Joining The U.K. Soap Press for a Day
By Denise Field
On our trip to England earlier this year, my husband, Paul Field, and I were invited to visit EastEnders’ offices.
We jumped at the chance, seeing it as perfect opportunity to give our Walford Gazette readers exciting news and happening of their favourite show, EastEnders.
Upon our arrival, we were delighted with the surprise of being able to sit on a panel in which many reporters from leading U.K. soap magazines were allowed to interview several of the EastEnders cast in character form. This basically meant that questions asked were made directly to the character and not to the actor that portrays them.
The first actor to appear was Dean Gaffney (Robbie), who strolled in wearing jeans and a Gap sweatshirt, appearing very comfortable before the press. He stated that this was his ninth year in the role of Robbie and that he is delighted to be part of the wonderful cast of EastEnders.
When asked what was happening in Robbie’s life, Robbie went on to talk about a blooming romance with a young woman who has a young son. Dean went on to say that Robbie was always lonely, and so Willard (the dog) was created by executive producer John Yorke. He says he would like to see his character get a girl that would turn everyone’s heads and have them all say “wow”!
Dean said his dream role on EastEnders would be a combination of Ian Beale’s ambition to be “a successful businessman running lots of businesses, the comedy of Nigel and entertaining like Barry.”
Dean added that he would love to direct one day.
He also made it clear to all that he is not “spotty,” as reported in many tabloids, and isn’t appreciative of the name they have give him of “Spotty Robbie.” He pointed to his face. “See I have a very clear complexion,” which this reporter can contest is true. He added that many things reported by the tabloids are just not true.
The interview session also gave us a glimpse of some of the actors who play characters familiar to EastEnders fans who watch via BBC America but are still several years away from their introduction on U.S. public television.
After Robbie left, Nick Bailey, who plays Dr. Anthony Trueman, strolled in. Dr. Trueman is 31; he’s smitten with 18-year-old Zoe Slater. He’s black and she’s white. He went on to say that his character feels torn with conflicting emotions. Even though Zoe is not highly educated, they share warm conversations with each other and he finds her refreshing. Another complication is that Anthony used to date Zoe’s oldest sister, Kat, who is not comfortable with the torch that Zoe has for the doctor.
Anthony also has difficulty with his brother, Paul, who believes the man sharing their house and posing as their father is actually a fake.
I promise you, there are great storylines for this family ahead. Nick added that on April 12 he would be running in a marathon for Cancer Research UK, and that he has been training three times a week to prepare for this 15-mile run. He said that he has a personal interest in helping find a cure and the prevention of cancer, as he sadly lost an uncle to the disease.
The next character to be interviewed was Natalie Cassidy, who plays Sonia, wearing casual pants, sweat jacket, a white shirt and a baseball cap. She quickly rushed in as she was running late. She apologized to all and sat down quickly to answer the questions bestowed upon her.
The questions began along the line of how it feels to play opposite one of England’s teen idols, Jack Ryder, who plays Jamie. She tells us how people come up to her and can really be pretty mean concerning her role as Sonia. A lot of young girls are actually jealous of her. But she says she really enjoys working with him and that he is a really nice guy as well.
Natalie went on to talk about the role in which now Sonia is playing now. She views Sonia as a mothering figure, always caring for everyone and not putting herself first.
Cassidy said she loves the part of Sonia and enjoys being in the spotlight. She describes herself as “a greedy actress,” who welcomes being put on the set as much as possible. She finishes by adding she would love to see a wedding in the future for Sonia.
After that delightful interview, we were refreshed with the presence of Michelle Ryan, who plays Zoe Slater. All dressed up in court attire, as the filming of her on-screen sister Maureen’s trial had begun taping.
Michelle quietly sat down and asked what was expected of her from this interview. Once prepped, she let the questions flow. Right away, everyone wants to know what exactly is going on with her and the good doctor Anthony Trueman. She begins to say that with all Zoe has been put through, finding out her parentage and the lies that her family has told her all her life, Zoe now needs a stable person in her life—a knight in shining armour, so to speak. Anthony was always there for her, giving her the emotional support she couldn’t get at home. And now as an 18-year-old young woman, Zoe finds herself dealing with many emotions. Zoe is on the road to discovering herself and yearns to make her own happiness.
