EastEnders legend Shaun Williamson teases Barry Evans could make a return from the dead

EXCLUSIVE Kent actor speaks on hope for return to soap as he teams up for a new campaign with rapper Honey G
Shaun Williamson (middle) stars with Honey G (left) in a new campaign for Deliveroo
James Linsell-Clark/PinPep
Tina Campbell5 December 2023
The Weekender

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Former EastEnders star Shaun Williamson says he would be up for a return to the BBC soap and even has a way of getting around the minor detail of his character being killed off almost two decades ago.

The 58-year-old Kent-born actor starred in EastEnders for ten years as Barry Evans, who famously fell to his death after being pushed off a cliff by wife Janine Butcher in January 2004.

Since then, Janine has gone on to kill a further two times and Williamson thinks it's time for her victims to take their revenge.

Speaking to The Standard in association with Deliveroo's latest partnership with the Trussell Trust, he explained: "It is unusual when they bring back former characters from the dead in soaps, it has been done a few times. I think people are always up in arms about it, but I think after a month if a storyline is good enough they just forget about it, settle down and carry on.

"I would like Barry to come back as a ghost and haunt Janine, maybe for about four episodes. By my reckoning, she has killed about four people now, so she does need a good haunting the girl.

"She's absolutely great, Charlie Brooks [who plays Janine], we keep in touch on social media and she's a really nice person, honest!"

Away from Albert Square, Williamson has joined forces with rapper and former X Factor finalist Honey G to form the Not So Silent Night choir, an ensemble of festive Christmas carollers who are so bad at singing, they simply cannot be ignored and want people to pay them to go away.

It's all for a good cause however as they have been brought together by food delivery company Deliveroo to encourage donations to charity the Trussell Trust via its in-app round-up feature.  All proceeds raised go directly to the Trussell Trust to help provide food and vital support services for people facing hunger and since last year, Deliveroo has helped it to provide nearly three million meals.

Williamson said: “It’s been a pleasure to head up this slightly off-key bunch of carollers. We might not be the sweetest sound you’ll ever hear this festive season, but we’re cranking up the volume for the Trussell Trust, who are a charity that provide food banks for people that need them. They have 1300 in the UK and support over 600,000 people which is tragic but necessary.

"The Trussell Trust has a great partnership with Deliveroo, who ask for a round-up service on their app. So if your meal costs for example £14.40, you can raise it up to £15 and just give the sixty pence to the Trussell Trust and it's a partnership that has worked brilliantly so far."

Shaun Williamson can be seen leading the Not So Silent Night choir in a rehearsal
James Linsell-Clark/PinPep

He is also currently appearing in pantomime as Captain Hook in Hook - The Further Adventures of Peter Pan at the Kings Theatre Portsmouth with TOWIE favourite James Argent. 

"Oh, yes I am!" the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant laughs. "Panto dominates Christmas [for me], it's my twentieth year on the trot apart from Covid, so the family are used to it by now. They usually come and visit me at a rented Airbnb somewhere." Shaun Williamson and Honey G lead Deliveroo's Not So Silent Night Choir who are singing to raise vital funds for food bank charity the Trussell Trust via Deliveroo's in-app round up feature.

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