A former actor from the BBC's flagship soap opera EastEnders has lifted the lid on the substantial sums performers could earn per episode during his time on the show, figures that would likely make today's cast envious.
The Lucrative Deal for Soap Stars of the Past
Rory Jennings, who portrayed the troubled teenager Craig Dixon for a two-month stint in 2007, recently appeared on The Fellas podcast. He detailed a payment structure that allowed actors to bank £1,000 for each episode they featured in.
Jennings explained that the financial rewards didn't stop there. Due to the now-defunct Sunday omnibus—a marathon repeat of the week's episodes—actors received an additional 80% of their episode fee if their show was included. "You'd get a grand an episode and then 80% for the Sunday," he stated.
How Scheduling Changes Impacted Cast Earnings
This system meant that, in theory, an actor appearing in four episodes in a single week could earn a base of £4,000, plus a further £3,200 from the omnibus repeats, totalling a potential £7,200.
However, this particular revenue stream has dried up for the current Albert Square residents. The BBC axed the EastEnders omnibus in 2015 after reported declines in viewing figures, meaning today's stars do not benefit from the repeat fees their predecessors enjoyed.
Other Stars and Salary Strategies
Jennings is not the only former Walford resident to discuss the show's pay. Last year, Ross Kemp, famed for playing Grant Mitchell, recounted on the Graham Norton Show how the per-episode payment led to some creative scene-stealing.
Kemp admitted he would sometimes orchestrate a quick appearance in episodes he wasn't scheduled for, delivering a single line to camera crews he knew well, just to trigger the full episode fee. "Ker ching! And it took them a year to work it out!" he joked.
Rory Jennings' character, Craig Dixon, worked in Ian Beale's chip shop during his brief tenure from July to September 2007. The character was written out after a plot that saw him attempt to murder Patrick Trueman, ending up in prison.
Since leaving the soap, Jennings has built a career as a sports commentator and presenter on talkSPORT, runs a YouTube channel, and is a professional poker player competing in major live events.
