Todd Carty

Todd Carty (born Todd Jennings; 31 August 1963) is an Irish-born actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations and films. He is best known for his roles as Tucker Jenkins in Grange Hill, Mark Fowler in EastEnders, and psychopathic policeman Gabriel Kent in The Bill.

Born in Limerick city in 1963 to a mother who worked as a nurse. and a father who worked as an engineer, Carty emigrated with his family to England when he was a child. He spent his early years in the Kilburn area of London before moving to Harrow area of the city when he was 8 years old. He has 2 sisters named Billie Joe and Bobby Sue.

Carty was educated at the Phildene Stage School, a co-educational independent school in Chiswick in West London.

Early career

Carty's first television appearance in the UK was in an advertisement for Woolworths at the age of four. He also had other advertising and Public Information Film roles, including one with Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee for the "Green Cross Code".

Carty made his first stage appearance at the New London Theatre, Drury Lane, as the young Lionel in Lionel Bart's autobiographical musical Lionel!; however, his television career in his youth was mostly defined by his role as Tucker Jenkins in the BBC children's drama Grange Hill (1978–1982), and the subsequent spin-off series Tucker's Luck (1983–1985).

During the 1970s and 1980s, Carty also appeared in Z-Cars (1976), Our Mutual Friend, Drummer, and Headmaster, all for the BBC. And for German TV, Focus on Britain and The Idle Bunch. His film work at the time included Please Sir! (1971) and Professor Popper's Problem (1974). In 1983, he landed the role of Oswyn in the fantasy film Krull opposite Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Liam Neeson, and Alun Armstrong, amongst others.

EastEnders and The Bill

Carty took over the role of original character Mark Fowler in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders in 1990, following the death of the original actor, David Scarboro. Carty played the role for 13 years, becoming one of the longest-running male cast-members. In July 2002, the BBC announced that Mark Fowler was being written out of the serial, a mutual decision between the producers and Carty. Executive producer Louise Berridge said that Carty had made a "fantastic contribution" to the soap and Mark had been a "pivotal figure", but the character had finally run its course: "Todd and I have discussed this at some length and agreed that it was time for Mark to hang up his leather jacket for the last time. We will all miss Todd, who is one of our best-loved actors, and wish him every success in the future." Carty made his final appearance as Mark in February 2003, riding out of the Square on his motorbike. The character subsequently died off-screen in 2004.

After leaving EastEnders in 2003, Carty went on to play "villain evil copper", PC Gabriel Kent, in ITV's The Bill for more than two years from 2003 to 2005. Carty has since revealed that he broke his EastEnders contract a year earlier than planned to take on this new role.

Other television and film appearances

Whilst still in EastEnders in 1997, Carty appeared with former EastEnders co-star Nick Berry in the Victorian period adventure film The Black Velvet Band, a spaghetti western-style drama. Carty was the subject of a This Is Your Life tribute in 2000. Guests included Wendy Richard, Norman Wisdom, Nick Berry, his girlfriend Dina Clarkin, sons James Carty and Thomas Carty, and his father-in-law, actor Tony Clarkin.

After leaving The Bill in 2005, Carty returned to the big screen as the aristocrat Harvey Van Bollingbroke in the film Treasure of Albion (2006). Carty acted in The School that Roared (2009) as the eccentric Mr Haig, and was also the second-unit director.

Carty has guest-starred as Ray Hallam in the Christmas special of the TV series Heartbeat, and in BBC's Holby City, as villain Cameron Cooke. In 2008, he guest-starred in BBC's Doctors, playing the part of Kev Blake.

In 2003, Carty reprised the role of Tucker Jenkins in Grange Hill, as the uncle of one the pupils, Patrick "Togger" Johnson. He appeared in just this one episode, but he was brought back once again to film for Grange Hill's final series, broadcast in 2008 — a one-off special episode to celebrate the 30th birthday of the long-running BBC show. Carty appeared as Tucker in the final televised episode of Grange Hill, which was screened on Monday, 15 September 2008 on BBC One.

Carty was a guest on the BBC1 show I'd Do Anything, in May 2008, with Cameron Mackintosh, helping to choose one of the selected boys to play Oliver Twist for the new West End production of Oliver!.

Carty and his eldest son, James, filmed together in a factual television series for Channel 5, Dangerous Adventures For Boys, based on the book written by Conn and Hal Iggulden, The Dangerous Book for Boys. James Carty, aged 11 at the time of broadcast, became the youngest person to drive a steam train across the North York Moors 18-mile line from Grosmont, North Yorkshire to Pickering, built in the 1830s.

