Perry Fenwick almost turned down the role of Billy Mitchell on ‘EastEnders’.
The 55-year-old actor – who has played the clumsy plonker in the long-running soap since 1998 – has admitted he was in two minds about taking on the part when he was first offered it because he was initially told that it would only be for a few episodes.
Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Perry said: "I had a lot of mates that were in this show. Nick Berry [who played Simon ‘Wicksy’ Wicks] was my best mate at school, so I’d often visit him on the set and say to myself: ‘This is a nice touch.’ And to think I nearly turned the role of Billy down when they offered it to me! I found out that it was only for three episodes initially, and I thought this will probably shoot me in the foot if the opportunity for a longer job comes along. But Julia Crampsie – who is the casting director here – basically said to my agent:’Look, he’s going to play a Mitchell.’ "
And Perry was lucky because Steve McFadden – who plays his on-screen cousin Phil Mitchell – took him under his wing and taught him everything he needed to know.
He explained: "I was lucky in that I had a lot of stuff with Steve McFadden [Phil Mitchell] and he showed me the ropes. That made it easier for me to suss things out, but it’s a proper system now. You get cast on the show and two weeks later you’re filming it, and six weeks later you can’t walk down the road without being recognised."
Perry Fenwick almost turned down EastEnders role
