BBC EastEnders star breaks silence after leaving soap
The actor, who is the son of late reality star Jade Goody and former footballer Jeff Brazier, has played Freddie Slater since 2022.
Now, he has opened up on the leaving, and spoken on what may come next.
A post shared by BOBBY JACK BRAZIER (@bobbybrazier)
Bobby's character Freddie was conceived on the show in late 2003, to mother Little Mo Mitchell.
In May 2006, Freddie was admitted to hospital with bleeding on the brain, and the character left Walford on May 26, 2006, with his mother, in an effort to start a new life in Devon.
Freddie returned in November 2022, which was Brazier's welcome to the BBC soap in what was his acting debut.
His portrayal as Freddie won him the Rising Star at the 28th National Television Awards.
However, despite his departure being revealed previously, he is not due to leave the show until later this year.
A TV insider told The Sun that EastEnders bosses met with Bobby at a time when he was already thinking about making his exit.
They added: 'The timing of the decision worked for both, but his final scenes are not for a while yet.
'The character has had a great run, but the time is now right for Bobby to look for other opportunities, and for EastEnders to wave goodbye to Freddie Slater.'
Speaking to OK Magazine, the young actor has opened up on what life may be like after his exit on the BBC soap.
He said: "I don't know, I guess that's how it really goes and how it works in this industry. You never really know what's next until you go in for it.
"But yeah, I'd like to play a variety of different roles so I can work out what I like, what I'm good at, what I'm not good at and what I need to work on.
'I'd like to learn and study and also relax a little bit."
Team #EastEnders has won Soap of the Year at the 2025 @TRICawards . A huge thank you to everyone who voted for us, we appreciate each and every one of you! 🥳 🏆 pic.twitter.com/7YQ6qU1qFz
Bobby is not the only star to leave the show this year.
Molly Rainford, known for playing Queen Vic barmaid Anna Knight on the BBC soap, will be leaving the soap.
Clair Norris, who plays Bernie Taylor, has also left the show after eight years.
In March, it was revealed that Matthew James Morrison's time as Felix Baker was coming to an end.
One of the biggest departures of the year was Natalie Cassidy, who played Sonia Fowler in EastEnders, and left the show after 32 years.
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Speaking about her exit, she said: 'It felt very final but also very good. It's a nice place to leave Sonia after so much has happened to her.
'Sonia feels like she's never going to live down what happened with Reiss, so the only thing to do is leave the Square.
'I'm never going to say goodbye to her because, after 32 years, Sonia is ingrained in me. So, while I'm saying goodbye on screen, for now, Sonia is always there, knocking about!'
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Metro
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Telegraph
an hour ago
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Martin Shaw: ‘Lewis Collins behaved so badly'
Passing through the corridors backstage at the Harold Pinter Theatre on the way to meet Martin Shaw, line after line of A Man For All Seasons runs through my head like holy writ. The Robert Bolt play, turned into an Oscar-winning film in 1966, includes some of the most powerful but perfectly weighted dialogue of the 20th century. Shaw is making his second appearance in the play as Sir Thomas More – Henry VIII's martyred chief minister – for a summer West End run. 'I never got this play or Sir Thomas More out of my system,' he says. Shaw's career has oscillated between high theatre and high-profile TV roles such as Judge John Deed, Inspector George Gently and – most famously for those of a certain vintage – as Doyle in the much maligned cop show The Professionals. When we speak, he is an incredibly spritely 80 in his Hush Puppies, with long white hair falling either side of the face of a man 10 years his junior. That's just as well given the demands of playing More, a man with such integrity he would rather die than endanger his immortal soul by taking an oath confirming Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church. More's saintly virtues have been called into question recently, with Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy and the resulting BBC drama adaptation portraying him as a sadistic schemer of the Tudor court who enjoyed torturing heretics in opposition to his great rival Thomas Cromwell. In A Man For All Seasons, these roles are more or less reversed. 'I think Wolf Hall is one of the greatest dramas with the greatest performances ever produced by British television,' says Shaw. 'I've heard Hilary Mantel partly wrote Wolf Hall as a response to A Man For All Seasons. But from what I know, I think her portrayal of More is probably not accurate.' 'I told the casting director I couldn't work with Lewis' Whatever philosophical puzzles Shaw grapples with on stage, it's the legacy of a much less distinguished TV show he still finds tricky to escape. The Professionals, produced from 1977 to 1981, made Shaw a household name – all high cheekbones, footballer's perms and karate chops. It's remembered for the unbridled machismo of lead characters Bodie and Doyle – part police, part secret agents working for the fictional CI5 – who spent most of their time skidding a Ford Capri around the streets of London, shooting terrorists and making off-colour remarks about beautiful women. The trouble is, Shaw hated every single minute of it, in particular his toxic relationship with Lewis Collins, the actor who played Bodie to his Doyle. 'It was truly, truly horrible and there was a sense of blessed relief when it was over. Ten years after the show finished I met Lewis and everything was healed between us. But the trouble all started when I was a villain in The New Avengers in 1977 and he was my sidekick. Lewis behaved so badly on that set. He had a small part but he was so arrogant. It was beyond that. It was bizarre.' Shaw describes how Collins would boast about his physical prowess at the expense of the other actors and confuse the director by talking about how the scenes would play out if he had to fight for real. 'I looked at the script for The Professionals and was offered the part. I'd done a film with Anthony Andrews and we were good mates so we rehearsed together and I thought he was a shoe-in for the other lead. But the production company wanted an abrasive relationship. 'I'd already said to the casting director, 'I can't work with Lewis because we don't get on', but they cast him anyway. I went up to him on the first day of shooting and said: 'You know I didn't want you to do this but let's get on with it and have fun.' And he told me to f--- off and he never forgave me for the next four years.' There is a notorious episode of The Professionals called 'The Klansman' about a far-Right group Shaw's character has to infiltrate. It was never broadcast in the UK because it featured such a prevalence of racist language. Did Shaw think this seemed insane during filming? 'I thought pretty much every episode was insane,' he replies. The thing Shaw found most uncomfortable then as now is that his work up to that point – the Royal Court and the National Theatre, TV and movie roles – 'vanished' once he was in The Professionals. Shaw, born in Birmingham in 1945, attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda) from 1963, served his time in rep and London theatre, and came to prominence playing Banquo in Roman Polanski's film of Macbeth in 1971. Polanski – who owned a flat in Chelsea – asked him to test for the role of Macbeth, though the lead eventually went to Jon Finch. 'When I saw the people testing for Macbeth, including Antony Hopkins who was my hero and with whom I shared a house, I thought I had no chance. But Polanski called me and offered me the role of Banquo.' Shaw recounts the conversation in a Dracula-esque Polanski accent and says the seven months of Macbeth's production were some of the greatest of his life. He's understandably circumspect about Polanski's ongoing exile in France as a result of his flight from the US in 1971 following his conviction for sex with a minor. 'Polanski was great with actors. My admiration and respect for him carried on through the whole production. There is so much gossip about the case he was involved in but it's a terrible loss to the industry.' 'Rhodes did some very bad things but I didn't mind playing that character' In the four decades since The Professionals, Shaw invariably appeared on British TV as a detective or a judge, which he says is attributable more to television's obsession with the law than anything to do with his persona or slow, sonorous voice. One notable blip on this long list of hits was the eight-part BBC epic drama Rhodes in 1996, which told the story of Britain's most 19th-century empire builder Cecil Rhodes in southern Africa. It seems almost inconceivable that this would be made today, given the bitter controversy over Rhodes's reputation. The show was rounded on by critics and the ratings almost halved between the first and second episode. 'Rhodes was hard enough to make even then,' says Shaw. 'The BBC didn't want to support it. I suspect they wanted to kill it. Eventually it was made for £8m instead of £12m. The South African government withdrew their funding, not because of any sensitivities over the theme of colonialism, but because they didn't like Rhodes being portrayed as a homosexual. 'It was clear even in 1996 that Rhodes did some very bad things. I didn't mind playing that kind of character. Those bad things are there in all of us and having a licence to access them as an actor is great.' 'It's almost impossible to be a person of integrity in public life' 'Bad things' are harder to find in Thomas More, but they must be in there somewhere. A Man For All Seasons is Shaw's happy place, having already taken the role in 2005 at London's Haymarket Theatre. Shaw says he went to see the play and the film over and over again in the 1960s, starring the peerless Paul Scofield. Shaw wants to keep evolving his approach to More, as much to make the most of the character's limitless depth as to step out of the great man's shadow. 'This time I'm playing him as a more life-enhancing, life-loving character who could laugh and get incredibly angry as well as his better known qualities.' This is a play that poses one dilemma after another. At its heart is the question of how far a person is prepared to go to preserve their own conscience, their own sense of truth as they believe it to be. Every other character compromises for gain or self-preservation (other than Henry VIII, who doesn't need to). More goes to the block for his beliefs. 'From my point of view, More's stand was borderline ridiculous,' says Shaw. 'For him, his oath was 'words you say to God' so he could not, as his daughter suggested, take the oath and think differently in his heart.' Among many memorable lines – the quickfire battles with Cromwell, More's stirring defence of the law – the exchange between More and former hanger-on Richard Rich stands out. Rich perjured himself to gain promotion to the Attorney General of Wales and his lies provide the only evidence against More. Knowing his trial is all but over, More asks to see the red dragon on Rich's new badge of office. 'Richard, it profits a man nothing to gain the whole world if he should lose his soul … but for Wales?' The script is all but perfect. Shaw recalls the line, 'When statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties they lead their country by a short route to chaos.' 'That is true now more than ever,' he adds. 'Think about how important conscience and integrity are. It's almost impossible to be a person of integrity in public life – but I truly believe they are out there.' Shaw is full of contradictions. He has been a vegetarian since 1971 and follows Sant Mat, a mystical philosophy movement influenced by Sikhism and Hinduism. There's no reason why that shouldn't co-exist with sliding over the bonnet of an Escort RS2000 in pursuit of a gun runner, but it feels like it might. Still, despite all Shaw's misgivings, he has made something approaching peace with the worst experience of his career. 'There is another side to The Professionals. Years later an actor walked up to me on set and said 'It's so wonderful to meet you. You're my childhood hero.' So that helped me see the show differently. So many people loved it and got some sort of happiness from it.' It's wisdom of which Sir Thomas More would surely approve.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Was Yorkshire food festival ever ready to serve or only half-baked?
Billed as the UK's "biggest ticketed weekend food festival", the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival promised celebrity chefs, cookery classes, live music and luxury camping - but when it was abruptly cancelled with just two weeks' notice excitement turned to undoubtedly disappointing, signs of trouble had been mounting for weeks the BBC has learned, casting doubt over whether the event was ready to serve or only ever half-baked. "Unfortunately, due to circumstances outside of my control, I will no longer be appearing at the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival," Michelin-starred chef Galton Blackiston wrote on Facebook on 2 an hour later co-star James Martin posted a near-identical the same day chef Rosemary Shrager and disco performers Brutus Gold's Love Train also announced their withdrawal from the three-day event scheduled to take place in Skipton, North Yorkshire, from 18 to 20 July. Back in September 2024, an excited Rachel Manley and her family had paid £612 for camping and six adult VIP weekend tickets for the Skipton mum-of-two and her daughters, Mollie, 27, and Evie, 25, had been counting down the days to the event, even picking out fancy dress outfits to dance the night way to their favourite in the run up to the event, the venue shifted multiple times - from Funkirk Farm to Kilnsey Showground, then to Aireville line-up also changed, with Hairy Biker Si King and French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli quietly disappearing from festival promotions. And still, there was no information about Rachel messaged organisers, questioning the location, she was told Skipton Academy's playing fields would be used as a school has since told the BBC that no agreement to use the site had been in organisers Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd did not comment when asked about it. Just two days after Martin and Blackiston pulled out, and two weeks before the event was due to take place, Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd cancelled it "with a heavy heart".Managing director Jon Arrowsmith told ticket holders: "Despite our best efforts, the loss of our original site near Grassington placed immense pressure on timelines."Ultimately, we ran out of time to plan, promote, and deliver the festival to the standard it deserves and so we felt we had no choice but to cancel."The decision to cancel a festival is never taken lightly and we are devastated that it came to this."Rachel, who eventually got her money refunded, said for her daughters, who have learning disabilities, the event had been the closest they would get to having "a real festival experience"."So having to tell them that it was cancelled and we're not going - they were gutted," she said. Last month, the BBC revealed that, aside from issues around a camping location, Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd had never been granted the necessary premise licence for the about this, the firm said while there had been "some issues" with the licence application, it maintained it was "made in good enough time for the festival if it had gone ahead".The firm said it had offered "a series of TENs (Temporary Events Notices)" as an North Yorkshire Council said the applications for the relevant licences had not been submitted in addition, a safety report dated 18 June, seen by the BBC, stated the event was "not yet safe, lawful, or insurable".It said "significant gaps" existed in health and safety management, licensing compliance, crowd welfare, traffic control and consumer document also mentioned "James Martin's non-appearance" and the need to issue an immediate clarification to ticket Yorkshire Council said the event was cancelled before discussions about the report could take Hoop Creative Ltd, however, told the Yorkshire Post they "do not recognise" the concerns and claimed "robust" plans had been in asked by the BBC about the report, the company did not provide further information. 'No glamping information' Rachael Filby, from North Lincolnshire, booked a luxury yurt and four weekend passes in October 2024 for £795."I was getting nervous, and other people were posting questions and not getting answers to their queries about camping locations and announcements," she 22 May, she read a BBC article about Glastonbury campers being left out of pocket when a luxury yurt company went bust."This made me even more anxious, so I asked organisers if the company was the same one that they had booked," she said. "I got a reply saying no, that they were now supplying the yurts, and everything in them, themselves."Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd did not comment when asked about the yurt year's festival had been billed as the return of a much-loved event, having taken place for more than a decade before the 2024 show was also called off, when former operator B3 Events Ltd went into Hoop Creative Ltd, which also organises Lichfield Food Festival in Staffordshire, later acquired the festival's assets and intellectual firm promised it would honour payments made by traders who had been due to appear in 2024 for the following several stallholders like Helen Willoughby told the BBC the so-called "gesture of goodwill" came at a cost. Helen, owner of Keighley drinks firm Bytchmix, said she had already paid between £300-£400 for the previous year and was then asked to pay £145 in "admin fees" for the 2025 when the event fell through again, Helen not only lost her money she also lost the potential income she said would have seen her through the year."Now I'm looking and thinking I'm not going to have the money to be able to book any events," she said. "So how am I going to be able to make any money going forward?"None of the traders the BBC spoke to have been able to obtain a refund. The BBC has also been unable to confirm if any of the musical acts had received Hoop Creative Ltd said ticket holders continued "to be refunded through the banks' chargeback process", and the firm was "still working on a financial support package for traders and others affected by the cancellation".A spokesperson said it "deeply regretted" having had to cancel the event "at such short notice", adding: "Organising a festival of this size in the current economic climate is incredibly challenging. "Our intention was to reinvigorate the event after last year's difficulties with Events by B3 going into liquidation; in the end we could not deliver our plans."We remain committed to doing everything we can to support the individuals and businesses affected." Barnsley trader Maggie Holdaway, who said she paid £1,284 in pitch fees, had just handed in her notice to pursue working for her food business full-time."I feel like I've been scammed," she said."'With a heavy heart' - no because you have all of that money."Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd has cancelled four other events between 2021 and 2025, including the 2023 Stratford-upon-Avon Food Festival and the 2022 Ibiza Proms, Britpop Proms and Movie month, Disco Classical at Bishton Hall and Gardens in Staffordshire, scheduled for 5 September, was also cancelled. It had been advertised as part of Bishton Hall Orchestra, which was due to perform, said it could not "due to circumstances beyond our control, which relate to the arrangements made by the promoter, Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd".Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd, however, denied being the event's promoter, saying it had "assisted the organiser in the creation of the event management plan, site plan and acted as council liaison". 'Severe debt' However, Limelight Orchestra's CEO Paul Murphy said the Event Management Plan referred to Mr Arrowsmith as the festival Murphy said the orchestra had also been due to perform at the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival, with both cancellations now seriously impacting the financial viability of his said Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd owed him £26,000."As a result of the cancellation, I am left in severe debt," he the cancellation of the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival, Lichfield District Council rejected Cocker Hoop Creative Ltd's application to hold the Lichfield Food Festival in August and said it would also reject any future applications from the firm said they were disappointed with the decision and would seek legal families like Rachel's the Yorkshire Dales festival was a chance to create lasting memories with her traders like Maggie and Helen it offered an opportunity to connect with customers, grow their businesses, and secure the income they relied on to get through the for the future of the event, uncertainty still hangs in the air, with no clear indication of whether it will return. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
