In the mid-80s and beyond whether you were watching EastEnders or Top Of The Pops, the chances are you would’ve encountered a lot of the same faces in both programmes
There was a period in the mid to late 80s when you couldn’t walk for soap stars trying their hand at carving out a pop career.
One minute they’d be caught in the middle of a love triangle in Albert Square, the next Bruno Brookes would be introducing their latest single on Top of the Pops. When we think of actors who made the transition to chasing chart glory, it’s hard not to think of the success stories from Down Under, like Kylie.
And in our very own EastEnders, some of the cast members decided they too should pick up a mic and belt out a tune.
It made perfect sense as to why so many were given the opportunity to give it a bash by record execs.
They didn’t need to pump thousands of pounds into a marketing campaign to raise the profile of this new singer, as these individuals were already watched by millions twice a week. Three times, if you include the omnibus.
And while some did go on to have a modicum of success, others mercifully dropped the mic not long after they picked it up.
So, for your aural pleasure, the Daily Star has gathered some of the highlights and lowlights of the folk that strayed from E12 to TOTP.
Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson was one of the most familiar faces in the UK when she decided she’d have a crack at crooning. Known up and down the country as Angie Watts, she didn’t stray too far from the series that put her on the map, by singing a lyrical version of its theme music.
The track was even produced by her future husband, Queen guitarist, Brian May. But for all her fame, competition to be a chart topper was tough, and she only made it to No. 4, with her follow up single, Talking of Love, only reached No. 43. Final review – Turn it in. A nice try, which I still catch myself singing the first line of, but leave the music to hubby.
Michelle Gayle
Michelle Gayle’s transition from soap star to singing sensation was so great that her new career actually bettered her time in Albert Square as Hattie Tavernier. Gayle signed with RCA Records, and scored seven Top 40 hits during the 90s, including her first single Looking Up and the No. 4 follow-up, Sweetness.
She also had two hit albums, and her time working for Ian Beale was a distant memory. Musically things didn’t work out so well after she signed for EMI in 1997, leaving the label before her album was even released. She worked in a musical, was a contestant on ITV’s reality-television show Reborn in the USA, coming second. And had a bash at trying to represent the UK at Eurovision in 2008, losing out to Andy Abraham, who came last in the finals. For this, and many of her efforts though, Turn it up.
Sid Owen
Long after most of his fellow castmates had thought better of it, in 2000, Owen put out a cod-reggae version of the 1982 Sugar Minott hit Good Thing Going on Australian label Mushroom Records.
Perhaps due to the label’s strong ties with the Minogue sisters and Peter Andre, it felt like they were trying to emulate a similar vibe with Ricky, sorry, Owen. Apart from putting on a different shirt, and featuring in a sun-kissed beach and splashing about in the water, it’s very hard for listeners and viewers to see past Owen’s alter ego.
The single reached No. 14, but a recorded follow-up never saw the light of day. He was back in Walford by 2002. Rating-wise, to quote his screen dad, Frank Butcher, Turn it in, son.
Martine McCutcheon
Prior to landing her role on the soap, Martine McCutcheon, aka Tiffany Mitchell, had previous in the pop-world. Albeit brief and unspectacular. However, after her character was run over by Frank Butcher at the end of 1998, the planets realigned and McCutcheon was able to take another crack at it.
Her first hit, Perfect Moment, was a hugely successful kicking off point, topping the charts in 1999. However, that “moment” was almost just that, and the follow up never quite matched the start.
She did, however, have four other Top 10 singles in the next two years before going on to appear in Richard Curtis’s Love Actually and the West End play My Fair Lady. For this one Perfect Moment though, Turn it up
Nick Berry
In my mind this is where all this tomfoolery of soaps stars singing all started. Nick Berry, who played Simon ‘”Wicksy” Wicks in his first major telly role, has a lot to answer for. One minute he was sat at the piano in the Queen Vic singing Every Loser Wins, the next he was on Top Of The Pops doing it.
Had it all fizzled out with a whimper, it might not have had the domino effect it did. But instead it reached the top spot and stayed there for three weeks. He even briefly skipped out of Walford to tour and record an album, but that only made it to No. 99. Many other tried, but did quite match up to the Wicksy magic. Review – Turn it up, for a large slab of 80s cheese.
John Altman
From the off Nick Cotton was a wrong ‘un. Killing Reg Cox in the first episode. Then when he wasn’t murdering, he was ripping off his dear old ma, Dot. And she forgave him. Time and time again. And why not? She was a very forgiving woman, God rest her soul.
One thing she wouldn’t forgive him for, however, is releasing this video. I appreciate the sentiment behind his song, Looking For The Love Of My Life, as in 2020 the then 68-year-old John Altman was indeed looking for love. Hopefully, in 2025, aged 72, he’s found the wife he was singing about in the winter wonderland. But, if he’s still looking, Turn it in, and maybe join a dating site.
Letitia Dean and Paul Medford
In 1986 this duo were so hyped they even made it into my copy of Look In, I have it in the attic somewhere. Hot on the heels of Wicksy’s whimsical piano storyline were The Banned, featuring Sharon Watts and Kelvin Carpenter, who then – in a moment which broke the soap’s fourth wall – released the single Something Outa Nothing (correct spelling) in October 1986 under their professional names, Letitia Dean and Paul Medford.
Accompanied by a video which featured the pair in matching leopard print finery, the musical monstrosity maxed out at No. 12 in the charts in the same year. Review: Turn it in, obviously.
Tom Watt
Tom Watt, who played Lofty, made a dash for the recording studio quite early on in the life of EastEnders. But the soap was riding high, and so was he as the put-upon bartender Lofty Holloway, the wannabe suitor of young mum Michelle Fowler.
So he was quite right to feel vindicated for his decision making in 1985. However, what he chose to record, and the style in which it was delivered, leaves a lot to be desired. Watt elected to do an 80s stylized cover of Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues. Despite raising the credibility of his independent effort, it only reached No. 67 in the charts. Review: Turn it in, but don’t listen to me, see what you think.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
