EastEnders star Shaun Williams – aka Barry Evans – is bidding a final farewell to Watford after BBC bosses suddenly axed him from the award-winning soap.
Shaun agreed to perform in a Christmas pantomime, thinking the show's producers would give him time off, but his assumption backfired when studio chiefs told him his character would be written out of the series instead.
"Shaun accepted another engagement at the end of this year which would clash with his commitment to EastEnders, " said a spokesperson for the series. "Regretfully, we have only been able to extend his contract until November. It will keep Barry on screen into next year."
Insiders at the Corporation say Shaun believed he would be able to follow in the footsteps of Steve McFadden and Barbara Windsor, who were both granted a year off to pursue other projects. "Shaun was stunned. He thought he would be able to go off and do panto and then come back," said a source at the show.
Barry is not the first Albert Square character to get the chop as EastEnders producers desperately try to revive flagging ratings. Lucy Benjamin and Todd Carty have also been written out in recent months. The show has been losing ground to Coronation Street since the "Tricky Dicky" serial-killer plot was introduced a few months ago and crisis meetings have sparked rumours of a "soap bloodbath". Other characters said to be facing the axe include Sam Mitchell, Patrick and Paul Trueman and Vicki Fowler.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
