John Partridge (Christian Clarke)

[Lennie]

Christian arrives in Walford after inviting Jane to his civil partnership ceremony. She's not keen on going, but Ian finds out and invites Christian and his partner for dinner.

John Partridge said of landing the role: "I'm delighted to be joining EastEnders and playing Christian. I think he's going to upset the apple cart at the Beales'."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/news...71120_n1.shtml

[Perdita]

I suppose he looks a bit like Jane but I am still not sure about this storyline.

[Lennie]

I am not too keen on Jane having a bro, i thought she was a only child

I just find this whole thing a bad idea

[Perdita]

I wonder who he will be trying to go off with!

[Lennie]

It says he's got a partner, so who knows

[Perdita]

Having a partner does not seem to stop people wanting to go off with somebody else in soapland though, does it?

[Perdita]

By Kris Green, Soaps Editor Digital Spy

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2...astenders.html


Syed and Christian's clandestine relationship continues to rumble on during next week's EastEnders but with Lucy Beale (Melissa Suffield) blackmailing the unassuming Masood, the pair panic that their relationship could be exposed at any time. However, only when Christian - played by 38-year-old John Partridge - rumbles Lucy's selfish scheme do the threats to expose their affair cease. How does Christian out Lucy as the underhand schemer? And does Christian really love Syed? We recently gave John a call to find out the answer to those questions and more.

Do you think Christian and Syed love each other?
"Yes, I do - I would say that, though! But yes, at this point in time I do think they fall in love with each other completely. I think Syed's lived so long compartmentalising his feelings and he's quite happy doing that but I think we've recently started to see that unravel with the massive confession that Syed made to the imam. I don't think he would ever have made that confession if he wasn't in love with Christian. It's the first time he's ever told anybody about his feelings outside the relationship and he chose to do this to his religious mentor.

"He could have carried on living the life he's been living but obviously the feelings are increasing and he doesn't know what to do with them. If that's not love, what is it? It's not lust - lust doesn't drive you to question your whole religious belief. Lust is something you can have and then wipe yourself down and walk away. This is far bigger than that."

How does the blackmail plot start to unravel next week...
"Syed's had the letter and the photographs and Christian's a bit blasé about it and says that the photograph's hardly incriminating - it's not showing them doing anything. He's been trying to pacify Syed, also he's so frightened that just when it looks like things might move on and there's a chance, the financial request from the blackmailer throws a spanner in the works. It's probably going to set Syed back emotionally so Christian's constantly trying to say, 'Don't worry about it - it's no big deal'."

What happens?
"Syed leaves £300 in a telephone box and Christian can't believe he's actually gone along and done it and that he didn't even see who [collected] the money. The blackmailer then decides he's going to write to Zainab as well to let her know. Syed manages to intercept this card, though. Masood then walks into the café with the post and Christian can't get the mail. Masood's really tired, though, falls asleep in the cafe and Christian manages to swipe the letter and give it to Syed. It doesn't mention anything, it just says, 'You're a bad, bad boy', again. Syed's definitely relieved it hasn't mentioned anything else. Christian then tells Syed that he needs to call the blackmailer but he's reluctant to. Christian sneakily manages to get Syed's telephone off him because he wants to confront the blackmailer himself.

"Christian calls this number just as Masood happens to be walking through the park and the phone is ringing in the bin, so Masood picks it up out of the bin and goes into the Vic. As they're in the pub, the phone rings again and this time it's Ian on the end who says that Lucy's been mugged."

How does Christian react to the news that Lucy's the blackmailer?
"Christian's mind is whirling. He really doesn't want to believe it's Lucy that's done this because Lucy's the only person who actually knows about Syed and Christian - what could she possibly be gaining from this? Christian goes to meet Lucy and he asks her, 'Why do you want to persecute the man I...' and stops just short of saying, 'the man I love'."

What's Lucy's reasoning?
"Lucy responds that she was doing it for Christian as she could see how unhappy he was and in her defence, I think she was initially doing it for him. I think it was done out of love but in the meantime, she thought she could make a quick £300 out of it. Christian absolutely reads her the riot act - he's disgusted with her and can't believe it.

"He goes back to Syed and says that it's been dealt with. Syed pushes and pushed him to tell him who it is - he's really ungrateful and rude about it - so Christian tells him it was Lucy. Syed leaves and puts the frighteners on her, too. On bonfire night, he goes after Lucy and lets her know in no uncertain terms that she has to keep her mouth shut..."

Apparently the big reveal's going to be huge - are you looking forward to it?
"I am so looking forward to it. It feels like Christmas Eve - all that anticipation! It's like I can't wait to wake up and open all my fabulous things! When you've worked on something and invested so much in something - we've all gotten so close in all of this as well. In some ways we can't wait for those episodes to start but we also know in some ways that it's like the end of an act of a play. It's a double-edged sword in a way. I don't want to big it up too much yet but the writing is so brilliant. Everything comes out - the blood and guts and tears and shouting. Everything you've wanted to be said will be said within these episodes, they are amazing.

"Me and Nina have some corking scenes coming up - absolutely blood-curdling scenes and I cannot wait to play them with her. I love Nina - she's brilliant, funny, comic - but when she turns she's like an absolute lioness. I cannot wait to stand in front of her and feel the wrath of it. That's what's going to happen - she's going to explode."

