EastEnders legend Sid Owen has written off his £30,000 boat and ruined his latest business venture following a drunken mishap on the River Thames. The soap star, best known for playing Ricky Butcher on the long-running BBC show, had ambitious plans to host VIP tours along the river near his London home after investing in a second-hand pleasure cruiser.
Just days after purchasing the 33-foot vessel named Rolling on the River with a friend, the actor crashed it into an overhanging tree. Onlookers at a marina in West London claimed that Sid, 54, had been drinking during the trip and lost control of the vessel. The boat, which would be worth around £115,000 new, quickly took on water, forcing Sid to abandon ship.
One witness told The Sun: 'The boat hit something, it looked like an overhanging tree, and there was an almighty banging noise. Next thing the boat has run aground completely close to the river bank and someone was climbing out - I couldn't believe it when I realised who it was. He's very recognisable, and I just knew him straight away as Ricky from EastEnders. It looked as though he'd had a few beers – and he didn't stick around to deal with it. He was quickly on his way!'
It is believed that Sid and his business partner will face a substantial bill to remove the boat from the water before incurring potential fines from the Environment Agency. An Instagram account advertising the boat's VIP tours shows photos of the vessel's interiors and it moored at a marina, with instructions to 'DM for prices and dates'. A representative for Sid has been contacted by the Daily Mail for comment.
Sid's acting career took off in 1988 when he joined EastEnders, before he first left in 2012 after his character broke up with Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). He made a comeback for guest appearances in 2022 and 2023 after a decade away, reprising his role as the mechanic, before leaving screens again in 2023. His last acting job aside from EastEnders was in the short film Angels And Cowboys, which premiered in 2016. He has also made several reality TV appearances on shows such as Celebrity MasterChef and Channel 4's Banged Up.
