Perdita
09-02-2010, 15:40
After nearly 25 years playing Tracey The Barmaid, EastEnders star Jane Slaughter celebrates being one of the only two original cast members still with the programme. An icon in her own right, Jane has become a staple in The Vic diet - no scene would be complete without The Silent Assassins arm folding, glares across the bar or one-liners to The Mitchells. A strong-minded loyal character, Tracey came into her own in August 2008 when she broke her silence and launched into a monologue opposite Sean Slater about the Mitchells being "stark raving mad", before going on to explain how The Vic itself is "cursed". In a rare interview, Digital Spy chats to Jane about her two-and-a-half decades on the soap.
It's brilliant to hear you speak...
"I'd better get it in now - Tracey may not speak very much but I never draw breath!"
We hear you're a fan of Digital Spy...
"I'm so pleased - I want to thank everybody at Digital Spy and everybody who participates on the forums. People told me about it so I went on and looked and everybody has been such a champion and it really touches me. I'm just grateful that I've been given the chance to say how touched and pleased I am that so many people care so deeply about [Tracey]. I mean it - I'm very, very, very flattered!"
You've been in the show since day one and have become an icon in your own right. How does that feel?
"I'm just blown away really. I've been there for so long and I love it so much, the programme - I've got so much respect for it - and the fact that people regard me in that high esteem. I'm very flattered and moved by it. It sounds like I'm being over the top but I am [moved] that people care."
Did you think 25 years ago when you auditioned that you would still be in the show now?
"I was aware that they were hoping it would run and run. I was just delighted to be working with Julia [Smith] again and I'm very pleased that - even at that young age - I'd had a couple of good jobs a year. I recognised that EastEnders could run and be something very exciting. I never dreamed [that it would last] 25 years but I certainly knew it was special."
What's been your most memorable scene?
"For me as a character, it has to be Tracey speaking to Sean Slater. It was hysterical. For someone who never says anything, she suddenly had an opinion about everything, which I just loved. It was written by Christopher Reason and done so well. To get someone who only occasionally says things like 'out the back' and make what she says make sense - he did a fantastic job. That was very memorable because everyone was so supportive, including Barbara."
We learned quite a bit about Tracey in her monologue...
"I think that's why it was handled so well. What Christopher had done was echoed everything that everyone was saying to me in the street, which is fantastic. I love the fact that someone listened because it's the people in the street that watch."
Why do you think EastEnders has been so successful?
"I think it's incredible, the issues they tackle. I think they tackle them so brilliantly and with such respect. They do a fantastic job of addressing many issues that help young people, old people - everyone across the board. It's phenomenal. In terms of actually watching and seeing scenes, I've been lucky being in The Vic. I've seen so many good ones - with the Mitchells, with Phil, with Peggy - I've been very, very lucky to see so many, that it's nigh on impossible to single any out. They've all involved different people - I could go on and on and on!"
Do you think Tracey knows who killed Archie? Was she in The Vic that night?
"Tracey had actually walked out! I burned their Christmas dinner and walked out because Janine was being a pig."
Do you think that Tracey could have killed Archie?
"I wouldn't think she's that dark but who knows - she could be. I've heard there are odds at the bookies to be had for her but why? Why would she have killed him? Because he's threatening The Vic? Is it The Vic she protects or the family?"
Who would you like it to have been?
"I think they all make sense and that's the brilliant part. Any one of those characters has got a legitimate reason - well, as much as you can have to kill someone. I can see why Phil would have done it, why Peggy would have done it. And I can certainly see why Ronnie - I suppose the anguish and the most hurt and the most disgraceful behaviour would be to Ronnie. I would have to say Ronnie because she's been put through absolute hell by her father."
What was your reaction when you heard that Barbara was leaving?
"Very sad because I shall miss her. She looked out for me. On the day I had the scenes with Rob Kazinsky, she was running my lines with me. She's an icon - very professional and a lovely lady. I shall miss her very much. Having said that, it's her decision [to leave]. She works so hard and has a lot of storylines to carry, so I respect her decision. I think she'll leave a very big hole, although I have confidence in the programme [to go on beyond her exit]. She'll be missed from the second she leaves the building."
How long can you see yourself staying with the show?
"As long as they want me - and as long as I'm happy - which I am. I know it sounds really cliché but I love my work, I love going there and I love being part of the production. The day that I don't is the day that I'll probably go. Unless they want me gone before that!"
