One of EastEnders ‘ most beloved actors has accused the BBC of racism after being snubbed.
Rudolph Walker is best known to audiences as Patrick Trueman, the gentle giant of Albert Square. However, in a recent confession, he admitted that while he loves his job, there was a time bosses at the show left him seething.
Veteran actor Rudolph was not happy when the show celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2005. To commemorate the show, a special book on the soap was released, but Rudolph’s character Patrick – who had been on the show for years, was seemingly left out.
READ MORE: EastEnders’ Chris Clenshaw quits BBC soap as replacement unveiled: ‘I made a tough decision’
Click for more brilliant Daily Star showbiz stories
When the book was eventually published for audiences across the country and the world, Rudolph said he was livid as the book barely included any of the show’s characters of colour. The shock reveal came as Rudolph penned his own autobiography, Walking with Dignity.
(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
In his memoir, the star had been told about his omission from the book by an “angry” colleague at the channel, which left him fuming. According to his account, other co-stars were not happy he was not included, with Adam Woodyatt and Shane Richie – known to many as Ian Beale and Alfie Moore – saying it should have been “withdrawn and reprinted”.
Wanting answers, Rudolph took his gripes to showrunner John Yorke. He penned: “I had to have a meeting with him to express my total disgust at the way they conducted their printing/publicity/PR business.”
At the time, Rudolph’s character Patrick was more of a supporting character as he was grappling with a prominent storyline. As a result, BBC bosses said that those characters who had ongoing storylines were being covered in the book.
(Image: BBC)
This only incensed the actor even further, as a new family – the Millers – had only just arrived in the Square, and had a whole section dedicated to the family, including the dog. His on-screen sons Paul and Anthony were featured on the cover, but appeared very little elsewhere in the book.
“By the end of 2004, I had appeared in 300 episodes over three years and in 2004 had eight ‘doof doofs’,” he explained. “The absence in the book of one of the first black families in the Square — despite their small photos, there were scant references inside to Gary Beale and Nick Bailey either — caused many eyebrows to be raised and questions asked; my picture was nowhere to be found.”
Rudolph went on to patch up his differences with the BBC, who blamed the editors for the cutting of the black stars. Since then, he has stayed on the soap and is currently enjoying 23 years of dedication to Walford.
(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)
Since then, Rudolph has praised bosses for being able to add “characters from diverse ethnic backgrounds”. He also lauded the casting of Colin Salmon as the Queen Vic’s new landlord George Knight, which in his view “wouldn’t have been entertained a few years ago”.
For more of the latest showbiz and TV news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up for one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