John Partridge on his storyline, Jane and Lynda Baron!

I recently caught up with EastEnders star John Partridge - who plays Walford's Christian Clarke - to chat about his ongoing gay screen storyline with wannabe property developer Syed Masood (Marc Elliot). We chatted about Christian's discovery that Lucy Beale (Melissa Suffield) is Syed's blackmailer.

But what were John's initial thoughts to the storyline? What's his take on Christian and Jane's relationship? And will we ever see Lynda Baron again as their mother Linda?

Read on to find out!

Were you initially cautious about the storyline?
"Originally, if I'm honest, no I wasn't. I wasn't bothered in the slightest because it's a television programme, not real life, we're actors and I look at things from that perspective. We did have a meeting - myself and the Masoods - with Diederick [Santer] and we spoke about this storyline at length. Marc [Elliott] was pretty much of the same philosophy as me: we thought it was a brilliant story and great for us to play and we were really looking forward to it. It was only when they started talking that Marc started thinking maybe there's going to be something from this.

"When the story broke, I was on holiday in Cyprus and initially Marc and I didn't want them to announce it before it first unfolded on screen. When Christian had a gay kiss about nine months before, we received [lots of] complaints. Because of that, they thought this would be an extremely contentious issue and wanted to release the story before it happened.

"There were all these headlines about 'the most controversial and shocking story ever' and I think because of that, people were expecting this over-the-top, gratuitous, sensationalist thing. However, it's been so cleverly conceived, written and directed, everybody involved has really taken the time to see where we are in this story and see how it's grown. It's about what you haven't seen rather than what you have seen, it's drawn people in with its tenderness.

"There's no 'shocking' element to put people off. In a way, it's something you wouldn't necessarily expect from EastEnders - you would expect to have seen a bit more!

"It is a gay storyline and that's not going to be everybody's cup of tea. Not everyone's going to want to see that in their living room at 7.30pm but we didn't want that to stop us doing the story. That's why it's been done the way it has and it's gained way more popularity because people have been able to see something tender and beautiful between two men that they haven't found offensive and that hasn't put them off. I'm so proud of everybody here for being clever enough to do that and it's been a great thing for the show."

How much do you enjoy Christian and Jane's relationship?
"It's one of those relationships where I don't need to tell her every single thing or be with her all the time but if something really goes wrong, he knows Jane would be there for him and likewise he's there for her. It's like my own relationship with my sister. In actual fact, Laurie and my real-life sister share the same birthday! Both Aries, born on the same day two years apart. We're actually more like brother and sister than anybody knows! I have a great working relationship and personal relationship with Laurie - I love her to death."

What's Christian's take on Jane's baby predicament?
"To be honest, he wants her to have a baby. You could say that's Christian's selfish trait but I think if you need something for your own personal happiness you must go for that. Jane wants a baby - that's what she wants and what will make her happy. In not having one, she'll probably settle but it's going to make her incredibly unhappy and that's something Christian can't understand. He lives his life thinking if that's what you want you've got to go for it and, in some ways, screw the consequences. People make that out to be selfish but if you need something for your own happiness you have to grab the opportunity. Christian would love nothing more for her than to have a baby no matter what the cost. He would encourage her to go for it."

When's Lynda Baron coming back as Christian and Jane's mum Linda?
"God, I don't know - how fabulous is she? She couldn't be more perfect - an old showgirl hoofer! When she was here it was hilarious. Me, Laurie and Lynda singing showtunes and highkicking - it was all eyes, t*ts and teeth down this corridor. I think the thing was I don't think Lynda ever wanted to stay very long. She was quite happy to come in for a little stint and go away. I don't think it's something where she ever thought she'd be here for a long time. I'd love her to come back and give Christian a good talking to - it's when he'll need his mum. She's an absolute legend."

[JustJodi]

I think John Partridge ROCKS !!!!!!!!!!!! He is probably one of the better actors on the show

[Dutchgirl]

I think John Partridge ROCKS !!!!!!!!!!!! He is probably one of the better actors on the show

He does a fine job portraying the character. The story is handled with subtlety. If you ever watched the Beautiful Line with Don Gilet ( Lucas) than you know it could be much more rawer. (Also a good series, but not for youngsters)

[Perdita]

EastEnders star John Partridge has revealed that he considered quitting acting before he landed his role on the soap.

Speaking on This Morning today, the 38-year-old admitted that he had grown tired of life as a jobbing actor before he was cast as Walford's Christian Clarke in 2007.

Partridge explained: "I was coming up to 36 and had been through a spate of about ten auditions where they were just like, 'Nope - next'. You're waiting for the phone to ring with not even a job offer - with the prospect of maybe getting an audition.

"At 36, having my whole self worth wrapped up in waiting for the phone to ring was becoming really, really difficult. That's the thing about this game - it's constant rejection."

He continued: "I did nearly pack it in. I had six months where I said to the agent, 'Don't call'. [He thought] I was just having a moment but I really didn't want to do it. With the call from EastEnders, I was like, 'I'm not going in, I'm never going to get it'.

"I trod off to the first audition and I read appallingly, really appallingly. But they saw something in me and called me back."

Partridge is currently appearing as a judge on BBC talent search Over The Rainbow.


I am glad he did not pack it in