Kathy worries about Bobby
A MEMBER OF THE EASTENDERS MASSIVE FROM THE VERY START, GILLIAN TAYLFORTH RAISES A TOAST TO ALBERT SQUARE AS SHE LOOKS BACK AT 35 YEARS OF DRAMA – AND HINTS AT THE TREATS TO COME…
Eastenders is celebrating 35 years on our screens this week, and Kathy Beale was there on day dot. It’s an honour that she shares with her son Ian and eternal nemesis Sharon, who are both by Kathy’s side this week, as Walford marks the milestone with a week of unstoppable drama. And Gillian Taylforth – who has played the beloved queen of the caff in each of Eastenders’ three-and-a-half dramatic decades – is honoured to be paying homage to the legendary show on which she made her name…
“Doing the birthday episodes has been brilliant,” she beams, chatting to us after a busy morning on set. “I still get excited about these anniversaries – and there are some wonderful
plots going on. It’s going to be amazing for the fans out there to watch, it really is. I’m sure everyone will enjoy it!”
With Kathy embroiled in the fallout of her grandson Bobby’s troubles, before finding herself in a very unexpected situation with Sharon, Gillian’s been having a ball. The much-loved star has been a brilliant friend to Inside Soap over the years, so it’s always a treat to have a proper chinwag…
Hello again, Gillian! So as this massive week kicks off, Kathy’s right in the thick of her family, attempting to be the voice of reason for Ian – as usual…
Yeah, because whatever happens, he’s her son. She knows what he can be like, but she always tries to make things better for everybody. All she wants is the family all together. Happy families, that’s what Kathy’s about. It’s what she always aims for. Nothing fazes her, and I love that – but if anything hurts her children, that’s when she goes!
Do you particularly enjoy that aspect of Kathy’s character?
She loves being with her family, and so do I. I love it when I’m with my children [Gillian is mum to daughter Jessica, 28, and 20-year-old Harrison] and my sisters, we’re very close-knit. So when I’m doing the scenes with Ian and Bobby and Ben, I can feel that in me. I do love that side of things.
You’ve most recently had Clay Milner Russell, who plays Bobby, arriving, and Dayle Hudson, who’s joined as Peter – do you ever offer the youngsters advice?
Working with the younger actors is just fantastic. I just say to them, “We’re a good lot here and you’ll be fine with us”. On Dayle’s first day I told him, “There’s a lovely bunch of people here and you won’t have to worry about anything”. We’re very blessed with our cast, I think. Everyone’s very helpful and looking out for one another. It’s lovely.
And there’s Max Bowden, who’s going great guns playing Kathy’s son Ben, now…
I’ve got to know Max really well – we’ve had some wonderful stuff to do together. It can’t be easy, stepping into somebody else’s shoes. But he’s
I love the younger actors – they’re fantastic!
settled into it now. He was up for Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards recently and he’s doing fantastically well, bless his heart.
How do you think joining a show like Eastenders now compares with starting on it back in 1985?
Ooh, well… It was all so new when I started. And now it’s so wellestablished, and people are coming into this big show – it must be a bit daunting. However, there’s a lot of us in the cast, and working with different people helps to ease you in.
And, of course, there was no social media back then…
Of course. You have to be so aware of all that now. I don’t do Facebook, Twitter or anything – and I’m glad I don’t!
Can you still remember that feeling of realising somebody’s recognised you out and about?
Early on, we did this public appearance at a shopping centre in Croydon – there was Tom Watts [Lofty Holloway], Anita Dobson [Angie Watts], myself, Sue Tully [Michelle Fowler], Tish [Letitia Dean, aka Sharon]… And they had the place cordoned off, with police to control the crowds. I couldn’t believe it – my mouth just dropped! That was the first time I realised what it was all about.
For the previous big Eastenders anniversary five years ago, you had quite a major role – it was a live episode, and Kathy came back from the dead. Are you pleased the pressure’s off a bit this time?
Yes, definitely! That was quite a tough one because it was such a big secret – and I was incredibly nervous. My heart was racing, I can’t tell you!
Kathy still has a very important role this time around, though – she’s not on the boat, but back on Albert Square. And so is Sharon…
Well, I can’t say too much otherwise I’ll be giving the game away. But yes, Kathy’s with Sharon for a little while and she helps her out…
You and Tish have worked together for a long time – was it nice to work closely on these particular scenes?
It was great. We both said we couldn’t think of anybody better to do them with. And we had a lot of laughs – we had to get most of them out of the way first so we could keep the scene going. But
Tish is a fantastic actress – she was brilliant.
There’s a nice irony to the situation, with these two characters who have been at loggerheads for so long. Do you think Kathy and Sharon could be friends one day?
I hope so. They do share a nice moment. Remember, Kathy was best mates with Sharon’s mum, Angie, so I think it would be nice – even after Sharongate, and all that – if they could start afresh and become mates. They’d have some great nights out, wouldn’t they?
Kathy doesn’t want Ben going the same way as his father
And what about Phil and Kathy? There’s been a lot of water under the bridge for them…
Well, they row over Ben because Kathy doesn’t want him going the same way as his father. And, of course, Kathy moved in with Phil recently – she’s cleaning all the time, and getting right on his nerves. I really enjoy getting on his nerves, it’s the least Phil deserves! And I love doing those scenes with Steve [Mcfadden, who plays Phil].
Kathy does deserve a decent man in her life, doesn’t she?
Yeah. I’d love them to bring back David Essex [who played Eddie Moon in 2011]. I’d be in seventh heaven if they did! Knowing Kathy’s luck, though, Eddie would go off with Sharon!