EE - Shane Ritchie - Why I Left

Post by **faceless** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 8:42 am

SHANE: I QUIT OVER ALFIE PLOT
By Pete Samson

SHANE Richie quit East- Enders because Alfie Moon was kicked out of the Queen Vic, the actor revealed yesterday. He said he wanted to avoid the same fate as his character and "decided to jump before I was pushed". Shane, 42, was worried about changes being made by producer Kathleen "The Hatchet" Hutchison. When it was decided to replace Alfie behind the bar with Dirty Den, Shane felt he had to go. He said: "I thought Alfie deserved to be at The Vic. I thought maybe his bubble had burst."

The soap has struggled since Alfie's Christmas departure, with ratings hitting all-time lows. Hutchison was axed weeks later when the cast threatened a revolt. Now Shane stars in the comedy-drama What We Did On Our Holiday on ITV on October 8. He plays the loving son of a man suffering from Parkinson's disease. He said: "I'm scared lots of people are going to tune in to see Alfie Moon and be disappointed."

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Post by **Skylace** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 2:08 pm

I really miss Shane but it makes sense why he left. I am looking forward to his new show and will give it a fair shot.

HandoGod · Post by **HandoGod** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:52 pm

Thanks for the info. It's a shame he left, but I'm looking forward to seeing him do something different.

Post by **eefanincan** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:29 am

I miss his character but hope viewers give his new show a chance and not expect the "Alfie" character.

Post by **Skylace** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:32 am

eefanincan wrote:I miss his character but hope viewers give his new show a chance and not expect the "Alfie" character.

I really miss Alfie too. And I thought the character was really never the same when he wasn't working in the Vic. I thought putting Den back behind the bar was a bit predictable and didn't like it much.

tasst · Post by **tasst** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:29 pm

Alfie is missed from the EE, he's not easily replaced.