“I was jeered at.”
Some of the EastEnders cast members were reportedly unhappy about appearing on Harry Hill’s TV Burp, according to comedian Harry Hill.
Hill would comment on any “silly” wording or acting in the defunct ITV comedy programme, which highlighted any “silly” moments from broadcast TV.
Each week, Hill and his staff would watch the most popular series, such as Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders, and Emmerdale, and capture the episodes they wished to use on VHS.
Hill did acknowledge that their show had a problem with one soap in particular, though.
He asserted in a conversation with The Guardian that “I had EastEnders executive producer Mal Young yell down the phone after the first episode of series two aired: “This is outrageous.” Actors here are in tears as a result of what you’re doing.”
But Hill persisted in referring to the BBC One soap as the “perfect show” for TV Burp, stating that it “took itself very seriously and was developed in a hurry: basically, EastEnders.”
Additionally, there was the matter of copyright, and according to Hill, his show even led to some “heckles” at one point.
The BBC wouldn’t let us use the clips, so for series two, we utilised them under the guise of “fair dealing,” which meant the actors weren’t paid, according to Hill.
“Once, Todd Carty, who played Mark Fowler, heckled me at the Soap Awards. He cried out, “Where’s our money?””
Hill acknowledged that despite the series’ popularity on mainstream Saturday night television, he didn’t appreciate paying such close attention to the soap operas each week.
He added, “You would have two video recorders: you would watch on one and have a blank tape in the other.
“You may put whichever clips you liked onto the unfilled VHS. After removing the EastEnders omnibus, replace it with the Emmerdale one. It was dreadfully unpleasant.”
