It's also funnier. A lot of the guys who play the parts come from a cabaret background. I know viewers say EastEnders is too gloomy, but that's not a criticism. It's real life and that's not always happy. But most of the time it's just ordinary gossip, and we all need that because it's lacking in our lives.
People are too busy, going to work, coming home, and it's nice to watch someone else's life.
A shy boy, he grew up in Islington, London, where his father was a painter. When he was six his mother took him and his brother Gary, two years older, to Anna Scher, who then ran acting classes on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon before opening her full-time school, which they also attended. It was wonderful. Acting school puts you one step ahead of other kids by giving you confidence for whatever you do. I haven't been shy since I was ten.