“Heterosexual couples were allowed to show as much skin as they like,” says the EastEnders actor on his experience as a gay man on the beloved soap
Actor John Partridge, best known for his role as Christian Clarke in EastEnders, has described a bizarre rule he had to abide by during same-sex bedroom scenes on the soap.
The 54-year-old played the gay personal trainer from 2008 to 2012, took a hiatus from the show, and returned again between 2014 and 2016.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain this morning (24 September) while promoting his new play The Code, Partridge explained the restrictions he and his on-screen partner, Marc Elliott, had to follow.
“Only one of us was allowed to have our shirt off because we were a gay couple” – John Partridge on being a gay couple on EastEnders
In bed with his on-screen partner Syed Masood, there was a limit placed on how much the pair could reveal on-screen.
He recalled on the programme: “Funny thing is, when I was in EastEnders, when Mark Elliot and I would do any scenes in the bedroom, only one of us was allowed to have our shirt off because we were a gay couple.”
Partridge contrasted this with what he observed in heterosexual storylines: “Any other scenes, in any other soaps or any other TV dramas, heterosexual couples were allowed to show as much skin as they like. But we were not allowed to do that and that was recently.”
“Needless to say that I was the one who had his top off” – Partridge on his role as Christian Clarke on EastEnders
Asked if the actors ever joked about who would be topless, Partridge laughed and admitted it was usually him.
Highlighting his muscular physique, he added: “Needless to say that I was the one who had his top off. But that just goes to show that it is alive and well.”
He concluded that the rule demonstrated how unequal standards for LGBTQ+ representation remain part of the entertainment industry.
In the new theatre production, Partridge plays Hollywood actor Billy Haines and stars alongside Olivier Award-winner Tracie Bennett as Tallulah Bankhead.
The official show synopsis writes: The Code lays bare the unspoken rules of Hollywood, then and now: a world where image still shapes opportunity, where authenticity is curated and identity remains politicised.
The show is running now until 11 October at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, with tickets available through The Code website.
