, whether it was her commitment to '80s fashion (can we talk about her dangly earrings and blue eyeshadow combo) or her multiple marriages.

So suffice to say, when she made a cameo in the new season of Rivals, it immediately made for a classic British pop culture moment straight from the Love of Huns account. I mean, this one tweet says it all: "The way I screamed when Pat Butcher showed up in Rivals you would've thought she was Beyoncé LMAOOO."

But what was she actually doing there, and who came up with this perfect casting?

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First, let's unpack Pam's role in season 2. Despite being incredibly brief, it's all anyone can talk about. Just 15 minutes into the episode, viewers watched Aidan Turner's Declan O'Hara get down to business with his wife, Victoria Smurfit's Maud, in a hotel room (Rivals is known for its steaminess after all).

But what's all this raunchiness got to do with Pam, you ask? Well, when Declan finds himself sans clothes in the corridor, Pat (sorry, Pam) just so happens to be standing right outside. And, after getting quite the eyefull, her first words are: "Is that Terry Wogan?" Instantly iconic.

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Many might not know, but Rivals showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins and producer Alexander Lamb actually worked on EastEnders when Pam was in the series. The latter recently told TechRadar: "We love Pam! We used to storyline for Pat on EastEnders, then we went away and they killed [her] off.

"We stayed in touch with her. And for this little cameo park, we needed an actress. So we said, 'What about Pam?'"

He also made the fitting point that Pat Buthcer "was at her total peak in 1987 on TV. We [were all] tuning in to see her ruin Pete and Kathy Beale's lives on EastEnders. So, it also feels that it's a nice homage to 1987."

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It goes without saying that Rivals fans were obsessed with Pam's cameo, and plenty have taken to X to share their reaction:

"Pat Butcher in Rivals unbelievable scenes," one person said, while another echoed: "Didn't think I would see Pat Butcher in Rivals Season 2." "PAT BUTCHER IS IN RIVALS AHHH," someone else screamed, as a fourth added: "PAT BUTCHER SNEAK IN RIVALS."

Over on Instagram, people said: "Pam St Clement was so random and brilliant!," and "Pam st clement ?? You have made my day ..!!!" Others said "seeing Pat Butcher was epic," while another person referenced her Terry Wogan line and penned a string of laughing face emojis.

Perfect reaactions, if you ask us.

The first three episodes of Rivals season 2 are now streaming on Disney Plus. The next three episodes in the first half of the season will be released weekly. The second half of the season will then be released later on in the year.