Alan Fletcher believes working in soaps is "very daunting" because it’s such a fast-paced environment.
The 62-year-old actor has played Karl Kennedy in ‘Neighbours’ for the last 25 years, and he is quite happy to tell some of the newer cast members that it is "OK to feel overwhelmed" because he has been at times throughout his career.
He said: "This type of TV is very daunting, as it moves so fast.
"So the best advice to give any young actor is to remind them that it is OK to feel overwhelmed, we all do, but we have plenty of time, and you learn from getting things wrong.
"You create a relaxed environment."
Jackie Woodburne – who plays Karl’s long-suffering wife Susan Kennedy – added: "You can’t create anything with fear, so the most important thing is to make everybody feel safe, and take it from there."
But not all of the ‘Neighbours’ characters should be feeling safe ahead of the soap’s 35th anniversary.
Jackie has dropped a huge hint that there could well be a character death when the Channel 5 soap celebrates the milestone next year.
Speaking in a joint interview with Inside Soap magazine, she added: "We can’t really say too much.
"But suffice to say, we’re pulling out all the stops for the 35th. We have some huge stories, and we’re attempting things that we’ve never done before.
"The big question is, who will be left standing at the end? You should be excited. It’s going to be huge!"
Alan recently admitted he would relish the chance to star in a live ‘Neighbours’ episode as part of the 35th celebrations.
He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "If we did do a live episode of ‘Neighbours’ for the 35th it would be very cool and we would all love to be part of it, but it would be very scary.
"I’m just not quite sure what you get out of that, other than the audience thinking, ‘Go on, go wrong.’
"Even if it’s live it should just appear to be another episode."
Alan Fletcher: Soap work is ‘very daunting’
