Richard Blackwood thinks the time he knocked out Phil Mitchell on 'EastEnders' marked a turning point for British TV.
Richard Blackwood
The 49-year-old actor - who played Vincent Hubbard in the BBC soap - thinks the on-screen clash with Phil represented a huge moment for TV diversity.
He explained: "What people don’t realise is I was the first black person to knock out Phil Mitchell on screen.
"The only other person is his brother Grant. I remember filming the scene and being really nervous, as I knew what it stood for."
The subsequent reaction from black viewers made Richard aware of the impact of the scene.
The soap star also claimed that Steve McFadden - who plays Phil - was also conscious of what the scene "stood for" at the time.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "As soon as that scene aired my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Phil Mitchell is the man of the show and then this young black guy comes in and floors him.
"Myself and Steve are friends and he was lovely about it all. But Steve knew what it stood for also. He gets it."
Richard feels appreciative towards the likes of Sir Lenny Henry and other black TV stars for paving the way for his own success.
He explained: "Lenny Henry essentially created a path for me to follow because prior to him there was really no one from the black community who had made it on that level.
"He had his own show and did huge things for TV we hadn’t seen before.
"I always commend him because he came up in an era of the Black and White Minstrel Show, where he had to go through real overt racism. Compared to him I had it quite easy."
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