Celebrities

Meanwhile, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) returns to Walford – but when an unwell Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) reveals too much, how will the pair cope?

Tales of pig midwifery and posh frocks, harvesting in a quagmire and disastrous am-drams became comedy legend. Respectable early ratings soon doubled, a Christmas episode drew 21 million and is still shown annually, the swansong was recorded in front of the Queen – and the show made stars of its core quartet.

Elsewhere, Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews) causes drama when young Bertie Osbourne (Rufus Morgan-Smith) ends up at risk.

Since I’m often traveling and touring, I mostly watch most things on my laptop. However, when I’m at home, I simply relish staying at home.

He was a Brummie gangster in Peaky Blinders, a Scouse boxer in A Prayer Before Dawn (for which he won a British Independent Film Award) and a heroic former Met cop in Nightsleeper.

Reinventing (or regenerating) something for an entirely new generation was a risk as there were many fans of the original show who would have strong opinions. And they did. But I sat down with an excited eight-year-old to watch and it was electrifying.