BILLY HITS ROCK BOTTOM

EastEnders star Perry Fenwick on why he couldn’t be happier that his character has lost everything – again

Luckless EastEnder Billy Mitchell finds himself at rock bottom once more this week – penniless, jobless, homeless, and living apart from his wife, Honey, and their two children. ‘It’s how it is with Billy – he came into the show with nothing, then he got it all, but lost it all; he got it again, and then lost it,’ says Perry Fenwick, who’s played the character for almost 20 years. ‘But it’s great for me, because when things go well for Billy viewers love it, and then when he hits the bottom they feel sorry for him, so I get to play different situations.’

Billy finds himself in his current predicament after what Per ry describes as a ‘moment of madness’ last November when he slept with Tina Carter. ‘Billy and Tina are appalled by what they did and have been wracked with guilt ever since,’ says Perry. Then Billy lost his job at the funeral parlour after getting involved with the heist by Aidan Maguire’s gang.

Billy’s confession to his wife about cheating on her and being fired left her devastated. Honey cut up all his clothes and kicked him out – now Billy finds himself with nowhere to live. ‘Billy’s paying a high price for his deception,’ says Perry. ‘But he’s not a bad person. He got caught up in ridiculous situations, and is in a mess, but his heart’s in the right place.

‘What he’s got to do now is convince Honey that he regrets what happened with Tina and that it won’t happen again. I hope he can because I love our family dynamic. Billy also knows his finances need sorting out.’

It’s another sorry chapter for Billy, who first appeared in the show in 1998. Perry has played him from day one, making him one of EastEnders’ longest-serving cast members – a notable achievement, not least because he wasn’t even intend-

ing to be an actor in his younger days. ‘I wanted to be a footballer but in 1974 Sylvia Young, the theatre school principal, ran drama classes in the local church hall for 50p, and my Mum took me along,’ says Perry, 55, who’s a real-life East Ender.

‘One lad there was Nick Berry, who went on to play Simon Wicks in EastEnders and became a mentor. He got a job touring in Oliver! and I thought I’d miss him so I auditioned and got a part in it too. That was when I got the acting bug.’

TV roles followed including

in Casualty, Inspector Morse and The Bill before he was asked to be in three episodes of EastEnders. ‘I was disappointed it was just three but I was skint and getting no other work,’ recalls Perry.

‘The casting director said, “Billy’s a Mitchell, they’re a big family, so make your mark and they’ll bring you back”. She was right; something clicked.’

Two decades on, Perry says, ‘EastEnders has given me a good life. I’m a lucky boy and as long as they still want me, I ain’t shifting.’