Johnny Partridge: ‘BBC brave to run gay storyline at 7:30pm’

Johnny Partridge has praised the BBC for airing a gay storyline in a mainstream soap before the watershed.

Partridge, 43, played gay character Christian Clarke on EastEnders between 2008 and 2012, and returned to the role for two episodes earlier this year. Clarke was involved in an on-off relationship with Syed Masood, played by Marc Elliott, and the pair entered a civil partnership shortly before leaving Albert Square to live in America together.

“I’m immensely proud of Christian. I was there five years, and it’s so hard to tell a gay story at 7.30pm in the evening in a mainstream flagship show,” Partridge told Female First.

“I feel honoured that the BBC were brave enough to do that. The story of Christian and Syed, it was really about what you didn’t see as opposed to what you did see,” he added.

Discussing the couple’s storyline, Partridge argued that it was so well received because it became a storyline about love, regardless of sexuality.

“We didn’t show them anything too graphic, we invited them in and it really just became a story about two people who were in love in impossible circumstances, immaterial of gender and that was a beautiful thing,” said the actor. “I’ve never had an adverse reaction from anybody in the street, it was never anything like that, I only ever had positive comments from people.”

Partridge is currently appearing on the BBC’s celebrity gymnastics competition Tumble. He releases his debut album, Dames, Dudes and Cowboys Too, on Monday (September 15).

Meanwhile, EastEnders‘ Johnny Carter recently enjoyed a kiss with a handsome Italian man on the BBC One soap – find out more here.