EastEnders’ Perry Fenwick and Emma Barton on ‘terrifying’ live episode – and if it’s 4th time lucky for Billy & Honey
EASTENDERS stars Penny Fenwick and Emma Barton have revealed their thoughts on the terrifying live episode – and if it’s fourth time lucky for Billy and Honey.
When you talk about the legends that have walked the streets of Walford over the last 40 years, the likes of Barbara Windsor, June Brown and Adam Woodyatt may be among the first names on your list.
But an honourable mention to go to Perry Fenwick, who has played Billy Mitchell for 27 years, and Emma Barton, who we’ve all known as Honey for two decades.
And the pair are overjoyed not only to be The Sun’s TV Mag’s cover stars, but that their characters’ wedding day takes centre stage for a special week of drama.
Which culminates in a live episode on Thursday and the promise that not everyone will survive when The Queen Vic explodes.
“I was reading through the scripts for Christmas and it said: ‘Honey says: ‘We’ve got an announcement to make: we’re getting married. Save the date – 19th February.’
And I thought: ‘That rings a bell, that date,’” laughs Perry, 62.
“I phoned Emma and went: ‘You know when that is, don’t you? Our wedding is going to be the live episode!’ Then it was a bit terrifying.”
While Thursday’s episode brings Emma’s first-ever live EastEnders scenes, Perry carried the Olympic torch during the 2012 live episode – but he’s still nervous.
“It terrifies me,” he reveals. “Emma’s gone off and done theatre and Strictly Come Dancing, but I’ve been here 27 years, and I stopped doing theatre when I started this.
“That’s a long time to not do something live. I’ll definitely have a drink waiting in my dressing room afterwards.”
“We were both over the moon, though,” grins Emma, 47.
“And also we’re excited because we’ve wanted this, renewing our vows, getting married again, because we were so thrilled to be back together.
“Honey and Billy have to be together. It’s a must, it’s a given, and it’s just so, so nice.”
While Honey and Billy are often not centre stage in the big storylines (“They get caught in the crossfire of a lot of things, but it’s never their own doing,” says Perry), they have been very much part of the fabric of the show for over two decades.
“I said to Steve McFadden [Phil Mitchell] that we do need to get some older characters in, because there’s an audience who watch for that,” admits Perry.
When I walked through the doors and I saw them all, the enduring memory I have is that it felt like I had walked into an episode of Spitting Image.
Perry Fenwick
“And he went: ‘We are the old characters!’”
“I used to have a photo album with press clippings that I used to collect, and in a highlighter I used to put: ‘I love Ian Beale, I love Wicksy’ and I wanted to be Sharon – I was obsessed,” reveals Emma.
“And then, you know, you’re working on it. My first day was walking into the pub, and I went straight up to Phil and asked for an orange juice.
“And in that pub you had Peggy and Pauline, Pat and Dot, all these iconic actors that you’re just in awe of.
“I can still remember it like it was yesterday. It was amazing.”
“My first ever scene was in The Vic as well,” says Perry. “I had to come through the double doors and my first line was to Grant.
“I said: ‘Any chance of a decent pint in here or what?’ When I walked through the doors and I saw them all, the enduring memory I have is that it felt like I had walked into an episode of Spitting Image.
MEETING SHOW ICONS
“Because all those characters were like caricatures to me.
“From having watched the show, their mouths were opening and they were speaking to me… It’s a surreal feeling. We always feel for new people when they join.”
“To meet Wendy Richard [Pauline Fowler] and Barbara Windsor [Peggy Mitchell], I was so excited,” adds Emma.
“And you know what? They were so adorable to me, you could ask them anything, old stories, and they loved it; you could have a really good old gossip.”
As well as learning their craft from the legends, Perry and Emma also had a sharp lesson about hierarchy when they joined.
“We used to have two green rooms, and Wendy always had a specific seat,” explains Emma.
“When I first joined the show, I was once sitting next to lovely Laila Morse [Big Mo] chatting away, and Wendy gets back from holiday.
It's a 10 from Em
In 2019, Emma competed in the seventeenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, paired with professional Anton du Beke, reaching the grand final
Emma reached the final of Strictly with her pro partner Anton Du Beke – and she wants Perry to be the next EastEnder on the show.
“I’m trying to get him to do it, but he won’t,” she reveals. “Please let me tell them that you want to do it…”
“I’ve got a bad knee,” replies Perry with a grin. “When you go and see your mate up there, seeing a studio audience there, knowing that it’s going out live.
“I sat there and thought: ‘Whoa, I’m not worthy.’ I felt incredibly proud of Emma.”
She enters and just stands in the doorway, points at Mo, and goes: ‘Who’s that?’ And Mo goes: ‘She’s alright Wend, she’s one of us.’
“And I was absolutely fine. I literally was one of Wendy’s besties after that.”
“Someone would come into the green room and I’d let them sit in Wendy’s chair and be like: ‘Yeah, put your feet up,’ knowing that she would walk in at any moment and it would be: ‘Out you go!’” laughs Perry.
“But you know, you earned your spurs.”
there’s a little bit of carte blanche with Honey and Billy. We do work very hard to make our relationship in the show believable
Perry Fenwick
In its 40 years, characters such as Billy and Honey have always provided a bit of light relief in the drama, though Perry and Emma say they feel proud that their roles aren’t always out-and-out comedy.
“We’re quite lucky, because a lot of characters are seen one way, and they will not be written another way,” muses Perry.
“But there’s a little bit of carte blanche with Honey and Billy. We do work very hard to make our relationship in the show believable.
“And sometimes we play the funny stuff, which we both love, and then other times it’s heartbreaking.
“In one of our four weddings, I ended up being locked in a warehouse in Watford.
“I only had my West Ham boxer shorts on and had to make my way back to Walford.
“I was chased by a dog, done by the police for flashing, got locked in the bathroom… It was just pure comedy.
BEING TOTALLY IN SYNC
“We laugh a lot. There’s two types of scenes we do, we love playing comedy, and we’ve both got the same comic timing, we know how to ring that. She’ll make me laugh…”
“But you’ll make me cry,” interjects Emma.
“If we’ve got a serious scene, if one of us goes, we can make the other go. We’re absolutely in tune.”
And that also goes for their aligned work ethic.
“If we’ve got a big story, we treat it like our little film for a month or two, and everything goes out the door,” says Perry.
“This is what’s important, tell everybody. There’s no going out.”
“And we get excited, don’t we?” Emma asks. “What’s our saying when we feel we’ve done well?”
“Nailed it!” they both say in unison.
40TH ANNIVERSARY UPDATE
Whether Emma and Perry get the happy ever after they have always wanted for Honey and Billy depends entirely on who gets caught up in the immense blast in Albert Square this week.
They, of course, are sworn to secrecy on the details, but say we’re in for a treat.
“You will be thrilled,” teases Perry. “When they go for it on the show.
“You don’t even realise that you’re being reeled in, and that something happens over there, which leads to something , which means will never be the same again.
“It’s like Agatha Christie or Charles Dickens!”
For more interviews make sure and grab your copy of The Sun’s TV Magazine free with your weekend newspaper.
EastEnders airs Mon, Tues, Weds & live on Thurs 7.30pm BBC1