EXCLUSIVE: EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison has opened up about how the BBC cast can sense they are next for the chopping block as the soap continues to make cuts
A former EastEnders star has revealed the key signs that cast members pick up on before they’re axed.
The actress, 60, spoke exclusively to Daily Star in collaboration with https://www.casino.org/uk/ about her role as Heather Trott on the BBC soap which has just celebrated it’s 40th anniversary. Cheryl played Shirley Carter’s best pal Heather from 2007- 2012 before she got the boot, with her character being killed off by Phil Mitchell’s son Ben.
Now, she has shared how she predicted her exit after spotting some signs from above and told us: “I had a feeling it might be coming. We’d usually go up and see the producers to discuss our storylines, and back when I was there, we’d always joke that either you’re going up to talk about your storyline, or you’re part of the culling.
“You never really talked about it with others, but you had a sense of what was going on. You’d sit down during the week to find out what was happening with your character in the months ahead.
“But that particular week, as Friday approached, I hadn’t had a meeting, and neither had Linda [Henry, who plays Shirley]. By the end of the day, I started to think either Heather was going to get baby number two, or something bad was going to happen.”
She continued: “At the time, Brian Kirkwood was the producer, and when I walked in, he looked visibly upset. I had an inkling of what was coming.
“He asked me to sit down, and I knew straight away it wasn’t going to be anything exciting. He explained that the higher-ups—the Powers That Be—had decided they wanted to explore Shirley dealing with grief, which meant Heather was going to die.”
As rating continue to fall across the soap board, Cheryl shared her advice to bosses to bring in the figures once again. Cheryl shared: “I think they need to bring it back to reality. Soaps are meant to be an everyday drama, and they don’t need to rely on constant explosions or over-the-top storylines to compete with films or mini-series. Real life isn’t like that. Bringing it back to the real world could help.”
“I think we all worry about the future of soaps. It’s such an institution, and I truly believe it’ll stick around. With the money EastEnders has spent on the new set, I can imagine they’ll want to get their money’s worth out of that.
“With AI and everything else going on, actors are understandably concerned about their futures. But we just need to campaign to keep it going… I genuinely hope soaps continue forever, and who knows, one day I’d love to be in another one myself.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
