Jamie Foreman has revealed that EastEnders is ‘nowhere near the highlight’ of his acting career as he accused show bosses of failing to keep promises made before he joined the soap.

The actor, 67, played Derek Branning from November 2011 until the character’s death in the dramatic Christmas Day episode of 2012.

Despite his role in one of Walford’s most infamous families, Jamie said he doesn’t consider the part a standout moment in his career – even though it gave him the opportunity to work alongside icons like Dame Barbara Windsor. 

Speaking on the Lewis Nicholls show, Jamie admitted: ‘I’m going to be a little bit controversial here.

‘I don’t see EastEnders as anywhere near the highlight of my career.

From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail’s new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.

Jamie Foreman has revealed that EastEnders is ‘nowhere near the highlight’ of his acting career as he accused show bosses of failing to keep promises made before he joined the soap

The actor, 67, played Derek Branning from November 2011 until the character’s death in the dramatic Christmas Day episode of 2012 (pictured in 2011)

‘It was a lovely job and I respect it. But for me… they’d asked me so many times before.’ 

He went on to explain that producers promised him flexibility and favourable working conditions before he signed on.

He continued: ‘They said, “it’s with the best family, it’s full on, you can do as long as you want”. I said, “I only want to do it for a year.”

‘I went and met with them and they made me all manner of promises that they never kept, like “you’ll never work a Saturday”. I did every Saturday. I was the first in, last out every day.’

The BBC declined to comment, and Jamie’s representative has also been approached. 

During his short tenure on the show, Derek Branning made a significant impact. He had an affair with Kat Slater, tormented Pat Butcher on her deathbed, and revealed the truth about Dennis Rickman to his son, Denny Watts. 

This isn’t the first time Jamie has voiced criticism of his time on EastEnders. 

In a 2013 appearance on Daybreak, he said: ‘I hated the scenes in the Queen Vic, I’m terribly sorry to everybody!

Despite his role in one of Walford’s most infamous families, Jamie said he doesn’t consider the part a standout moment in his career – even though it gave him the opportunity to work alongside icons like Dame Barbara Windsor (both pictured 2016)

Speaking on the Lewis Nicholls show, Jamie admitted: ‘I’m going to be a little bit controversial here. I don’t see EastEnders as anywhere near the highlight of my career’ 

He went on to explain that producers also promised him he would ‘never work a Saturday’, however, they broke their promise as he claimed: ‘I did every Saturday. I was the first in, last out every day’ 

Read More ‘I nearly pegged it’: Former EastEnders star Jamie Foreman reveals he suffered a heart attack just like his soap character Derek Branning

‘I’m sure a lot of the cast will say the same thing – they’re so long and laborious.

‘You’ve got to stand there and wait for somebody over there to stop talking, so you’re listening to that conversation, then it cuts to somebody else. You never shoot a scene quickly in there.’

In 2020, Jamie revealed he suffered a heart attack, just like his character did in the BBC soap.

Speaking to The Sun about his health scare, Jamie said: ‘I had a mᴀssive heart attack a couple of years back and nearly pegged it. 

‘That put everything in perspective. All the years and energy I’d spent stressing about work and now I think “I’ve been there, done that”.’

Jamie has had an illustrious film and TV career, starring in movies such as Layer Cake, Oliver Twist and Nil By Mouth. 

Despite his successful career, he has been candid about the challenges he’s faced in finding work.

In 2020, Jamie revealed he suffered a heart attack, just like his character did in the BBC soap (pictured in 2018)

Speaking to The Sun about his health scare, Jamie said: ‘I had a mᴀssive heart attack a couple of years back and nearly pegged it,’ (pictured in character as Derek)

He told the Business & Money supplement in The Sunday Times: ‘I’ve been sort of struggling on the work front.

‘I wasn’t terribly well a few years ago and it made me really reappraise things, so I’m in a transitional period. I’m only working if something nice comes in.

‘My wife and I set up a little fashion business, Jules Boutique, in Surrey a while ago, which is her shop really and it’s still burgeoning.’ 

Jamie was previously married to EastEnders actress Carol Harrison, who played Louise Raymond. They share a son, Alfie.