Soap and glory

John Hurt may not be interested but many other film actors are happy to wash out their CVs and appear on the small screen, says Damian Corless The veteran actor John Hurt has ruled out the chance of us ever seeing him supping bitter in the Rovers Return, the Queen Vic or any other TV soap watering-hole. Taking a dim view of what he sees as slipping standards, he tisked: " . I can't understand it. I have no plans like that and doubt I ever will. East Enders just isn't for me." If Hurt had disparaged soaps 10 years ago, his remarks wouldn't have had a jot of news value. He was a heavyweight of "legitimate" drama, soaps were sudsey populist froth, and never the twain would meet. Legitimate actors wouldn't risk the CV contamination that they'd surely catch from slumming it with Mike Baldwin's sewing circle or the hawkers of... [read full story]