wˈʌn ʌv hɪz fˈɜːst tˈɛlᵻvˌɪʒən ɹˈoʊlz wʌz ɪnðə kˈɑːmədi sˈɪɹiz nˈɛvɚ ðə twˈeɪn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi wˈʌn, bˌʌt hɪz bˈɪɡ bɹˈeɪk kˈeɪm ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi fˈaɪv wɛn hiː wʌz kˈæst æz wˈʌn ʌvðɪ ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəl kˈæɹɪktɚz ɪnðə bˌiːbˌiːsˈiː wˈʌn sˈoʊp ˈɑːpɚɹə, ˈiːst ˈɛndɚz.
One of his first television roles was in the comedy series Never the Twain in 1981, but his big break came in 1985 when he was cast as one of the original characters in the BBC One soap opera, EastEnders.