EastEnders' Adam Croasdell pretended to be Richard Hammond as fan mistook him for ex-Top Gear host
Former EastEnders star Adam Croasdell played along with the fan's mistake in thinking he was ex-Top Gear host Richard Hammond
EastEnders alum Adam Croasdell pretended to be Richard Hammond after a fan mistook him for the ex-Top Gear host.
While playing Dr Al Jenkins on the BBC soap from 2009 until 2010, Adam was stopped in Covent Garden, London, by a woman, and rather than disappointing her, he played along with the mix-up.
Adam, 46, exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "I was walking in Covent Garden one day, and this lady came up to me, and she went, 'Ere! Ain’t you the geezer from TV?' I went, 'Er, yeah, I am.'
"And she goes, 'Yeah, I knew I recognised you. It’s one of my favourite shows.'
"And I was like, 'Oh, that’s so nice.'
"She goes, 'Top Gear, right? Richard Hammond, right?'
"And I couldn’t let her down, so I let her believe she’d met Richard Hammond that day."
That was not the only funny situation Adam found himself in.
He recalled: "The moment you are on EastEnders, people want you to be a face for their product or to promote things.
"I remember going to an event one night, and there was a bank of photographers, and we were ushered in front of them.
"And some guy just walked straight up to me, and he planted a beautiful bottle of vodka in my hand, and he just goes, 'There you go, just walk out there.' He was just hoping that I would.
"And I don’t drink, so I was like, 'Mate, I know what you’re doing, but I can’t carry this out there and be the face of it for you.'
"So I handed it straight back to him."
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."
