EastEnders' Colin Salmon on personal reason he took George Knight role

When asked what drew him to the role, Salmon said: "Chris Clenshaw [Executive Producer]!"

He added: "My wife's not well, so I can't be far from home. And the universe has thrown us something quite extraordinary, and my agent said I think you should talk to Chris.

"And Chris was passionate, he was clear, he had a vision and a clear love for the show. I find that to be the pre-requisite for any job. I like to work with people who are passionate.

"To have somebody [like Chris] in the control room, that guiding is really important."

Praising the genre, Salmon added: "I'm an East-Ender and this is a big show. Everybody I know who I've told I'm doing this got really, really excited, and some said, 'Oh don't do EastEnders...' They don't know me.

"It's a no-brainer and I'm loving it. It's a meeting of theatre, film and television. You've got to work hard - and I like working hard. I'm happy."

George and the rest of his family will arrive on EastEnders next week - but what trouble will they bring?

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