The year 1985 was a special time in east London.
On the pitch, Tony Cottee, Frank McAvennie, Alvin Martin and Ray Stewart were starring as West Ham United kicked-off a season which ended in a record-high third place finish in the First Division in the spring of 1986.
On the small screen, Hammers-supporting actors Nick Berry, Leslie Grantham and Todd Carty were starring as a new BBC soap opera, EastEnders, became the most popular show on television, drawing in over 23 million viewers for its Christmas specials.
This week, EastEnders celebrates its 40th birthday with trademark dramatic storylines and, who knows, perhaps a mention or two of east London’s historic football club!
To mark the occasion, whufc.com spoke to Berry, who played Queen Vic barman Simon ‘Wicksy’ Wicks from 1985 until 1990 and proved hugely popular with the show’s fans.
Berry talked about his lifelong love of the Hammers, his friendship with McAvennie and being part of the most popular programme in British television history…
Nick, first things first, why are you a Hammer?
“I’m from Manor Park, so I first started going over to watch games back in the 1970s, when I’d watch players like big Clyde Best and Billy Bonds. I remember being down the front as a boy and with the camber on the pitch players like David Cross looked like giants!
“You could just decide on the day to go and see the match and the chance to see players like that was just ‘wow’.
“I’d go with my mates mostly or with my Dad a few times. You could just turn up on the day back then and pay on the day. We’d stand on the South Bank or the North Bank, as the Chicken Run was a bit rough for us!
“I used to go over the Orient too, as they and West Ham never played at home on the same Saturday. I even went to Orient earlier this season and they’re doing well, but they lost the match I went to!”
Did you play yourself as a youngster?
“Yes, I did. I played for schools and the district and used to play at Wanstead Flats. I broke my leg, so it’s a case of what could have been! I was a defender, and back then you could kick opposing players up in the air!
“I was a child actor at the same time and, funnily enough, breaking my leg playing football meant I missed out on a role in ‘Great Expectations’ in the West End, so as one door closed another one opened.”
And what a door it was that did open as you became the soap star pin-up boy of the eighties!
“Yeah, there were only three or four channels back then, and EastEnders was everywhere at that time. It was the same time the Boys of ’86 were flying high and I’d see Frank McAvennie at Browns nightclub [in Covent Garden] on a Friday night, then at three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon I’d be watching him running out at Upton Park!
“Back then, before the Premier League, I think soap stars were probably paid more than footballers, so we were the ones buying the drinks!”
When you joined EastEnders just a few months after it first aired, did you have any idea what it would become?
“No, absolutely not! I was in it for five years, which seemed like a long time, so for it to still be on 40 years later is incredible. That said, when I got the gig, my mates used to joke that I’d be like Ken Barlow [in Coronation Street] and be there forever, but I managed to slip out and do some other bits!”
West Ham was always part of EastEnders, wasn’t it?
“Yes, it was. There was a fanzine called ‘Fortune’s Always Hiding’ and they sent me t-shirts when I was on the show and obviously the Claret and Blue colours were always there.”
You weren’t the only Hammer in the cast, either?
“No, there was Todd [Carty, who played Mark Fowler] and Leslie Grantham [who played Dirty Den Watts] back in the day. Early on, the producers tried to only get actors who were Londoners, preferably from east London.
“We all used to go over to West Ham together back in the day, along with Perry Fenwick [who plays Billy Mitchell], Ray Winstone and David Essex, who ended up going in EastEnders.”
Harry Redknapp has guest starred in EastEnders, but have any other players been in the show?
“We had Frank McAvennie visit the Queen Vic for a day out in the 1985/86 season for a publicity shoot. The show was flying high and so was he with West Ham, so it was nice to have him come and see us!
“We were regulars at Upton Park, too, and after Frank came up, they used to get us tickets and we’d sit with the prawn sandwich brigade. We had some lovely away days too, and we went up to Villa Park for the 1991 FA Cup semi-final when Tony Gale was sent-off and the crowd sang ‘Billy Bonds’ Claret and Blue Army’ throughout the game. It didn’t matter that we lost, as it was a great day out being part of that.”
That’s the power of football isn’t it – whether you are an actor or anyone else, you’re all in it together?
“That’s it. For that 90 minutes, football is all that matters. It’s a great thing. My boys got us tickets when we played Gent in the Europa Conference League when Declan Rice ran through and scored that goal and the atmosphere was incredible. I’d indoctrinated my kids to support West Ham and they had that to cheer, having always asked ‘Do I have to support West Ham?’ as young boys, when all their mates were Arsenal fans!
“My favourite match was that away day at Villa Park, though. We lost heavily [4-0 to Nottingham Forest], but that chant went round for the whole game and it was unreal. My wife was in love with Kevin Keen, too!
“I went down to Cardiff for the Play-Off finals, too, which were great days out, but that game at Villa was special.”
You left EastEnders in 1990 and went up to Yorkshire to film ‘Heatbeat’, then down to Dorset to star in ‘Harbour Lights’, so how did you get your football fix?
“I used to go and watch Leeds play when I was in Heartbeat in the days that Eric Cantona was there. I went to watch West Ham play away. I remember watching us play at Oldham and it was freezing cold! I went to watch Scarborough and Whitby Town too, so I watched plenty of football. Then, when I was doing Harbour Lights, I’d go and watch Yeovil!”
You left Albert Square in 1990, and retired from acting to be with your family and bring up your two sons two decades ago, so what are you up to now?
“We’re living in Epping. Up until recently, I was walking the dog but sadly my old dog recently passed away. I’m looking after my Mum and keeping out of trouble, watching everyone else do it!”
