Todd Carty

James Carty, aged 11 at the time of broadcast, became the youngest person to drive a steam train across the North York Moors 18-mile line from Grosmont, North Yorkshire to Pickering, built in the 1830s.

Todd Carty, also known as Todd John Jennings (born Todd Robert Carty; 31 August 1963), is an English actor and director who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles.

His stage appearances have ranged from serious drama to pantomime, and he has worked on radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations and films.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Carty also appeared in Z-Cars (1976), Our Mutual Friend, Drummer, and Headmaster, all for the BBC; and, for German TV, Focus on Britain and The Idle Bunch.

His film work included Please Sir! (1971) and Professor Popper's Problem (1974).

In 1972 Margaret married Thomas Jennings, who later adopted Carty and legally changed his name to Todd John Jennings.

Through his mother, Carty is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

He grew up in Kilburn, West Hampstead and Harrow on the Hill, London.

He has two younger sisters named Billie Joe and Bobby Sue, who respectively work as a lawyer and a teacher.

Carty was educated at the Phildene Stage School, a co-educational independent school in Chiswick in West London.

Carty's first television appearance in the UK was in an advertisement for Woolworths, aged four.

He also had other advertising and Public Information Film roles, including one with Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee for the Green Cross Code.

Carty made his first professional stage appearance at the New London Theatre, Drury Lane, London, as the young Lionel in Lionel Bart's autobiographical musical Lionel!.

He is best known for TV roles as Tucker Jenkins in Grange Hill (1978-1982) and Tucker's Luck (1983-1985), Mark Fowler in EastEnders (1990-2003), and PC Gabriel Kent in The Bill (2003-2005).

Carty was born in Willesden, London, as Todd R. Carty to an unmarried Irish mother, Margaret M. Carty, who hailed from Limerick.

However, his career in his youth was mostly defined by his television role as Tucker Jenkins in the BBC children's drama Grange Hill (1978–1982) and the spin-off series Tucker's Luck (1983–1985).

In 1983, he landed the role of Oswyn in the fantasy film Krull opposite Kenneth Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Liam Neeson and Alun Armstrong, among others.

Carty starred as Randy Candy in the film The Candy Show (1989).

Carty took over the role of original character Mark Fowler in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders in 1990, following the death of the original actor, David Scarboro.

Carty played the role for 13 years, becoming one of the longer-running male cast members.

While still in EastEnders in 1997, Carty appeared with former EastEnders co-star Nick Berry in the Victorian period adventure film The Black Velvet Band, a Spaghetti Western-style drama.

Carty was the subject of a This Is Your Life tribute in 2000.

Guests included Wendy Richard, Norman Wisdom, Nick Berry, his girlfriend Dina Clarkin, sons James Carty and Thomas Carty, and his father-in-law, actor Tony Clarkin.

In July 2002, the BBC announced Mark Fowler was being written out of the serial, a mutual decision between the producers and Carty.

Executive producer Louise Berridge said Carty had made a "fantastic contribution" to the soap and Mark had been a "pivotal figure", but the character had finally run its course: "Todd and I have discussed this at some length and agreed that it was time for Mark to hang up his leather jacket for the last time. We will all miss Todd, who is one of our best-loved actors, and wish him every success in the future."

Carty made his final appearance as Mark in February 2003, riding out of the Square on his motorbike.

After leaving EastEnders in 2003, Carty went on to play the villainous PC Gabriel Kent, in ITV's The Bill from 2003 to 2005.

Carty has since revealed he broke his EastEnders contract a year earlier than planned to take on this new role.

In 2003, Carty reprised the role of Tucker Jenkins in Grange Hill, as the uncle of one of the pupils, Patrick "Togger" Johnson.

The character subsequently died off-screen in 2004.

After leaving The Bill in 2005, Carty returned to the big screen as the aristocrat Harvey Van Bollingbroke in the film Treasure of Albion (2006).

In 2008, he guest-starred in BBC's Doctors, playing the part of Kev Blake.

He appeared in just this one episode, but he was brought back once again to film for Grange Hill's final series, broadcast in 2008 – a one-off special episode to celebrate the 30th birthday of the long-running BBC show.

Carty appeared as Tucker in the final televised episode of Grange Hill, screened on Monday 15 September 2008 on BBC One.

Carty was a guest on the BBC One show I'd Do Anything, in May 2008, with Cameron Mackintosh, helping to choose one of the selected boys to play Oliver Twist for the new West End production of Oliver!.

Carty and his elder son, James, filmed together in a factual television series for Channel 5, Dangerous Adventures For Boys, based on the book written by Conn and Hal Iggulden, The Dangerous Book for Boys.

Carty acted in The School that Roared (2009) as the eccentric Mr Haig, and was also the second-unit director.

He appeared as Mr Keller in the 2010 film Blame.

Carty has guest-starred as Ray Hallam in the Christmas special of the TV series Heartbeat, and in BBC's Holby City, as villain Cameron Cooke.

In 2019, Carty shared his memories of playing Gabriel in an interview for The Bill Podcast.