Post by RitaLittlewood on Feb 16, 2006 5:17:56 GMT
From the Mirror:
14 February 2006
21 YEARS OF EASTENDERS: I'D HAVE QUIT IF BILLY HAD STAYED NASTY
By Nicola Methven Tv Editor
HE is one of EastEnders' most popular characters. Occasionally clownish and a bit of a loser, he is also a born romantic with a kind nature and a big heart. Yet Billy Mitchell wasn't always such a nice guy.
When he first showed up in Albert Square, back in August 1999, Billy was a nasty piece of work. And if he hadn't mended his wicked ways it's doubtful that Perry Fenwick, who plays him, would still be in the soap.
Back before Billy came good, when he was a violent bully towards his young nephew Jamie (Jack Ryder), Perry would be harangued by strangers in the street. And it was all getting too much for the laid-back actor.
"I wouldn't have wanted to stay if Billy had been the way he was at the start," admits Perry, 43, who has just signed a new long-running contract with the show.
"I didn't want to be another Nick Cotton, an out and out baddie, because it leaves you nowhere to go. You need to be a rounded character to fit in with the others. Then you can be a bit naughty, funny sometimes, in love sometimes - it all opens out.
"I'm proud of the way he's changed. I didn't like doing that nasty stuff. I needed and wanted the job, but I knew what would come with it - you can't go anywhere on this show without people telling you what they think.
"In the beginning it was all old ladies having a go at me, and young girls who fancied Jack Ryder. Now it's great - people really like Billy and shout out: "All right, Billy boy, how's it going?"
One person who would have been delighted by this turn of events is Perry's late grandfather, Billy.
"My grandad wanted me to be named after him but my mum and dad were into Perry Como and Perry Mason," he explains.
"He even went as far as offering them some money, but it didn't work, I was called Perry.
"My grandad died in 1989 - I still get choked thinking about him. Now when I walk around, everyone calls me Billy, so he's had his own way really. Whatever I do now I think I'll be called Billy for the rest of my life."
In EastEnders, his character is preparing to become a father for the first time with his fiancee Honey Edwards (Emma Barton).
And in real-life starting a family is also on the cards for Perry, who celebrates his first wedding anniversary with former Coronation Street actress Angela Londsdale this week.
"I'd like a little mini-me - as long as he was better-looking and taller," he laughs.
"If I had a son I'd call him Billy, after my grandad. Even if we had a girl she could called Billie."
He even feels broody when he's working with his onscreen stepson, Freddie.
"When Billy went round to end his relationship with Little Mo, the director told me to ruffle Freddie's hair," says Perry.
"I said, 'See you later, mate', and he just, gave me such a look, as if to say 'Don't go!' It was heartbreaking, it really got to me."
In fact, Perry and Angela, who married after an eight-year courtship, can already hear the patter of tiny feet - they share their north London home with an 11-month-old black Labrador.
Perry may think he's a lot smarter than his onscreen alter-ego, but they both share a romantic streak. When he proposed to Angela, he wrote in pebbles on the beach: "I love you - will you marry me?"
He admits, "I'm a bit of an old romantic. I've made a few gestures in my time which are quite sweet. I like saying, 'This is my wife' - it feels good. Being married is lovely."
He is just as happy at work, too. But 18 months ago it was a different story. The whole cast felt miserable when ratings plummeted to an all-time low of 6.3 million, thanks to some shaky storylines.
"It hurt me, it really did," he sighs.
"It got to be a bit of sport to have a go at EastEnders and obviously that has a knock-on effect.
"You're coming into work, getting a cab, going into a pub and everyone's telling you that it's rubbish and having a pop at it. My dad's a welder but no one goes to him, 'That pipe's crap'. We were still working our nuts off."
He thinks the restructuring by returning boss John Yorke has put the show back on top, and as one of the longest-serving cast members he is in a good position to judge.
"It's mad when I realise that I'm one of the old-timers," says Perry. "I've seen a lot of people come and go over the years.
