Tony Clay felt like he’d "arrived" on ‘EastEnders’ when he heard Patsy Palmer was returning to the soap.
The Albert Square actor’s alter-ego Callum ‘Halfway’ Highway is set for a dramatic Walford wedding to Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) next week, for which Patsy will reprise her role as Bianca Jackson, and he has teased fans to look forward to a suspense-filled week of episodes.
He said: "It’s an ‘EastEnders’ wedding, there’s going to be lots of drama, lots of suspense, we’ve got Patsy coming back, which is brilliant.
"That’s when you feel like, ‘I’ve arrived now.’ She’s lovely, the episodes are just great."
Tony’s latest plot has seen Halfway develop romantic feelings for Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), despite being engaged to Whitney, and the actor admits he felt a big "responsibility" to give the storyline justice.
When asked if she felt pressure to play the plot the right way, he replied: "Massively, yeah, and a responsibility as well.
"When you’re given a storyline like that you want to handle it with care and you want to represent people in the right way."
Tony is also pleased he gets on so well with Max, admitting the pair have a "lovely chemistry" together.
Speaking on ‘Lorraine’, he added: "It was long days, you’re working with each other quite a bit. You’re on top of each other.
"If you don’t get on that could jar things, but we really do and I love working with Max.
"He’s such a talented actor and a giving actor. It’s really nice, there’s a lovely chemistry there."
But he previously worried he "might not get on with" the 24-year-old actor.
Tony said: "With Max, there’s always going to be this worry at the start that you might not get on with the other person, but me and him have a great relationship.
"We have a lovely chemistry and, although we make each other laugh a lot, there’s always a level of professionalism there when we have big, intense scenes."
Tony Clay feels he’s ‘arrived’ on EastEnders following Patsy Palmer return
