BY AMY ROSE HARTE
ONE OF the UK's biggest soap stars arrived in Letterkenny on Saturday night, amidst a flurry of Donegal fans. James Alexandrou, who plays Martin Fowler in Eastenders, was greeted by thousands as he made a guest appearance at Voodoo nightclub. James spoke exclusively to the Donegal News about his trip over, his decision to leave the soap and what he really thinks of the Donegal accent.
"This is my first time in Donegal, so far so good," says the 21 year-old, "I've been here for about an hour and everybody seems very friendly so it's lovely". This was James's first time making a guest appearance of this nature, and he was flown over especially by Voodoo for the night.
"We got in very late and drove from Belfast and there were some beautiful views on the way over. I'm going to have a few drinks, hopefully speak to a few nice people and say hello to the crowd. It's my first time doing this kind of thing so I'm a bit nervous really," he said.
He also says he thinks Voodoo is "amazing, I can't believe it can hold so many people".
Although James left Eastenders about a month ago, he will still feature heavily on our television screens until February. His relationship with Natalie Cassidy (Sonia) unravels when he finds out she caused his mother Pauline's death.
"A lot of the stuff leading up to Sonia and Martin's exit has been amazing, you've got some good tv in store," he said.
According to James, his decision to leave is because he wants to pursue other areas.
"I will miss it and I've made great friends there. I've been working on Eastenders since I was 11, so I've done it for 10 years. It's time to move on and try new things," he said.
James is using his short trip to Donegal to help him pick up the Irish accent, something which he must learn for his next project.
"I've got an Irish-related plan actually, there's a film maybe being made later in the year which they want me to do so I'm sort of picking up the accent as much as possible. I haven't got the chance to sample many accents yet, but from what I've heard so far tonight the Donegal accent is lovely," he said.
James is half-Greek, but says he has family connections in Ireland.
"My dad is Greek, and my mum is English, but she's told me I have Irish roots on her side of the family. I'm definitely going to come back to Donegal, I've heard it's a very nice place and very pretty. I'll have to come back and sample it in the daytime".
James landed the role of Martin Fowler in 1996, after studying acting at the Anna Scher Theatre. He is currently dating actress Kara Tointon, who plays Jill in Eastenders. It is believed that the door will be left open for James for a possible return to the soap in the future.
