The EastEnders actor surprised fans with a comeback to the BBC soap earlier this year, alongside another familiar face beside him
EastEnders star Cliff Parisi has opened up about his future on the soap, after returning for its special 40th anniversary episode earlier this year. At the time, Rick ‘Minty’ Peterson made an unexpected comeback along with his former on-screen best friend Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves), for Billy Mitchell’s (Perry Fenwick) stag do.
Cliff, 65, says while it was “flattering” to be asked to return, he doubts he will be doing it again.
EastEnders star Cliff Parisi has opened up about his future on the soap, after returning for its special 40th anniversary episode earlier this year. At the time, Rick ‘Minty’ Peterson made an unexpected comeback along with his former on-screen best friend Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves), for Billy Mitchell’s (Perry Fenwick) stag do.
Cliff, 65, says while it was “flattering” to be asked to return, he doubts he will be doing it again.
“I like to go forward. If there is something on the horizon, I’ll probably go for that even if it isn’t as good as EastEnders. I like to do new stuff.”
Further addressing his return, Cliff described being back on Albert Square as a “lovely”, but strange experience.
“It was like going shopping and then going back to your house and someone had moved all the furniture, and there were loads of strangers in it,” he shared.
“You get inside the house, but when you get inside, you go, ‘Where’s my bed?’.”
Cliff left EastEnders after almost a decade back in 2010. At the time it was reported that he and several other cast members had been given the boot, when a new executive producer was introduced.
The actor moved on to Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks two years later, playing the guest role of Walt.
Since 2012, he has starred as Fred Buckle in the BBC period drama Call The Midwife.
Shortly after sharing his thoughts about a return to EastEnders, The Sun reported that his company, Pleasant Productions, has been closed down due to owing money to the taxman.
His business reportedly went into liquidation owing a total of £119,552 to creditors. This is said to include £35,787 to Barclays Bank and £1,000 to an accountancy firm.
Liquidators looking into his firm are said to have found that it had assets of just £7,200, and professional fees of £6,000.
A report claimed: “It is dependent on the recoveries that we are able to make in respect of claims resulting from our investigation.”
Reach PLC has contacted a representative for Cliff for comment, but are yet to receive a reply.
In 2019, Cliff confessed to signing up to ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! to pay off a tax bill, after previously turning down the show.
Speaking to The Mirror about his reason at the time, he said: “The taxman. Yeah, I have got a bill I need to pay. Like everyone at this time of year you go, ‘Oh no! Again. I thought I paid that’.”
Alongside his acting career, Cliff also operates the luxury men’s skincare brand Manley and Moosh, which is described as “a proudly Independent, socially conscious British brand, passionate about creating fabulous, effective skincare products for men.”
