Exclusive: Larry Lamb (Archie Mitchell, 'EastEnders')

Archie Mitchell's life draws to a dramatic end on Friday during EastEnders' Christmas Day episode, as the menacing Mitchell - played by 62-year-old Larry Lamb - is sensationally bumped off by a mystery attacker and left to die on the floor of The Queen Vic. As each of Archie's adversaries pay him a visit, they let him know exactly what they think of him and his actions over the past 18 months. One foe, however, exacts the ultimate revenge, killing the twisted schemer in the pub he slyly stole from his unsuspecting family. Digital Spy recently caught up with Larry to talk about his exit, his character and that all-important question: Who Killed Archie?

What was your reaction when you heard that Archie was going to be killed off?
"The only way to deal with a real villain is to bump him off, right? If King Claudius weren't killed in Hamlet, he wouldn't be the villain that he was. He has to meet his end. That's the story of the villain and once his story's told, he's cleansed of the evil. It's the cleansing of the villain that gives the power of the character. If he's still there, the story's not told."

What spurred your decision to leave EastEnders?
"When I originally turned up, it was only for six months and then after two months, they said to me that they wanted to move it on and asked if I'd stay on for 18 months. I knew I was staying for a year and a half, but I couldn't quite work out whether I was going out with a wedding, funeral, christening or open heart surgery!"

What's been your favourite moment there?
"I still really love all of Archie's opening scenes when he first appeared and we got to know what he was all about. For me, those are the scenes that I always look back on. