BBC The One Show presenter Alex Jones was left red-faced after making an awkward gaffe during an interview with former EastEnders star James Bye on Monday night’s show
Monday night’s episode of The One Show saw host Alex Jones caught in a bit of an on-air gaffe while chatting with EastEnders star James Bye. The actor, who’s been the face behind Martin Fowler for 11 years, sat down on the couch to spill the beans on his character’s explosive goodbye – which aired during the soap’s much-anticipated 40th anniversary live episode.
Co-host Roman Kemp kicked things off by saying: “Now James the live EastEnders episode didn’t pull any punches…” before showing audience members the nail-biting moment when Martin met his end underneath a metal beam after the Queen Vic’s dramatic explosion and subsequent cardiac arrest.
After being shown his character’s tragic demise, with Roman commenting: “It feels weird applauding it but it was great, it was unbelievable”, James admitted he hadn’t mustered the courage to watch it yet. It was then that Alex made her blunder.
She accidentally referred to James as his soap alter ego, exclaiming: “Martin, Martin? I called you Martin! I did. James!” This prompted a playful reaction from James, as he joked: “Right, that’s that then! ” and feigned walking out in a huff.
The ever-professional Alex promptly bounced back from her fluster, quipping: “I tell you what though, I mean the pressure isn’t it, not only are you having to die on screen, you’re dying live'” reports the Mirror.
James spilled the beans on his close bond with co-star Lacey Turner during their gripping live episode moment, admitting: “I know, I know, listen I was incredibly lucky because I got to do that with my best friend Lacey Turner and we’ve worked together so much that we sort of knew every little tick that each one of us had. We’d already talked about if one of us went wrong. I was literally holding her hand throughout the whole live (episode) and I can definitely say I would not have been able to do it without her – 100%. Team work.”
As they showcased clips of devastated EastEnders fans mourning Martin’s demise, James couldn’t hide his emotions. Delving into his departure story, James revealed he had strong words with showrunners, insisting on telling co-star Lacey, who played Martin’s former flame Stacey, about his imminent exit himself.
He divulged: “I was sworn to keep it a secret. Obviously the people involved in the storyline they were told not long after I was. In fact I told the exec producer that, well after he made the decision, that you have to let me tell Lacey.”
James described it as: “Anyone else you can tell, but that was the most difficult conversation. Other than telling my wife, she wasn’t over the moon with it to be fair. But telling Lacey was tough and it has been a really emotional couple of months.”
Reflecting on the character’s legacy from his birth in 1985, fans said farewell to Martin Fowler as he met his end in the soap’s groundbreaking 40th anniversary live special.
Following the pub’s explosion, Martin heroically attempted to rescue as many individuals as possible amidst the crumbling structure. After ensuring Stacey’s safety, a metal beam tragically trapped him.
As he awaited medical assistance, he seized the moment to propose to Stacey, only for her to be hit with heart-wrenching news. Paramedics warned that Martin could fall victim to Crush syndrome, a potentially lethal condition triggered by extreme muscle damage.
Sadly, Martin didn’t survive the removal of the beam, his death chillingly announced by screams reverberating around the Square.