EastEnders star says wife not over the moon at Martin’s exit

EastEnders actor James Bye, who plays Martin Fowler, has revealed how he was sworn to secrecy over his character’s untimely death in the soap’s 40th anniversary live episode.

Fowler, a character born during the soap’s first year of broadcast in 1985, was killed after an explosion at the Queen Vic pub.

The episode featured Fowler declaring his love to Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), with the pair getting engaged before he died of cardiac arrest.

Speaking on the One Show in one of his first interviews since the episode aired, Bye called Turner his “best friend” and said he told soap executives he wanted to be the one to share the news with her.