Stunned EastEnders fans said goodbye to Steven Beale on Friday night in shock scenes that saw the character mysteriously flatline.
It was a bit of an unexpected end for Steven given he’d managed to escape the raging fire earlier only to die in hospital.
Steven died in hospital after escaping a raging fire [Credit: BBC]Read more: Corrie’s ‘Tina’ now turns up in Cold Feet too!
But actor Aaron Sidwell has deemed it the perfect exit for his character – and even compared the scenario to a Shakespeare play.
That’s a pretty grand statement!
He told Metro: “What felt particularly fitting about it was the tragedy of it all – it was a very Shakespearean tragedy in that Steven finds out the girl he’s fallen in love with, and who loves him too, is carrying his child and all his crimes are forgiven.
“It’s everything that he’s ever wanted in life but he doesn’t get to have it.
“It was very apt for that to be Steven’s end.”
Abi was heartbroken as Steven flatlined in front of her [Credit: BBC]Aaron added: “His whole life has been so tragic yet we’ve just seen him make the decision to not be that person – to try to save Jane, and yet that’s the decision that cost him his life.”
As for how he hopes viewers remember Steven, he said: “I think that Steven is an iconic character and the fact we had Nasty Nick, Dirty Den and now, as the audience have named him, Psycho Steven.
“That in itself, the fact he has a ‘name’ tells you what an iconic character he was.”
Just moments before Steven succumbed to his injuries he’d had a heartfelt and emotional chat with pregnant Abi and vowed to “try and be a better person” and make it up to her and the baby.
It seemed like there could be a happy future for Steven and Abi as he declared his love, she cried, they held hands… but those cruel EastEnders scriptwriters whipped that away by having Steven flatline minutes later.
Aaron reacted to his character’s death on Instagram [Credit: Instagram @aaronsidwell1988]Reacting to his character’s death via Twitter, Aaron said: “Amazing ten year period. Thank you EastEnders and Steven Beale.
“RIP Steven Beale. Thank you for the memories.”
He thanked fans for their support on Twitter [Credit: Twitter @aaronsidwell]The star’s soap colleagues have also been reacting to his departure, including Jacqueline Jossa, aka Lauren Branning, who said on Instagram: “Wow! What can I say my brother!
“You have been a pleasure to work with! See you on the other side boy! Love ya!!!!”
Co-star Jacqueline Jossa paid tribute to Aaron after the scenes aired, using a photo from her summer wedding [Credit: Instagram @JacJossa] Shona McGarty was in tears over the emotional scenes [Credit: Twitter @ShonaBM]Shona McGarty (Whitney Carter) tweeted: “So I’ve only just stopped crying! Brilliant episode tonight!”
Read more: Corrie’s Rita reveals the truth behind her terrifying memory loss
Of course, it’s not the last we’ll see of Aaron, 28, who has landed a huge role in a touring production of Wicked across the UK and Ireland next year.
See you in the theatre queue!