In June 2014, Carty was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef.

Dancing On Ice

Carty appeared in the fourth series of the UK version of Dancing on Ice, which began on 10 January 2009. Carty partnered professional skater Susie Lipanova and was heavily criticised by the judging panel for his apparent lack of skating ability. In the weeks he and Lipanova competed, they finished bottom of the leaderboard, scoring 7.5 in their first week, 9.5 for their next appearance in week three, and 7.5 and 8.5 for weeks four and five respectively. During the routine in week three, Carty lost control on the ice so badly that he ended up stumbling into the off-stage area, disappearing from public view, leaving Lipanova to complete the routine alone, returning just in time to complete his routine to the Beatles song Help. The public vote carried the couple through to the next round and was described as one of the funniest moments captured on television. He was finally eliminated in the 5th round.

He also competed with Alexandra Schauman in the ninth and final series of Dancing on Ice, which was an "All-Stars" series.

Radio, presenting and stage

Carty's radio work includes such dramas as Les Misérables; The Three Loves of Ida Bliss, We Are Happy, Wavelength, Midweek, Jellybones, The London Particulars, Bringing Eddie Home, and The Chocolate Frigate. Narration work includes Paddington Green, the story of the New York City Subway's Guardian Angels' Scene in New York, The Fame Game, Driving Mum Crazy, Snapshot-Eddie Kidd, The Jungle Creatures, and many more. In 1989, Carty reprised the role of Tucker in the musical stage version of the television series Grange Hill: Grange Hill: Tucker's Return, at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch. Between 2007 and 2008, he toured the UK in The Business of Murder as Police Detective Hallett. Todd Carty and Wendy Richard (who played his screen mother Pauline in EastEnders) presented "50 Greatest Families" on Sky One in March 2008.

Carty also appeared in a BBC Radio 4 Play of the day "Bringing Eddie Home" by John Peacock, based on a true story of the fight by Eastend couple Edna and Jack Wallace to get their son's body brought home from Aden, and the ensuing fight for the rights of British Service service personnel. Carty played the role of the younger Jack Wallace and the play also included other ex EastEnders actors Bill Treacher, Tilly Vosburgh, Edna Doré and Joe Absolom

Carty stars as Patsy, from May 2010, in the Monty Python touring production of Spamalot.

Pantomimes

Carty has played Ali Baba in the BBC Christmas pantomime Aladdin, and starred as Buttons in Cinderella at the Gatehouse Theatre Stafford from 14 December 1993 to 2 January 1994. He later starred with Barbara Windsor as the captain's mate in Dick Whittington at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford.

He appeared as "King Rat" with Basil Brush in the pantomime Dick Whittington at the Wycombe Swan Theatre between 2005 and 2006. He reprised the role of King Rat in a new version of Dick Whittington, at the Capitol Theatre, Horsham, which ran from 13 December 2007 to 6 January 2008. In December 2008, Carty starred as the evil Ferdinand Fleshcreep (The Giant's Evil Assistant) in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Queen's Theatre in Barnstaple. The show ran from 12 December 2008 to 4 January 2009. Carty starred as Buttons in Cinderella at the Pavilion Theatre Worthing from 10 December 2009 to 3 January 2010.

Carty again played Flashcreep in Jack and the Beanstalk, in a production at the Newark Palace Theatre in Newark-on-Trent (7th December - 31st December 2016).

Directing and producing

Carty and his partner, actress/writer and film producer Dina Clarkin, have set up a film production company, Swordfish Productions. In July 2007 Carty made his directorial debut as director of several episodes of the BBC's daytime soap opera, Doctors. Carty directed his first feature film, The Perfect Burger (2010), set in the Leicestershire town of Hinckley. The film was mainly shot at the Hinckley campus of North Warwickshire and Hinckley College.

As of 2009, Carty lives in Muswell Hill, North London. He has been in a relationship since 1990 with his childhood sweetheart and business partner, actress/writer and film producer Dina Clarkin - the daughter of Irish actor Tony Clarkin. The couple have known each other since childhood through their parents, and have two sons, James and Thomas. In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Carty explained how he first met Clarkin when she was a 5-year-old child actress and he a 14-year-old, through their parents. Carty describes Dina as his soul mate.

Films

TV