Top 'EastEnders' actor axed from soap

Pat Butcher is to be axed from Albert Square, the Daily Star reports today.

Actor Pam St Clement has apparently been given the boot as part of a new policy which will see the younger cast members more at the forefront of storylines.

The 61-year-old has been with EastEnders since 1986 and is a firm favourite with fans of the show, but the newspaper claims that her contract will not be renewed when it expires in April.

An insider said: "Pam's been a loyal servant but there won't be much for her to do now as her screen family are all gone."

Among those to go was her husband Roy (Tony Caunter), axed for being "too stale," then former husband Frank Butcher (Mike Reid), who left after finding the filming schedules too hectic, and more recently her stepson Barry (Shaun Williamson), axed for opting to do a pantomime over Christmas.

Frank's son Ricky (Sid Owen) and daughter Janine (Charlie Brooks), as well as Pat's best friend Laura Beale (Hannah Waterman) and Barry's ex-wife Natalie (Lucy Speed) will all be leaving in the coming months.

The decision by EastEnders producers to favour the younger members of cast is in stark contrast to arch rival Coronation Street, where a policy of bringing back old favourites has been adopted.