A bit more on ex-Eastenders cast.
Patsy Palmer’s real name is Julie Harris, she comes from the Bethnal Green area, and used to work in my hubby’s uncles Video Rental shop in the 80’s, she was apparently lovely, but her mum was a horror, used to come in the shop and have full blown rows with Julie. Hubby’s uncle had to sack her in the end, and her mum owed money on a video she took out and never paid it!! Julie moved to an expensive estate called Repton Park, when she was in Eastenders, but now lives in Malibu, and funny enough- her on screen mother Lindsey Coulson (Carol Jackson) is married to Julie’s older brother!!
A few years ago, me and hubby were house hunting, and went to view a beautiful house in Great Easton. The house was empty- and looked like no one had lived in there for years. Anyway, even though it was everything we were looking for, I had this horrible sense of foreboding, like a feeling I couldn’t shake. I told my mum about the house, and after doing a bit of research, it turned out that the house had been owned by Mike Reid (Frank Butcher). And I had been right about my gut feeling, because, in 1986, Mike’s son, Mark, had accidentally shot his best friend in the garden, using one of Mike’s guns. And because Mark couldn’t get over what had happened, he set himself on fire, and died in 1990. We never bought the house.
Another thing about Mike Reid, was that he used to be Roger Moore’s stunt double in the Saint, but he got sacked after taking the piss out of Roger’s thinning hair!! Sid Owens used to be good friends with Nick Berry, and I used to see him all the time where I live. And, he brought out a cookbook, can’t remember its name, but it had loads of pictures of my local shops, and lots of pictures of Sid cooking at Nick Berry’s house. I think that Sid bought a French chateau, with the idea of turning it into a restaurant/hotel. Not sure what he’s doing now, as this was years ago.