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There is a lost EastEnders Christmas special which showed groundbreaking gay character Barry Clark come out to his homophobic dad.

In 1986, bosses on the BBC drama cast the first ever gay couple on the soap with Michael Cashman and Gary Hailes playing Colin Russell and Barry.

The two characters were the first openly gay couple to share a kiss in a British soap. Gary Webster joined EastEnders in 1987 playing Barry’s protective older brother Graham Clark who accepted his sibling was a homosexual man.

Former Minder star Webster has now revealed that an entire Christmas episode was filmed in 1987 around Barry emotionally revealing his sexuality to their father, who hated homosexuals.

Webster insists the unique episode was in the can and due to air on Christmas Eve but when he sat down to watch it, bosses had lost their nerve and left it on the cutting room floor instead airing an episode forcing on Pauline and Arthur Fowler’s broken oven and Sharon Watts coping with Christmas with her parents Angie and Den separated.

None of the scenes were ever shown on the soap.

Webster said: “I was very proud to be a part of that storyline, absolutely. “That was really groundbreaking writing. Not only having Colin and Barry’s relationship out there, accepted or not accepted. It wasn’t for effect it was a reflection of what was happening to people in those relationships.

“It was fantastic writing, the idea that his brother would be fully accepting of it as well, when everyone thought the brother would find it unacceptable. At that time they could have gone further. I remember we shot a whole Christmas episode of the father of Barry and Graham – my character – finding out his son was gay, and he wasn’t accepting of it. It had all been building to that culmination of the father coming into the pub.

“We filmed 15 scenes and it was a whole episode at Christmas. I sat down to watch it at Christmas and they had pulled it and had shot something else. I think they just lost their bottle a little bit at that time.

“No, never broadcast. I don’t what happened to it. All I know is that my parents were sitting down with my aunt and uncle, my current girlfriend at the time was sitting down with her parents on Christmas Eve. I’d told them I’m featured in this episode a lot, this is going to be a big episode. I was sat down on my own, I saw the opening scene and I suddenly realised, ‘Oh my god! This has changed. This is not the episode that we shot.’

“Back in those days if you got an episode on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day it was the pinnacle of your career. Then I thought, ‘I just look like I’m a big liar. Now I’m going to have to take the flak of people going, ‘Right, so you were going to be in a big episode?’ Everyone doubted me for years afterwards.”

Webster – who stars in new independent British horror movie Harbinger – believes the episode was dropped because bosses on EastEnders feared the British public weren’t ready for it.

Despite that history-making episode never making it to television screens, Webster says being a part of the Colin and Barry story is one of the proudest acting jobs of his long career.

He said: “To be a part of that storyline, to work with Gary Hailes and Michael Cashman who played Barry and Colin – I still keep in contact with them both – I look back on that and I am proud of my part of that storyline. It was EastEnders at its very best. “What everyone forgets, people in my industry and in that London scene, we probably lived in a bit of a bubble than what was going on in the rest of the country.

“I felt that maybe people at that time weren’t ready for that yet. But I think people are ready for it at any time. You have to have more faith in the public.”

Webster made a return to EastEnders in 2016 as new character Neville Peacock. The actor still watches the soap and insists it is vital it remains on screens as it is a hotbed of new talent.

He said: “EastEnders is in a battle but I still think the basics and foundations are great, the same with Coronation Street and all the soaps. They are a great breeding ground for great talent whether it’s in front of the camera or behind the camera. People still like that regularity of storyline and characters they now and love. It’s just getting it out there, because there are so many other platforms.

“I did about four episodes of EastEnders as a different character in 2016. There was some hope that I might return. Hope is one thing, reality is another. It doesn’t bother me if something doesn’t quite work out, that’s just the nature of the business we’re in.

“If they called me again I would be thrilled and honoured to be in the show. “I still think there is a lot of value to the soap operas. In this country we do them extremely well. It’s a hot bed for new talent, discovery of new talent across the board that we would lose at our peril. If we allow that to just slip away I think the industry would suffer across the board. I’m a great advocate of retaining all those returning dramas.”

The BBC declined to comment but a soap source said EastEnders had “a rich history of championing LGBTQA+ storylines and characters over its 41-year tenure”.

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When Strictly foxtrots back on to our screens later this month, it will be the first time in 14 years without longest serving female pro dancer Karen Hauer, who shimmied her way through more than 100 numbers on the show. But she’s not ready to kick off her dancing shoes just yet – revealing her ambition to cha-cha her way into the role of fiery Puerto Rican, Anita, in West Side Story. She says: “My dream role would be Anita in West Side Story. The world is my oyster.”

When Strictly’s new season launches on Saturday 19 September, it will also be the first time Karen has watched it live. She says: “I’ve never watched it live – I was always in it.”

And Karen – who announced her departure in a statement on social media in March – is not the only high profile departure. Longtime hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have also left, as have pro dancers Gorka Márquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas. Karen says: “Things have to evolve. Whether people like it or not.”

But Karen will be rooting for the new hosts, Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Rabede. She says: “The new series is so exciting. I’ll definitely be watching my friends and I’m really looking forward to seeing Johannes, Emma and especially Josh. I danced with him on the Christmas Special dressed as penguins.”

Karen, who was in the show from 2012 to 2025, has already started her new chapter – playing teacher Mavis in Devonshire Park Theatre’s production of the Richard Harris comedy, Stepping Out in Eastbourne until the end of April, before taking it on tour until the end of September. She will then be playing the Wicked Queen in Snow White at The Princess Theatre, Torquay, in December and January.

