Heshima Thompson (EastEnders: E20's Asher) interview

The second series of the BBC's online soap EastEnders: E20 welcomes four new faces to the Square, including Heshima Thompson (The Bill, Spooks) as Asher.

Ash is fresh out of jail and looking for a chance to redeem himself - but his brother and his mum, and his inability to say no to easy money, make life much more complicated than he might wish.

Watch a clip of Asher...

> Find out all about the E20 characters.

> Read our interview with Amanda Fairbanks-Hynes, who plays Stevie.

> Read our interview with Ricky Norwood, who played Fatboy in Series 1.

LastBroadcast caught up with Heshima to find out more...


As Series 2 of E20 draws to a close, how would say Asher has changed over the series?

“I would say Asher goes through a cycle, starting quite optimistic about his move to Walford, then due to the pressure of looking after his brother getting a lot darker, then he spends the rest of his time trying to redeem his actions.”

What sort of reaction to the character have you had from viewers? Have you been getting recognised in public much?

“I have had it all, hahaha, screaming girls to proud parents, I get recognised A LOT!!! People say things like "I'm an amazing dancer," "how could I do that with Sol's girl?" and people say "naughty naughty" quite a lot, haha.”

Can you give us any hints about the final episode of the series?

“The last episode deffo starts fast pace and there is closure to some storylines, but you'll just have to watch!”

What was your favourite scene to film? And what’s your funniest memory of filming the show?

“I really enjoyed filming the scene with Zainab (Nina Wadia), where I pretended to be the dance teacher. That was funny. My funniest memory filming the show has to be Emaa being new on set and innocently shouting out director's orders (like rolling, turning...) and Tosin, Amanda and I laughing our heads off whist bringing her up to speed.”

Have you been watching the show yourself?

“Yes, my sister, brothers, nephews and cousins watch it together on TV every week - great times!”

Have you seen the other E20 cast members much since you finished filming?

“Yeah, we just met up this week to go to Live At The Apollo and we’re meeting up next week to do an acting workshop, love them guys.”

Last year’s E20 cast crossed over into the main show earlier this year - will you or any of the Series 2 cast be appearing in EastEnders anytime soon? If not, is this something you’d be up for?

“Not sure yet, still early days, but I get a lot of fans online and offline wanting our characters in the main soap. I think it would be fun to inject some more youth into the show.”

Which regular EastEnders characters can you imagine Asher hanging out with?

“I think Zainab's taken a liking to Asher and would take him under her wing, getting him a job at the local community centre teaching dance.”

How do you feel about this week’s news that E20 has been recommissioned for a third series? Do you think we’ll see Asher appear again in Series 3?

“I'm so happy that E20's been re-commissioned again, I think the producer Deborah Sathe is doing a great thing and creating fantastic opportunities for the youth and young talent across different fields in the entertainment industry. I think it's important it does carry on.”


Catch EastEnders: E20 on the EastEnders website every Tuesday and Thursday or on Monday evenings on BBC Three.

Interviewed on 4th October 2010 by Will Martin.