EastEnders' James Bye has recently disclosed his hesitations surrounding the funeral scene for his character Martin Fowler, after reportedly turning down a specific request.
In an emotionally-charged live episode last month, viewers witnessed the first baby born on the BBC soap tragically die in Stacey Slater's arms, his ex-wife to whom he declared love and proposed to in his final moments.
The tragic demise of Martin came as he suffered a cardiac arrest triggered by a steel beam crushing his legs amid the chaos of the Queen Vic explosion – a beam that proved fatal when paramedics attempted to remove it.
Since taking over the role in 2014, James has played Martin for nearly a decade, a period which included the character finding love with Stacey, once faking his own death, and surviving a bus accident.
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Originally, Martin Fowler entered the world of EastEnders back in 1985, portrayed by Jon Peyton-Price during the show's inaugural year. His character was shepherded through his early years until 1996 when James Alexandrou assumed the mantle to explore Martin's transition into adulthood over 11 years before leaving Albert Square for a substantial hiatus, reports the Manchester Evening News.
As James and the audience adjust to EastEnders without the familiar face of Martin Fowler, he shared his reflections with on witnessing his character's poignant exit coinciding with the soap's 40th anniversary.
James confessed: "It felt a helluva responsibility to die in that way, not only on the soap's 40th anniversary but live in front of the nation. I'm attracted to fear, so I agreed. I'd joined in 2014, so it had been 10 years, effectively all of my 30s, that I'd been on the show.
"It just felt the right time and there were a lot of other things I wanted to do as an actor. It was sad to say goodbye and in an incredibly special live episode, something I'll never get to do again in my life," he expressed.
James labelled his exit as 'effective', highlighting that viewers had anticipated Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) or Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) to be the characters written out.
He elaborated: "Which is what made it so effective. The audience had always loved him and Stacey as a couple, through all their ups and downs. Suddenly, it looked like a happy-ever-after for them and then it was snatched away."
When questioned if he's watched the live episode back with his wife Victoria and their four children, James confessed that he hasn't 'had the opportunity'.
With Martin's funeral predicted to take place in the forthcoming two weeks, James stated that he doesn't believe he'll be able to view his fictional farewell.
"I'm not sure I want to watch my own cremation, if that's what it turns out to be. I won't record it. But I might catch it when it's on. If I'm honest, I'd find it a bit weird," he quipped.
As fans speculate about potential surprise appearances and who will deliver the heartfelt eulogies at the funeral, James disclosed a request he declined from the art department.
"The art department were asking for pictures of me to put in the order of service. But I said no. I don't want real photographs of me at my funeral, with my real family cut out," he shared.
