Shaun Williamson looks back on being Barry in EastEnders, Barrioke and working in Pontins on the Isle of Wight as he prepares to take the lead in The Kings Theatre's Pompey Panto, Hook

The actor, best known for playing lovable loser Barry Evans in EastEnders actually left the hit soap in a row over wanting to do panto.

However, the star, refuses to knock the show, which he appeared in from 1994 to 2004. “I owe EastEnders everything regarding my profile because at the time it was watched by 20m people, it was huge. I got Extras through that with Ricky Gervais – it all came from being Barry, so I would never, ever knock the show.

"But back then they didn't let you do something like let you go on Strictly and then go back to the show, or go on this and go back to the show, so it was quite confining. After 10 years, in fairness, it was all I'd done. I'd left drama school at 30, I was a late starter, and it was through sheer incredibly good luck that I got into the show within six months. Ten years later it was all I'd done as a professional actor, so I just wanted to do different things.

"They could have done with me staying until St Valentine's Day 2004, because that's when I was supposed to find out that (scheming wife) Janine was cheating on me, but I'd had enough, so I signed to do a pantomime. Not arrogantly, but I was just going to tell them, so they terminated my contract early and I got pushed off a cliff in Scotland on New Year's Day instead.

“If it wasn't for the panto I would have left shortly after anyway.”

Given that even soap characters thought to be literally dead and buried have a habit of returning, does he reckon he could make a return to Albert Square? "Barry spoke at Cindy's funeral in 1999, I think, so no one was more surprised than me when she came back,” he laughs at the character’s recent return. “Anything's possible, but where Barry could have been all this time? I don't know, maybe he's the wild man of the Highlands! I think it would be a bit far-fetched...”

So is he a panto veteran now? “You might think so, right? If I said to you, I think this might be number 20, then you'd think: ‘wow, that's a lot’. But I was talking to my friend Ian Lavender (Dad’s Army’s Private Pike, and on EastEnders as Derek, alongside Shaun) and he's done 50 or something! So I've got a little way to go yet, but I've earnt my spurs, as they say.”

And the actor does enjoy getting his teeth into being the bad guy.

“This is about my fifth time as Hook. When I first started doing panto, because Barry was a reasonably inoffensive character, a bit of a cuddly loser, I played goodies – Buttons, Idle Jack, those sorts of roles. But you never have nearly as much fun as when you're playing the villain.

“To be able to legally scream at kids... I'm joking! But some of those school matinees are just madness.

“There is a licence with panto to go really over the top - in a normal play it might like a bit odd, but you can do what you want in panto and no one's really going to judge you on it as long as you turn up on time, learn your lines and don't trip over the furniture – you can go as far as you want with it.”

Before drama school, Shaun’s first job in the world of entertainment was as a Bluecoat at Pontins across the water – on the Isle of Wight.

"Somebody said to me, you want to get into the holiday camps – it was just when karaoke was starting to take off, so I realised I had a voice. I went along for the auditions as a Pontins Bluecoat and a Butlins Redcoat, and I got the Pontins job where I took over from (fellow EastEnder) Shane Richie. I remember it distinctly because in my first season, everyone was going: 'Where's Shane?'

“It was a brilliant job – I had to referee the wrestling, I was the children's uncle on his day off, you had to learn how to ballroom dance so you could dance with the widows to keep them happy, call the bingo, at the same time you could work on your cabaret act – it was invaluable work and I'd recommend it to anybody.”

If he’s got a bit of ballroom dancing under his belt, has he ever been offered Strictly Come Dancing?

“No! The one I get offered every year is Dancing on Ice, but I'm too brittle now. People of my age never come out too well on that, they always end up breaking bones and things. You're basically doing Strictly on ice, and Strictly's hard enough, so no. Those days are gone, I'm afraid – I'm nearly 60 now.”

One thing that Shaun has been having fun with, though, is his Barrioke shows.

“It started off before lockdown. Basically I jump up and sing a song, but then every song after that is a duet. It went alright, we did a few festivals, but then lockdown came and when things opened up again we started booking proper music venues. I'm not above my own station, 300 capacity or so is within the realms of reason, and it's gone down a storm.

"I’ve done a lot of work at Butlins on their music weekends. It's gone everywhere – it's been great. We did the Rewind Festivals, Truck Fest, we did 19 festivals this year.

“I feel great doing it. Someone asked me, do you go out there as yourself? And I thought, no, I couldn't - I'd get total impostor syndrome, so I go out as Barry. It's the only way I can get through it! You have to put a character on. I wouldn't have the guts to go out there otherwise.

“For that hour and a half, I'm playing the part of Barry, which isn't to say I don't love it, I do! We try and make it a proper piece of entertainment.”

Barrioke is touring again in the new year (they come to Engine Rooms in Southampton on February 3) what else does the future hold?

"My answerphone message says: ‘Hi, I'm cheap and I'll do it’. I'm very with it when it comes to realising that Barrioke won't last forever – everyone who will have wanted to see it will have seen it. I'm just enjoying it while it's there and will see it through to its conclusion. Obviously if someone offers you a part in Emmerdale for a year, you're going to seriously consider it, but we're just having a brilliant time on the road.”

Shaun is joined in the cast of Hook by James “Arg” Argent as Peter Pan, Pompey Panto legend Jack Edwards as Mrs Smee and Kings Theatre favourites Julia Worsley, Georgia Deloise and Elizabeth Rose.

It runs from December 1-31. For tickets go to kingsportsmouth.co.uk.