Former EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt has paid tribute to co-star Bill Treacher, who has died aged 92 and played Arthur Fowler.
Adam, who played Ian Beale for decades, said he had "so many memories of working with Bill," and recalled his "twinkle in his eye."
Speaking after the news of Bill's death, Adam said: "So many memories of working with Bill, most of them involving him making us corpse.
"He would get this twinkle in his eye, you’d start laughing and he never got the blame."
Adam continued: "I used to love it when he was trying to remember his lines in rehearsal and he would just blunder and bluster until the correct word came out."
Finishing his tribute, Adam told the BBC: "Rest in peace Bill. I hope there are some roses up there for you to tend."
Bill was one of the BBC soap’s original cast members and appeared from 1985 until 1996.
He died late on Saturday night after suffering declining health for some time.
A statement from his family said: "The family of the actor Bill Treacher are sad to announce that Bill died late Saturday night, 5 November 2022.
"He was 92 years old and his health had been declining for some time. He was much loved by his wife, Kate, his son, Jamie and his daughter, Sophie.
"Bill was a brilliant actor and a wonderful husband and father, plus a very fine human being. He will be hugely missed."
Treacher was married to Australian actress Katherine Kessey, with whom he shared two children, and they were longstanding residents in Suffolk.
In 2015, he said he was suffering from ataxia, a disorder that can affect co-ordination, balance and speech.
Treacher appeared in EastEnders until 1996, when his troubled character Arthur Fowler was in prison for a crime he did not commit.
After receiving a blow to his head during a violent fracas, Arthur was released but later suffered a brain haemorrhage at his beloved allotment. He died in hospital, leaving the Fowler family heartbroken.
After his character was killed off, Treacher had roles in The Bill and Casualty, and films such as The Musketeer (2001), Tale Of The Mummy (1998), and George And The Dragon (2004).
As well as Adam, Gillian Taylforth, who played Kathy Beal in EastEnders, said shared her happy memories of Bill.
She said: "In fact we were only sharing stories of him at work the other day, about how he always had a sparkle in his eyes, usually before he mischievously set us off laughing during scenes.
"Bill was a wonderful, wonderful man who will be truly missed and I am sending all our love to his wife Kate and his family."
Letitia Dean, another original cast member who played Sharon Watts, said: "Bill really was the life and soul of the set, he was an absolute joy to be around and always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
"As an actor, Bill was meticulous and he went to great lengths to portray Arthur, from the smallest scenes to the heartbreaking stories."
