Joan Collins is new bitch of US soap

Joan Collins is returning to US soap opera two decades after she starred as one of television's most memorable divas.

An American television executive said today that the actress - who with her shoulder pads made Dynasty's Alexis Carrington the epitome of Eighties excess - is to join the CBS series Guiding Light.

Ms Collins will play Alexandra Spaulding who is described as "your typical rich bitch". She has signed a six-month contract to star in the series and could appear as early as September.

The 68-year-old actress's decision comes as a surprise after she said last week: "There'll probably never be a hit in my life, or any of the other actors' lives, as big as Dynasty because it was a phenomenon."

A US executive said: "Joan is fondly remembered for Alexis, one of the great screen divas, and her signing is a great attention-grabbing move. But while it will help the soap I'm not sure what it says about Joan's career.

"It's not a primetime drama, it's a daytime soap which has the same overtones as it would on British television. In a way it's like she's joined the American version of Crossroads."