Peter Dean has admitted his ‘EastEnders’ departure "could’ve been" down to his infamous feud with Leslie Grantham – but he is now up for returning to the soap, despite his character being dead.
The 79-year-old actor played market trader Pete Beale on the BBC One soap from 1985 to 1993, but the legendary character was killed off off-screen later that year, and he has now admitted "there were a lot of politics" involved in his departure, which may have been connected to him clashing with his late co-star, who portrayed ‘Dirty’ Den Watts.
He said: "The producer called me in and said, ‘The writers can’t find anything for you to do.’
"So I said, ‘Well get rid of the writers.’ Life’s simple when it’s logical. But of course it was already set. ‘EastEnders’ is ‘EastEnders’. The real East End has changed."
When asked if his departure was "to do with" his and Leslie’s feud, he replied: "It could’ve been."
While Pete was killed off from the soap, Peter is keen to head back to Albert Square.
Quizzed on whether he would return to the show, he replied: "Yeah, I’m a jobbing actor, of course I would."
Peter insists he had a "good relationship" with Leslie – who died in June aged 71 – when they started out in EastEnders’ debut episode in February 1985, but they fell out and things "got a bit naughty".
The ‘Real Marigold Hotel’ star attempted to make amends in the last few years but couldn’t contact him because he didn’t have the correct address of Leslie’s agent.
When asked if he will ever reveal what the feud was about, he told the ‘Loose Women’ panel: "No. A lot of people know, but no.
"If anyone has ever had a row with someone make up now."
Peter recently admitted he felt "upset" about failing to make up with Leslie before he passed away.
Speaking recently about trying to make up with his former co-star, he said: "I feel doubly upset because, I know it’s well documented, we parted on, not bad terms, but I said something which I shouldn’t have done and we didn’t quite get on at the end of my time there.
"It was just something that happened on set and that was it, both stubborn."
Peter Dean: EastEnders departure ‘could’ve been’ down to Leslie Grantham feud
