Cliff Parisi thinks 'Call The Midwife' bosses could have killed off his character in a "fantastic" way.
Cliff Parisi thinks Call The Midwife could have given his character a 'fantastic' death
The 64-year-old actor - who has played Fred Buckle for 12 years on the beloved BBC period drama - admitted while he would have been "sad to say goodbye", his alter ego's tetanus battle would have been a fitting ending to his story.
He told Saga magazine: "It would have been a fantastic exit because it was really moving. I was getting text messages because viewers weren't sure if he had died.
"But I would've been sad to say goodbye because Fred and I are mates now. He's a big, rotund, gentle giant, isn't he?
"He's always got a dream to make a load of money - a get-rich-quick scam. And they always fail. I've always been like that too."
Cliff also offered some insight into how Fred will be celebrating over the festive period.
He pondereed: "He'll be dressing up as Father Christmas for the 14th time. It was the same when I played Minty in 'EastEnders' for eight years.
"Before that, I dressed up as Santa for my kids' school. I've obviously got a Santa face!"
Meanwhile, Cliff - who has appearaed on the likes of 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' and 'Celebrity MasterChef' over the years - has weighed in on the chances of him waltzing onto 'Strictly Come Dancing' one day.
He teased: "When I was very young, I danced in a disco in Spain on roller skates. Can you imagine that?
"I can fling my limbs about, but I'm getting on a bit, so I'd probably put my back out."
However, he refused to rule out the possibility, after previously being approached by the BBC for the Christmas special.
He added: "I was asked to do the Christmas one once, but I had other commitments. Maybe I'll do it one day."