"I was offered four episodes and here I am, about 800 later. A lot of it was about coincidence and chance. Ross Kemp (Grant) said that he was leaving, and there was a gap in the Mitchell family, so they brought me back to do stuff towards his leaving. After that they offered me a year."
The turning point for Billy's popularity came when viewers learned his nasty streak was a result of him having been abused and bullied while growing up in a children's home.
Since then, Billie has had a fling with evil Janine, married and split up with Little Mo after she gave birth to a rapist's baby, and is now engaged to pregnant barmaid Honey.
"I've had some brilliant stories," says Perry.
"I just ask them to keep it light and shade.
I LOVE the comedy side of Billy but there's a sad side to him, too. He's like a little lost soul who is always beaten up and knocked down but he never gives up. He reminds me of Norman Wisdom."
Perry trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. Prior to EastEnders, he appeared in Inspector Morse, Bergerac and Minder. He originally wanted to be a footballer and had trials with Leyton Orient.
An avid West Ham fan he even has his own chant: "Billy is a Mitchell! Billy is a Mitchell!"
Refreshingly down to earth, you won't hear Perry moaning about the long hours he spends on set.
"I hate it when actors bang on about gruelling schedules," he says. "That's a lie. We do work long hours, but we're not digging a hole in the road. We don't get our hands dirty.
"I know that I've got a lot coming up in the next year and I'm looking forward to it. I'd go if I wasn't being tested as an actor, but I've been lucky and that's never happened.
"EastEnders has given me a lovely life, but in the same way that it has gone well it could all turn bad tomorrow.
"You never rest on your laurels - the moment you do, you've had it."
I didn't want to be an out and out baddie - it leaves you nowhere to go
MITCHELL'S BIRDS
JANINE BUTCHER
JANINE (Charlie Brooks) bedded Billy then dumped him because he was broke. By the time she decided she did like him after all, he only had eyes for Little Mo.
LITTLE MO
SHE was the love of Billy's life. But when Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth) was raped and became pregnant, Billy struggled to stand by her.
HONEY EDWARDS
BILLY can't believe his luck at finding someone as nice as Honey (Emma Barton), but when her dad turns up things aren't so sweet.
14 February 2006
21 YEARS OF EASTENDERS: I'D HAVE QUIT IF BILLY HAD STAYED NASTY
By Nicola Methven Tv Editor
HE is one of EastEnders' most popular characters. Occasionally clownish and a bit of a loser, he is also a born romantic with a kind nature and a big heart. Yet Billy Mitchell wasn't always such a nice guy.
When he first showed up in Albert Square, back in August 1999, Billy was a nasty piece of work. And if he hadn't mended his wicked ways it's doubtful that Perry Fenwick, who plays him, would still be in the soap.
Back before Billy came good, when he was a violent bully towards his young nephew Jamie (Jack Ryder), Perry would be harangued by strangers in the street. And it was all getting too much for the laid-back actor.
"I wouldn't have wanted to stay if Billy had been the way he was at the start," admits Perry, 43, who has just signed a new long-running contract with the show.
"I didn't want to be another Nick Cotton, an out and out baddie, because it leaves you nowhere to go. You need to be a rounded character to fit in with the others. Then you can be a bit naughty, funny sometimes, in love sometimes - it all opens out.
"I'm proud of the way he's changed. I didn't like doing that nasty stuff. I needed and wanted the job, but I knew what would come with it - you can't go anywhere on this show without people telling you what they think.
"In the beginning it was all old ladies having a go at me, and young girls who fancied Jack Ryder. Now it's great - people really like Billy and shout out: "All right, Billy boy, how's it going?"
One person who would have been delighted by this turn of events is Perry's late grandfather, Billy.
"My grandad wanted me to be named after him but my mum and dad were into Perry Como and Perry Mason," he explains.
"He even went as far as offering them some money, but it didn't work, I was called Perry.
"My grandad died in 1989 - I still get choked thinking about him. Now when I walk around, everyone calls me Billy, so he's had his own way really. Whatever I do now I think I'll be called Billy for the rest of my life."
In EastEnders, his character is preparing to become a father for the first time with his fiancee Honey Edwards (Emma Barton).