Loads more from 'EastEnders' Tracey The Barmaid
EastEnders fans will recognise Jane Slaughter as Queen Vic barmaid Tracey. With no surname, she's more commonly known on the streets of Walford as The Silent Assassin - a woman of very few words, who only speaks when spoken to.
Despite Wikipedia's claim, Jane's been with EastEnders since the very first episode (she was the woman on the flower stall) and has been in a crazy number of instalments since - so many that she's actually lost count.
Last week, I was given the opportunity to catch up with Jane to chat about her 25 years on the show. And unlike Tracey, Jane could give Jean Slater a run for her money.
Click here to read the main part of the interview, or read on for more bonus cuttings!
Do you know how many episodes you've been in up to the anniversary?
"I'd love to know. Apart from when I had time off to have my children, apart from a holiday, pretty much every week I've been on one or two or three or four - I don't know how many. I have two sons and I had them after the programme [started] - it's really strange that EastEnders existed before they did! They're 21 and 17 now!"
What do they think of their mum's role?
"I think proud, it would be fair to say. My son was telling me the other day there's a [Facebook group] that says 'Let Tracey Speak' with 47,000 members. It just blows my head. I said, 'Oh, Ollie - I think you mean 4,700' and he went, 'No mum, forty seven thousand!' It makes me go a bit 'Woah!'"
What's been your favourite moment as a viewer?
"Very early on I was so surprised that it was so gritty - that's what sticks in my mind of the early years, not particular scenes. I'd worked on period dramas and I'd actually worked with Julia Smith as a child in all those Sunday afternoon series. Suddenly to be with working with her on something EastEnders was like nothing else on earth I'd ever worked on or been near. It was amazingly real and - that's what struck me. I'd never seen anything like it."
You're one of the people who've probably seen the most key scenes out of the entire cast...
"Yes, because she's always there whereas other cast members such as Adam [Woodyatt] - who's been there as long as I have - wouldn't necessarily have a storyline that puts him in The Vic at all."
What do we know about Tracey at the moment then?
"We know she's married - that came out when Phil was absolutely vile to her and said 'What are you going to do? Get your old man on me?' Even when I read it I though 'Ooh, hello!' I knew there was one husband years ago - that was mentioned by Sharon - but since, there's been little red herrings along the way. She apparently slept with Dennis Rickman and you think, hang on a minute - what's she been up to?!"
She's got this family hidden away - do you think we'll ever meet anybody else?
"Good lord - you know I don't know. I would never say never because anything's possible there. They seem to be able to weave all sorts of things in. Whether there would be a demand for it or enough interest I don't know."
Apparently you've never had a character biog?
"No - that's what's so lovely and so clever. She's this loyal but strong, opinionated woman. They've done that and they've suggested that she's married and they just do enough to keep people interested and wanting to know a bit more. Whether they will ever develop her character [I don't know] - equally, I think it would be wrong to suddenly make her into this talkative, all-singing, all-dancing person with a fully-fledged family and surname - it wouldn't make sense. That's why it's been done so well."
Maybe that's something Bryan Kirkwood will do when he takes over?
"I would just be happy if he knows the character and likes the character and thinks he could use her. I think there is potential to use her but like I said, not in a ridiculously nonsensical way, but I think it's also down to the public. It sounds like I'm deferring my opinion but I'm not, I think the public actually would like to know. "
What storyline could you see her involved in - maybe being told a secret?
"Yes - and is witness to things and the viewers knowing the she knows. I think an intrigue would be very plausible for her."
How do you feel when you look through a script and you find a line?
"I get very excited! It's always interesting as well. Even when it's just 'Oh, out the back', or 'I don't know'. I still get an incredible buzz."
Do you bribe Christopher Reason for lines?
"[Laughs] No - I've never met him! I always imagine that, like me, he walks about in life and hears people talking about EastEnders - and that's great, that's how it should be. If people are watching and they think 'Oh, it'd be nice to see her' I think that's such a good way to do it. Maybe sometimes he's sat there and thought, 'You know what? I'd like to know a bit more about her!'"
Do you watch EastEnders?
"Yes - life interferes obviously. Travelling back from work is normally the main reason so I try and catch up at the ten o'clock. I love watching the stunts. I will always watch those because when you're filming those table-turning, glass-smashing scenes you don't really see how the end product is going to be."
Has Tracey ever had a 'duff duff'?
"No. Would that be a little far fetched? I don't know. I think at the moment it might be a bit lame!"