She says: “I’d been preparing myself mentally for a long time to leave [Strictly]. I’m doing great, I’m really happy. I’m going to miss Strictly, but I’m definitely enjoying my new chapter.”

But the dancer was shocked by the outpouring of love she felt from fans when she announced her departure. She says: “I’ve never felt so much love. I made such an impact without even actually knowing. I was shocked. I was like, ‘how come you guys didn’t vote for me to win?’ Goddamn it.”

Giving no dramatic reason for going, she simply says it was “the right time” to go, adding: “There’s a time when you just have to go, ‘okay, well, that’s a wrap.’ Now I have free time. I don’t know what’s going to happen in five years. So, I’m literally living the best life that I can right now, and not overthinking about the future.”

The first to admit to being a romantic, Karen has had three husbands. She was married to dancer Matthew Hauer from 2000 to 2009, to fellow Strictly pro dancer Kevin Clifton from 2015 to 2018 and then to fitness professional Jordan Wyn-Jones from 2022 to 2023.

But she now shares her rural home near Preston, Greater Manchester, with her boyfriend of three years, rugby player Simon Davidson and four rescue dogs, Betty, Phoebe, Marley and Joe. After her hectic Strictly schedule, she says of Simon: “It’s probably really weird for him to have me home.”

Positive she has now found ‘The One,’ she continues: “I love love. I think love is incredible, and I found it in Simon. I love being in a partnership, and in a partnership that’s healthy. “Knowing what a healthy relationship looks like and being in it … I think that’s what I love is, and that’s what I’ve been searching for. Joy for me is being at home with Simon and the dogs.”

Honouring her love of dogs, in November, Karen is hosting the The Burns Bravery Awards, in which the pet nutrition brand is calling on people to nominate Britain’s Bravest Dogs. Research from Burns Pet Nutrition reveals that three-quarters of owners say they turn to their dog when they’ve had a bad day.

And Karen can see why, saying: “My rescue dogs are the best thing to ever happen to me. Mentally, physically, my dogs get me out of bed, they get me out for a walk. My dogs have been through all my ups and downs. I think my dogs need therapy now.”

The dancer also turns to her mum Mirian when she needs comfort or inspiration. She says: “She inspires me every day. ‘It’s not going to be easy, kid, but you got this’ – that’s what I’ve always known since I was a kid. I’ve always fought and I’ve seen my mum struggle. I’ve seen what it takes to make it – not just as a person on television, but to make it in life.

“My mum raised three kids in New York City, in the Bronx, on her own. She always says, ‘don’t let your head get to the clouds.’ And that’s why I’ve always been very grounded, no matter what kind of job or who I’ve met. We’re all the same. On Strictly, I was never the flashy one, I was always grateful that first of all I had a job – and one that I loved and which entertained the entire nation.”

Karen made it to the Strictly final twice, with partners Jamie Laing and Mark Wright, but never lifted the glitterball. She says: “I was winning every year just being there. It’s great getting a 10, it’s fantastic, but it’s the moments that bring a smile to people’s faces and make them go, ‘That was really funny’, that I’ll remember the most.”

One such moment was when Anton Du Beke and Ann Widdecombe danced together at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom in 2010. This hilarious moment was how she likes to remember the long serving former Conservative MP, who died on July 9, aged 78, and whose death is now the subject of a murder inquiry.

Speaking fondly of Ann and Anton, Karen says: “He took her by the hand and the foot and was just swinging her around in a yellow dress. I was on the floor, peeing myself. It’s those moments, that’s what Strictly’s about.” Meanwhile, Karen gave her many famous Strictly partners – who included Westlife’s Nicky Byrne, actor Greg Wise and comedian Jayde Adams – the same advice.

She says: “I told all of my celebrities, ‘you have to enjoy it. We’re going to work hard, but I want to have a laugh. If you’re not having a laugh, then this is not going to work.’ A lot of people find it really hard to enjoy it, because there’s so much panic.”

Another of Karen’s favourite moments came in 2019, during Halloween week, when her wig came clean off her head on live TV.

“It was hilarious,” says Karen. “But so what if your wig comes off? People are going to remember that you made them smile. That’s what I’ll remember when I’m 85 … or dancing with Jeremy Vine coming out of a bath, or with the late Dave Myers, who I absolutely adored. Wow, I was living the dream, wasn’t I?”

*Following a public voting period, winners will be announced at the Burns Bravery Awards in November. For more information, and to nominate your dog, enter at burnspet.co.uk/pages/burns-bravery-awards

Escape to Jamaica for 7 nights with a stay at the stunning 5* Sandals Ochi in Ocho Rios.

12:00, 03 Sep 2026Updated 13:11, 03 Sep 2026

We’re giving Premium subscribers a chance to enjoy a luxury five-star holiday for two in Jamaica!

The lucky winner can look forward to relaxing at the five-star Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in a standard room on an All-Inclusive basis, surrounded by tropical gardens, beautiful pools and that unmistakable laid-back Jamaican atmosphere. Spend your days soaking up the sunshine, enjoying the resort’s restaurants and bars, or simply relaxing with a cocktail in hand.

The prize will also include round-trip flights from London (via Miami) as well as resort transfers to and from the airport.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the holiday of a lifetime! To enter, simply fill out your details using the form below.

This competition is open until 23:45pm on Sunday, October 4, 2026.