Rudolph Walker, the actor best known for playing Patrick Trueman on EastEnders, has said he has no regrets about his role in the controversial 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour, despite recent criticism over its handling of race.
The sitcom, which ran from 1972 to 1976 across eight series and 54 episodes, centres on Eddie Booth (Jack Smethurst), a white working-class socialist who becomes outraged when a black couple, Bill (Rudolph Walker) and Barbie Reynolds (Nina Baden-Semper), move in next door. The show depicts Eddie and Bill's rivalry, while their wives become friends and attempt to keep the peace.
Walker describes the role as a 'big stepping stone'
In his tell-all book, Walking with Dignity, released in 2024, Walker described the sitcom as a career highlight. He said he was 'proud and delighted' to have been cast in the role, despite the backlash it received.
Walker wrote: 'I played the part with all the dignity I could muster, and it made my name, for which I'm grateful.' He added: 'Many feel it is one of those roles I might wish not to acknowledge, but it was a big stepping stone for me and although I can respect – and share – other views today, at the time it was a great opportunity.'
The actor, born in Trinidad, revealed that the streets of his hometown would become deserted whenever the show aired, as locals were delighted to see him become a household name.
Walker opens up about financial struggles and 'utter despair'
Walker's book also delves into his childhood and upbringing in Trinidad, as well as his often challenging relationship with his mother. He recalled breaking down on his way to the Elstree set, tormented by the 'utter despair' of his secretive struggle while starring on EastEnders.
His financial problems began in the mid-2010s following his divorce from his second wife, Dounne Alexander MBE, whom he married in 1998. His legal costs left him struggling financially, and by his seventies, after more than 40 years as an actor, he was left with very little apart from his car.
He confessed: 'It was painful. It was extremely difficult. I just didn't have any financial means. I was literally starting from scratch again in my 70s, with nowhere to live. It was a time of great pain and loneliness.'
Determined to conceal his struggles from colleagues, Walker revealed: 'Some days on my way to the studio, I would pull up at the side of the road, have a cry. I'd pull myself together, arrive at the studio and the environment would act as a tonic, and I was ready to go. I suppose it was a sort of double life.'