Which characters would you like to see come back?
"That's a difficult one. There's so many that I would really like to see. [I'd have to say] Ange. I loved that character. I think that character was incredible. I'd just love to step back in time for a little while! If I could revisit those first few years with Wendy and Bill Treacher just to remind myself of those. So many characters have gone - Alan Wickes, Lofty!"
It's brilliant to hear you speak...
"I'd better get it in now - Tracey may not speak very much but I never draw breath!"
We hear you're a fan of Digital Spy...
"I'm so pleased - I want to thank everybody at Digital Spy and everybody who participates on the forums. People told me about it so I went on and looked and everybody has been such a champion and it really touches me. I'm just grateful that I've been given the chance to say how touched and pleased I am that so many people care so deeply about [Tracey]. I mean it - I'm very, very, very flattered!"
You've been in the show since day one and have become an icon in your own right. How does that feel?
"I'm just blown away really. I've been there for so long and I love it so much, the programme - I've got so much respect for it - and the fact that people regard me in that high esteem. I'm very flattered and moved by it. It sounds like I'm being over the top but I am [moved] that people care."
Did you think 25 years ago when you auditioned that you would still be in the show now?
"I was aware that they were hoping it would run and run. I was just delighted to be working with Julia [Smith] again and I'm very pleased that - even at that young age - I'd had a couple of good jobs a year. I recognised that EastEnders could run and be something very exciting. I never dreamed [that it would last] 25 years but I certainly knew it was special."
What's been your most memorable scene?
"For me as a character, it has to be Tracey speaking to Sean Slater. It was hysterical. For someone who never says anything, she suddenly had an opinion about everything, which I just loved. It was written by Christopher Reason and done so well. To get someone who only occasionally says things like 'out the back' and make what she says make sense - he did a fantastic job. That was very memorable because everyone was so supportive, including Barbara."
We learned quite a bit about Tracey in her monologue...
"I think that's why it was handled so well. What Christopher had done was echoed everything that everyone was saying to me in the street, which is fantastic. I love the fact that someone listened because it's the people in the street that watch."
Why do you think EastEnders has been so successful?
"I think it's incredible, the issues they tackle. I think they tackle them so brilliantly and with such respect. They do a fantastic job of addressing many issues that help young people, old people - everyone across the board. It's phenomenal. In terms of actually watching and seeing scenes, I've been lucky being in The Vic. I've seen so many good ones - with the Mitchells, with Phil, with Peggy - I've been very, very lucky to see so many, that it's nigh on impossible to single any out. They've all involved different people - I could go on and on and on!"
Do you think Tracey knows who killed Archie? Was she in The Vic that night?
"Tracey had actually walked out! I burned their Christmas dinner and walked out because Janine was being a pig."
Do you think that Tracey could have killed Archie?
"I wouldn't think she's that dark but who knows - she could be. I've heard there are odds at the bookies to be had for her but why? Why would she have killed him? Because he's threatening The Vic? Is it The Vic she protects or the family?"
Who would you like it to have been?
"I think they all make sense and that's the brilliant part. Any one of those characters has got a legitimate reason - well, as much as you can have to kill someone. I can see why Phil would have done it, why Peggy would have done it. And I can certainly see why Ronnie - I suppose the anguish and the most hurt and the most disgraceful behaviour would be to Ronnie. I would have to say Ronnie because she's been put through absolute hell by her father."
What was your reaction when you heard that Barbara was leaving?
"Very sad because I shall miss her. She looked out for me. On the day I had the scenes with Rob Kazinsky, she was running my lines with me. She's an icon - very professional and a lovely lady. I shall miss her very much. Having said that, it's her decision [to leave]. She works so hard and has a lot of storylines to carry, so I respect her decision. I think she'll leave a very big hole, although I have confidence in the programme [to go on beyond her exit]. She'll be missed from the second she leaves the building."
How long can you see yourself staying with the show?
"As long as they want me - and as long as I'm happy - which I am. I know it sounds really cliché but I love my work, I love going there and I love being part of the production. The day that I don't is the day that I'll probably go. Unless they want me gone before that!"
Loads more from 'EastEnders' Tracey The Barmaid
EastEnders fans will recognise Jane Slaughter as Queen Vic barmaid Tracey. With no surname, she's more commonly known on the streets of Walford as The Silent Assassin - a woman of very few words, who only speaks when spoken to.
