EastEnders star John Partridge has reflected on the lasting legacy of Christian Clarke and Syed Masood’s love story – and how the positive reaction took everyone by surprise. The popular actor has revealed all in the latest edition of Soap Scoop – Inside Soap’s weekly podcast, which has soap star interviews every Tuesday.

The BBC soap aired one of its most iconic storylines in 2009, exploring the heartwarming relationship between John’s character Christian and Walford newcomer Syed. The story explored how Syed risked it all to be with Christian, despite pressures from his family and concerns over what the relationship would mean for his Muslim faith.

“It’s only with time that you realise the impact of a story,” reflects John in our chat. “Even now, fans of ‘Chryed’ still come to my shows and support me – and I’m so grateful for that.

“It became a story about two people in impossible circumstances. Everyone can relate to that, whether you’re gay, straight, religious, or not – from the white van man to an 80-year-old gran – falling in love with someone your parents don’t approve of, or who doesn’t seem right for you on paper. That’s what it became about.”

That said, John tells us that EastEnders bosses were braced for backlash when they committed to the plot in 2009.

“It’s very difficult to tell a gay story at 7.30 in the evening without offending somebody,” says John. “They thought we [John and Marc Elliot, who played Syed] were going to be annihilated for it.

“We were run through police scenarios, we even had police on our doorsteps at the beginning, just to make sure that nobody came to our home addresses. Yet the reaction from the audience was the opposite of what they thought.”

The rest is history, with Christian and Syed earning an army of fans who were thrilled to witness the couple eventually marry and head off for a new life in America. Although it could have looked very differently had John not passed his EastEnders audition.

“When I went in for Christian they were like, ‘You read the worst, you are absolutely awful – but you are the part,'” recalls John. “They said, ‘If we took all the words away and just let you talk, that’s who we’re looking for.

“People ask me, don’t you get sick of being asked about EastEnders? And I say no, I love it,” adds John. “Christian is still a massive part of who I am, and I still carry him with me today. I think we started something really big with the Chryed fandom and stories like theirs really kicked into gear after that. I’m so grateful for my time there.”

John is currently treading the boards with former Coronation Street star Tracie Bennett in The Code, a 1930s-set play about closeted sexuality in Hollywood.

Hit play below for the full chat to find out more about the play, John’s EastEnders memories, and how he really felt about being part of a truly explosive series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2016. It’s a refreshingly candid chat that you won’t want to miss…

The Code is playing now at the Southwark Playhouse until 11 October. Head to southwarkplayhouse.co.uk to book tickets.