With so many faces disappearing from Albert Square it was good to talk with a man who can say there is life after soap!, writes Christine van Emst.

Paul Bradley was the cuddly Mr Nice Guy, Nigel Bates in EastEnders. He played, brilliantly, one of the characters relied upon to lift the spirits of the dismal, dreary Walford mob. Nigel had a life of tragedy and humour and, when he left Albert Square five years ago, he was voted the Most Missed Soap Character by readers of Inside Soap Magazine. What a claim to fame!

Talking to Paul, fresh from rehearsals as Frederick Fellowes in Noises Off, the Royal National Theatre production that opens at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, on Friday, January 31, he was still pleased with his time spent in Walford's video shop.

"It was good experience for me, but I never really took in the celebrity side of it. I still have people calling out OK Nigel!' to me in the street. It was a good job for me and a well written part. I don't keep up with the plot too often these days but my children do.

"I have moved on in my career, yet people ask will I go back to EastEnders? I don't think I could be lured back, but it's a case of never say never'.

"Now that it's on four times a week, they have to create amazing story lines to keep it interesting. Sometimes it's brilliant, and sometimes not so good. But I've always admired the way the writers take a social issue and treat it seriously," he said.

And all this experience stood him in good stead for his first film role. He is in the critically acclaimed and Bafta nominated The Pianist. Paul plays Jehuda in this movie and is thrilled to be part of what seems to be a worthy masterpiece of cinema directed by Roman Polanski.

"You can't get much better than that for a first film," he laughed, "Mr Polanski commented on my work and said I was very experienced. That was great!"

His experience is not just confined to being Nice Nigel, not by a long chalk. Theatre, radio and television have kept him busy for most of his career. He has just recently presented a section of the Heaven and Earth show on BBC.

"That was fascinating. I'm not a religious man and think I am quite sceptical, and this opportunity followed on from being asked to do a weekend retreat at a Taoist centre. The producer then called me and told me about these modern miracles.

"The stories were so interesting I really wanted to do the presenting," he said.

In the future Paul would like to do more comedy on stage. "I like theatre for comedy, you can hear the laughter and gauge the response. I'm enjoying Noises Off, it's a great cast to work with and I like the physical side of it, it's so fast," he said.

"It's always good to be working, for in this industry fortunes can go up and down, but I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing."

Noises Off runs at the Churchill Theatre until Saturday, February 8. For tickets call the box office on 020 8460 6677.

January 29, 2003 14:00