And in real-life starting a family is also on the cards for Perry, who celebrates his first wedding anniversary with former Coronation Street actress Angela Londsdale this week.
"I'd like a little mini-me - as long as he was better-looking and taller," he laughs.
"If I had a son I'd call him Billy, after my grandad. Even if we had a girl she could called Billie."
He even feels broody when he's working with his onscreen stepson, Freddie.
"When Billy went round to end his relationship with Little Mo, the director told me to ruffle Freddie's hair," says Perry.
"I said, 'See you later, mate', and he just, gave me such a look, as if to say 'Don't go!' It was heartbreaking, it really got to me."
In fact, Perry and Angela, who married after an eight-year courtship, can already hear the patter of tiny feet - they share their north London home with an 11-month-old black Labrador.
Perry may think he's a lot smarter than his onscreen alter-ego, but they both share a romantic streak. When he proposed to Angela, he wrote in pebbles on the beach: "I love you - will you marry me?"
He admits, "I'm a bit of an old romantic. I've made a few gestures in my time which are quite sweet. I like saying, 'This is my wife' - it feels good. Being married is lovely."
He is just as happy at work, too. But 18 months ago it was a different story. The whole cast felt miserable when ratings plummeted to an all-time low of 6.3 million, thanks to some shaky storylines.
"It hurt me, it really did," he sighs.
"It got to be a bit of sport to have a go at EastEnders and obviously that has a knock-on effect.
"You're coming into work, getting a cab, going into a pub and everyone's telling you that it's rubbish and having a pop at it. My dad's a welder but no one goes to him, 'That pipe's crap'. We were still working our nuts off."
He thinks the restructuring by returning boss John Yorke has put the show back on top, and as one of the longest-serving cast members he is in a good position to judge.
"It's mad when I realise that I'm one of the old-timers," says Perry. "I've seen a lot of people come and go over the years.
"I was offered four episodes and here I am, about 800 later. A lot of it was about coincidence and chance. Ross Kemp (Grant) said that he was leaving, and there was a gap in the Mitchell family, so they brought me back to do stuff towards his leaving. After that they offered me a year."
The turning point for Billy's popularity came when viewers learned his nasty streak was a result of him having been abused and bullied while growing up in a children's home.
Since then, Billie has had a fling with evil Janine, married and split up with Little Mo after she gave birth to a rapist's baby, and is now engaged to pregnant barmaid Honey.
"I've had some brilliant stories," says Perry.
"I just ask them to keep it light and shade.
I LOVE the comedy side of Billy but there's a sad side to him, too. He's like a little lost soul who is always beaten up and knocked down but he never gives up. He reminds me of Norman Wisdom."
Perry trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. Prior to EastEnders, he appeared in Inspector Morse, Bergerac and Minder. He originally wanted to be a footballer and had trials with Leyton Orient.
An avid West Ham fan he even has his own chant: "Billy is a Mitchell! Billy is a Mitchell!"
Refreshingly down to earth, you won't hear Perry moaning about the long hours he spends on set.
"I hate it when actors bang on about gruelling schedules," he says. "That's a lie. We do work long hours, but we're not digging a hole in the road. We don't get our hands dirty.
"I know that I've got a lot coming up in the next year and I'm looking forward to it. I'd go if I wasn't being tested as an actor, but I've been lucky and that's never happened.
"EastEnders has given me a lovely life, but in the same way that it has gone well it could all turn bad tomorrow.
"You never rest on your laurels - the moment you do, you've had it."
I didn't want to be an out and out baddie - it leaves you nowhere to go
MITCHELL'S BIRDS
JANINE BUTCHER
JANINE (Charlie Brooks) bedded Billy then dumped him because he was broke. By the time she decided she did like him after all, he only had eyes for Little Mo.
LITTLE MO
SHE was the love of Billy's life. But when Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth) was raped and became pregnant, Billy struggled to stand by her.
HONEY EDWARDS
BILLY can't believe his luck at finding someone as nice as Honey (Emma Barton), but when her dad turns up things aren't so sweet.