for 13 years, becoming one of the longest-running male cast members. In July 2002, the BBC announced Mark Fowler was being written out of the serial, a mutual decision between the producers and Carty. Executive producer Louise Berridge said Carty had made a "fantastic contribution" to the soap and Mark had been a "pivotal figure", but the character had finally run its course: "Todd and I have discussed this at some length and agreed that it was time for Mark to hang up his leather jacket for the last time. We will all miss Todd, who is one of our best-loved actors, and wish him every success in the future." Carty made his final appearance as Mark in February 2003, riding out of the Square on his motorbike. The character subsequently died off-screen in 2004. After leaving EastEnders in 2003, Carty went on to play the villainous PC Gabriel Kent, in ITV's The Bill from 2003 to 2005. Carty has since revealed he broke his EastEnders contract a year earlier than planned to take on this new role. In 2019, Todd Carty shared his memories of playing Gabriel in an interview for The Bill Podcast. Other television and film appearances Carty starred as Randy Candy in the film The Candy Show (1989). While still in EastEnders in 1997, Carty appeared with former EastEnders co-star Nick Berry in the Victorian period adventure film The Black Velvet Band, a Spaghetti Western-style drama. Carty was the subject of a This Is Your Life tribute in 2000. Guests included Wendy Richard, Norman Wisdom, Nick Berry, his girlfriend Dina Clarkin, sons James Carty and Thomas Carty, and his father-in-law, actor Tony Clarkin. After leaving The Bill in 2005, Carty returned to the big screen as the aristocrat Harvey Van Bollingbroke in the film Treasure of Albion (2006). Carty acted in The School that Roared (2009) as the eccentric Mr Haig, and was also the second-unit director. He appeared as Mr Keller in the 2010 film Blame. Carty has guest-starred as Ray Hallam in the Christmas special of the TV series Heartbeat, and in BBC's Holby City, as villain Cameron Cooke. In 2008, he guest-starred in BBC's Doctors, playing the part of Kev Blake. In 2003, Carty reprised the role of Tucker Jenkins in Grange Hill, as the uncle of one of the pupils, Patrick "Togger" Johnson. He appeared in just this one episode, but he