Former EastEnders actress Clair Norris has shared a hilarious and awkward tale from her very first day on the set of the iconic BBC soap, revealing a classic case of mistaken identity with her on-screen mother.
The Awkward First Encounter
Norris, who played Bernie Taylor for eight years from 2017, explained that her initial visit to the Elstree studios wasn't for filming, but for preparatory hair, makeup, and costume fittings. It was there she first met Lorraine Stanley, the actress portraying her TV mum, Karen Taylor.
The meeting did not go as planned. "We were both waiting by the gates to be taken in, and she thought I was the chaperone!" Norris recalled. "I was like, 'No, I'm playing your daughter...' and she went, 'Oh!' and just laughed! So that was our first encounter." Despite the initial awkwardness, Norris said the funny moment actually helped to ease her pre-filming nerves.
Star-Struck Nerves and a Soap Icon
Norris confessed to feeling a potent mix of excitement and anxiety about joining the show she had watched throughout her childhood. "I was really excited to meet everyone, but also super nervous because I'd grown up watching EastEnders," she told the Daily Star.
The surreal nature of her new job truly hit home when she walked into the makeup room. "I remember walking into the makeup room and seeing June Brown sitting there," she said, referring to the late legend who played Dot Cotton. "Seeing her in the chair, putting on her wig, I just thought, 'Okay, this is really happening now'." Norris described the whirlwind from audition to set as happening so fast it didn't sink in until that iconic moment.
Fond Farewell After Eight Years
Clair Norris departed EastEnders earlier this year. Her exit storyline saw Bernie Taylor, alongside her cousin Felix, con the Panesar family out of thousands of pounds before leaving Walford in a cab for a new life abroad.
Ahead of the episode airing, Norris posted a heartfelt reflection on Instagram, calling the role "the best first job ever." She wrote: "EastEnders was my first audition and my first job... 8 years later and honestly this job has changed my life. It's true what they all said at the beginning, EastEnders is one big family." She expressed eternal gratitude to the producers for taking a chance on a fresh college graduate with no prior industry experience.