With her recent ordeal of returning home after her disappearance, she finds she has matured in many ways and is ready to take from life what she needs. Michelle said her character, when she wants something, usually goes with her feelings and what she wants now is Anthony.
Even though there will be a lot of opposition and gossip from those in the Square, Zoe is determined not to let it get in her way. She has always seen Anthony as a good friend and now that she is 18, she sees nothing wrong with what can develop between them. Discussing the dance he took her to, she added that he is a really good dancer, and that she just loves working with Nick, who plays Dr. Trueman.
She also told us how the actors who play the Slaters all work well together, and that she loves being a part of this on-screen family.
One of the reporters then asked her, “Are you comfortable with kissing on the set?” To which she replied, “Yes, I have no problem with it.”
On a lighter note, she amused us with a story of how the popularity of her character has slightly conflicted with her off-screen life. She told us that now she can’t enjoy the luxury of just going to a store without being recognized and how one day a girl just kept following her around a shop staring at her. She said it made her feel a bit uncomfortable. But she still enjoys the stardom and loves being in EastEnders.
After Zoe left, we were given the pleasure of meeting and interviewing the well-known actress Tamzin Outhwaite, who plays Melanie. As it turned out, it was Tamzin’s last day of filming. When asked how she felt at this moment, she said she had mixed emotions. She was sad about leaving but also very excited about the new things she will be doing.
Tamzin told us that she had been working on a six-part series for U.K. television and will be working on it from April to August.
But immediately after finishing EastEnders, she will be taking a short holiday in Los Angeles—a trip for business and pleasure. She mentioned that her cousin was getting married there, and she was attending the wedding.
We asked what she thought of Melanie. Tamzin began telling us that she was surprised that the audience actually took to her part. She saw her character as the girl-next-door type, who was a good mate, and a bit of a flirt. She felt her character came onto the show at a good time.
When asked what episode was her favourite, with a chuckle she replied, “The time when Mel and Lisa drank tequila slammers and got drunk in the Vic.”
She tells us that Lucy Benjamin, who plays Lisa, brought out the best in her. She spoke highly of the entire cast and informed us that she will truly miss this part of her life.
She promised to keep in contact with the cast members, mentioning so many of their names and smiling. She added that she was delighted with the fact that the door will still be open for her to return to the show.
She summed up by saying that working on EastEnders was the best two years of her life and the biggest learning experience. She also learned how to balance her private and professional lives during these years on the set.
What does Tamzin have planned for her future? She would love to learn Italian, take up an instrument and perhaps do some singing and dancing.
We were able to see how the press gets its information on the characters and their storylines. A production assistant named Leslie then let us watch some filming taking place that day.
We quietly walked through the streets of the set, making sure we didn’t get in the way or make any noise that could disturb taping. Filming at this moment were Dr. Trueman and Jim, walking through the market.
We also watched them filming a young girl chatting up Winston at his stall, while her friend helped herself to some CDs and then later went on to mug Sonia. We caught a glimpse of John Bardon (Jim) sitting smoking a cigarette behind the scenes. He seemed like such a gentle man, deep in thought, as he sat there waiting to be called upon once more.
I remember taking it all in, remembering everything about the scene so I’d be able to pick it out when watching it on TV: “I was there, I saw this being filmed.”
We continued walking through the deserted exterior sets, seeing many new places that will be on the Square, and then headed towards the internal sets.
On the way, I saw Perry Fenwick, who plays the character Billy Mitchell, looking out of the window of one of the trailers. He noticed me and said hello.
Before heading to the internal sets, we made a visit to Arthur’s allotment, took a picture and then just stood for a moment as if to give Arthur a moment
of our silence. Inside, we had the chance to watch a scene between Beppe and Phil Mitchell’s lawyer.
On another set, we came across the character Big Mo trying to wake up Gary, who happened to be sleeping on a couch. We watched them do several takes until they got it just right.
We then continued on, just walking through the empty sets and props used for filming. We took a few pictures, and then our trip to the internal sets ended.
Our guide took us to her office for some press photos and a plastic EastEnders bag to put them in. We couldn’t thank Leslie enough for the wonderful experience she had allowed us to have.
Our adventure came to an end, but with us we took many new memories and a day on the set we will never forget.
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