EastEnders' Adam Croasdell bought a motorbike after an overwhelming fan encounter on a London bus
Adam Croasdell played Dr Al Jenkins on EastEnders from 2009 until 2010.
EastEnders alum Adam Croasdell bought a motorbike to avoid overwhelming fan encounters after some mobbed him on a London bus.
The 46-year-old actor dismissed a castmate's warning that his life was "going to change" when his first episode as Dr Al Jenkins aired on May 1, 2009.
However, Adam quickly realised what his colleague meant after commuters on a London bus recognised the star and went over to ask for autographs and quiz him about the BBC soap.
He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "One of my castmates said to me, 'Listen, when's your first episode airing?' I said, 'Tomorrow,' and I turned back to continue talking to someone else.
"She put her hand on my shoulder, turned me around, and went, 'Your life's going to change tomorrow.'
"I went, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah,' and turned back to my friend again. She turned me back around and goes, 'Mate, your life is going to change tomorrow.' She said it very directly to me. It gave me pause.
"The next day, after my first episode came out, I was getting on a bus into Central London. As I tapped my card, the doors closed, the bus pulled away, and someone at the back shouted, 'Ere! Aren't you the doctor in EastEnders?'
"Suddenly, people wanted to know more and get an autograph. I was like, 'Oh my God.' There were so many people on the bus I couldn't move. It was very surprising."
The overwhelming response made Adam think of a way he could travel around London without being mobbed by EastEnders fans.
He said: "A couple of days later, I went and bought a motorcycle so I could get in and out of town more anonymously."
Al had a close relationship with many of Walford's residents, notably Heather Trott (Cheryl Fergison), who first told the doctor about her pregnancy with George.
The character also struck up romances with the likes of Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner), Chelsea Fox (Tiana Benjamin), and Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), the latter of whom he truly loved.
In 2010, Al was offered another job in Cornwall and begged Roxy to leave with him. But after she refused, he departed alone in the February 4 episode.
Adam will "always be very grateful" to EastEnders as it allowed him to achieve his childhood dream of living and working as an actor in the United States, where he has starred in the likes of The Electric State, NCIS, and The Odyssey.
The entertainer said: "EastEnders provided me with the money to jump across the pond and start a new life."
Adam added: "My story starts a little before England. I was born and raised in Zimbabwe, in Africa, to English parents. And ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to be in American films.
"I wanted to be an astronaut. And then I realised that I wanted to be an astronaut because I'd seen astronauts in films and on TV. And so I was like, 'Oh, you can be an astronaut and all these other things as well.'
"But being a young lad in Zimbabwe, I used to watch television, both British and American shows, go to the cinema often, and dream about being in American movies.
"And so in a way, I mean, being in EastEnders was a massive job to get and an incredible show to be part of. But, in a way, I always felt that I would end up in the United States.
"So to my little self back in Africa, I would never have dreamt that I’d be in EastEnders. But somehow in EastEnders, I always hoped that I might be in America making American movies."