Despite Wikipedia's claim, Jane's been with EastEnders since the very first episode (she was the woman on the flower stall) and has been in a crazy number of instalments since - so many that she's actually lost count.
Last week, I was given the opportunity to catch up with Jane to chat about her 25 years on the show. And unlike Tracey, Jane could give Jean Slater a run for her money.
Click here to read the main part of the interview, or read on for more bonus cuttings!
Do you know how many episodes you've been in up to the anniversary?
"I'd love to know. Apart from when I had time off to have my children, apart from a holiday, pretty much every week I've been on one or two or three or four - I don't know how many. I have two sons and I had them after the programme [started] - it's really strange that EastEnders existed before they did! They're 21 and 17 now!"
What do they think of their mum's role?
"I think proud, it would be fair to say. My son was telling me the other day there's a [Facebook group] that says 'Let Tracey Speak' with 47,000 members. It just blows my head. I said, 'Oh, Ollie - I think you mean 4,700' and he went, 'No mum, forty seven thousand!' It makes me go a bit 'Woah!'"
What's been your favourite moment as a viewer?
"Very early on I was so surprised that it was so gritty - that's what sticks in my mind of the early years, not particular scenes. I'd worked on period dramas and I'd actually worked with Julia Smith as a child in all those Sunday afternoon series. Suddenly to be with working with her on something EastEnders was like nothing else on earth I'd ever worked on or been near. It was amazingly real and - that's what struck me. I'd never seen anything like it."
You're one of the people who've probably seen the most key scenes out of the entire cast...
"Yes, because she's always there whereas other cast members such as Adam [Woodyatt] - who's been there as long as I have - wouldn't necessarily have a storyline that puts him in The Vic at all."
What do we know about Tracey at the moment then?
"We know she's married - that came out when Phil was absolutely vile to her and said 'What are you going to do? Get your old man on me?' Even when I read it I though 'Ooh, hello!' I knew there was one husband years ago - that was mentioned by Sharon - but since, there's been little red herrings along the way. She apparently slept with Dennis Rickman and you think, hang on a minute - what's she been up to?!"
She's got this family hidden away - do you think we'll ever meet anybody else?
"Good lord - you know I don't know. I would never say never because anything's possible there. They seem to be able to weave all sorts of things in. Whether there would be a demand for it or enough interest I don't know."
Apparently you've never had a character biog?
"No - that's what's so lovely and so clever. She's this loyal but strong, opinionated woman. They've done that and they've suggested that she's married and they just do enough to keep people interested and wanting to know a bit more. Whether they will ever develop her character [I don't know] - equally, I think it would be wrong to suddenly make her into this talkative, all-singing, all-dancing person with a fully-fledged family and surname - it wouldn't make sense. That's why it's been done so well."
Maybe that's something Bryan Kirkwood will do when he takes over?
"I would just be happy if he knows the character and likes the character and thinks he could use her. I think there is potential to use her but like I said, not in a ridiculously nonsensical way, but I think it's also down to the public. It sounds like I'm deferring my opinion but I'm not, I think the public actually would like to know. "
What storyline could you see her involved in - maybe being told a secret?
"Yes - and is witness to things and the viewers knowing the she knows. I think an intrigue would be very plausible for her."
How do you feel when you look through a script and you find a line?
"I get very excited! It's always interesting as well. Even when it's just 'Oh, out the back', or 'I don't know'. I still get an incredible buzz."
Do you bribe Christopher Reason for lines?
"[Laughs] No - I've never met him! I always imagine that, like me, he walks about in life and hears people talking about EastEnders - and that's great, that's how it should be. If people are watching and they think 'Oh, it'd be nice to see her' I think that's such a good way to do it. Maybe sometimes he's sat there and thought, 'You know what? I'd like to know a bit more about her!'"
Do you watch EastEnders?
"Yes - life interferes obviously. Travelling back from work is normally the main reason so I try and catch up at the ten o'clock. I love watching the stunts. I will always watch those because when you're filming those table-turning, glass-smashing scenes you don't really see how the end product is going to be."
Has Tracey ever had a 'duff duff'?
"No. Would that be a little far fetched? I don't know. I think at the moment it might be a bit lame!"
Which characters would you like to see come back?
"That's a difficult one. There's so many that I would really like to see. [I'd have to say] Ange. I loved that character. I think that character was incredible. I'd just love to step back in time for a little while! If I could revisit those first few years with Wendy and Bill Treacher just to remind myself of those. So many characters have gone - Alan Wickes, Lofty!"