Adam Woodyatt Slams EastEnders Writers For Turning Ian Beale Into A 'Sociopath'

Adam Woodyatt has slammed the writers of EastEnders for turning his character, Ian Beale, into a 'sociopath'.

The former actor is considered an EastEnders veteran, having played the turbulent role of Ian Beale from 1985 to 2021 when he took an 'extended break' from the soap, resulting in him quitting completely.

And now, Woodyatt has spoken out regarding the development of his character and how he wasn't happy with the writers' decisions in Beale's storyline.

Talking to Kate Thornton on her White Wine Question Time podcast, the I'm A Celebrity star discussed how from being introduced as 'a spotty, teenage kid who got bullied at school', his character's downfall came after splitting from his wife Jane (Laurie Brett) for good in 2020.

"The character evolved. If you think back in the 80s, he was a spotty, teenage kid," he said.

"He was getting bullied at school, his dad wanted him to do boxing. It's been a very, very long journey. But don't get me wrong, I don't always think that some of the changes were right."

Woodyatt then pointed out how the writers should have chosen other directions but they weren't the directions 'he chose' and instead, were the 'directions of the bosses'.

"Did it make Ian unpopular? Yeah, at times. He was quite forthright and quite rude to everyone, even people he loved.

"He claimed to be a great father but actually he wasn't. He was an absolute narcissist. Some would say a sociopath. But he was very misunderstood. Mostly, his heart was in the right place. He just got things wrong."

Woodyatt then moved on to discuss Beale's relationship with Jane, saying that while they were a good pairing, 'once that was broken up it was like Ian was trying to go back to being Ian of the 1990s'.

"It made him very unpopular because all the stuff he'd learnt over the years he forgot and reverted to a previous version of him," he said.

"Which is why the storyline ended up where it was, because there was nowhere else to go."

When probed about a possible return to EastEnders, Woodyatt admitted: "I'm quite happy doing what I'm doing. I haven't got a clue what's going to happen."

Right now, it seems as if the actor is living his dream after he decided to give up his home for a £100,000 motorhome.

He bought his Burstner motorhome for a theatre tour of Looking Good Dead last year as an alternative to living out of hotels and he's admitted he has no plans to return to his home as he simply loves his new wheeled set up.