EastEnders legend on the Sussex stage in panto this Christmas
EastEnder Steve McFadden – known to millions as Phil Mitchell – played the villainous Fleshcreep at The Hawth in Crawley nine years ago, and this year he is back for more as Fleshcreep again.
Jack and the Beanstalk is at the venue from December 13-January 5.
“It does feel like nine years ago in some ways,” he says. “There has been a lot of water under the bridge in those nine years. I have got a little girl and she's eight now. But it is lovely to be back and I take it as a big compliment. I must have done something half decent when I was here last time! But my main memories are of the audience going absolutely ballistic and loving it, and the other thing I remember is the wardrobe lady’s mum used to make sausage rolls for all of us… and I am searching for her now!
“I was the baddie then, and I'm always playing the baddie. I don't know why. But he's not really a baddie. He just gets things wrong and I think you've got to understand the character and anyway it's more fun to play the baddie. I have only ever played a goodie once and that was really boring. Even I fell asleep!”
Steve goes back a long time in panto: “My first was 93. That's last century and I think I've done it most years since then or at least more than 50 per cent of the years. And really it's the perfect antidote to my day job. My day job is a great tragedy where there really aren’t many laughs and it's great to come and do panto and just to really let off steam in a big and bold way with a live audience. I love the comedy, and everybody is there to have a great time.
“And I think you bring your own audience to panto. I had a Somalian driver today and he wasn't aware of what panto was but he is now. We have both got five kids and he's going to be bringing along all his five children. I think panto is just a great constant, one of the great traditions that you go to with your family and your children.”
As for EastEnders, Steve goes back a remarkable 35 years: “And in some ways yes, it does feel like 35 years but then it just feels like five minutes in other ways especially when you think of what's happened over the years but I've been incredibly fortunate with the storylines. The main thing is that it's a real team effort and the writers created a great character. Really it has been my life's work. I signed up for three months with a three months option but they very quickly wanted me and Ross to carry on, and they kept coming up with great stories for the Mitchell brothers.”
Steve's character remains enduringly popular: “Bizarrely people like him. I sometimes wonder why. He does bad things but the thing is I totally commit to what he does. And if he does horrible things, he does really horrible things but I try to understand why he does it and I think that's important. It means you can empathise with him and I think the audience do too.
“And he's become so many different people. I think it's so important that you don't say ‘I'm not going to do this with the character and I'm not going to do that.’ I think it's so important that you are open to things, that you just always think ‘How can I do this?’ If you keep saying ‘I’m not going to do this or that’, then you limit your range. And the point is it's a big collaboration anyway. It is like being in a band. You've got to keep riffing. Someone might play the drums one day and you might play the electric guitar the next day. You just keep changing it but the point is that you all collaborate.”