EastEnders is popular by inmates locked up behind bars.
The BBC One soap has been running for almost four decades and jailbirds often write to their favourite stars from the show.
Harry Reid, who played Ben Mitchell from 2014 until 2018 before being replaced by Max Bowden has opened up about the messages he received while appearing in Walford.
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Harry told Lee Salisbury on the Soap From The Box podcast: “The amount of people that reached out during the show was incredible. So many boys from prison, the amount of times I got a letter with HMP stamped on the front. It was incredible. It’s popular in prison. Fan mail is stacked up. Everyone’s tray is stacked up all the time.”
(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron)
Harry also opened up about his first on-screen gay kiss. During his stint as Ben, TV bosses explored the characters sexuality and he ended up meeting Johnny Carter (Sam Strike) before embarking into a same-sex relationship with Paul Coker, played by Jonny Labey. The actor said: “All my mates from home will tell you this but i’m very comfortable with everything. I am straight but I did have a moment with it. We did the scene and it was the ‘duff-duff’ as well.
(Image: instagram/@harryreidactor)
“For people listening, for any ‘duff-duff’ you have to hold it for 15 seconds so we’re having to snog away. I never kissed Sam so Jonny was my first kiss on-screen and I remember doing the kiss and the director said ‘cut’ and we pulled away and the geezer inside of me and I ended dup patting him on the chest and went ‘good one, Bruv’.
(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron)
“It was ridiculous and I looked a right d**khead and I remember saying to Jonny, because me and Jonny became really good friends and still talk now, and I said to him ‘I’m sorry I felt a bit macho afterwards I just didn’t know what to do, mate. It was such a weird position and it was my first time. What I can say is that it never happened afterwards and I never had that feeling again afterwards.”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One at 7.30pm
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
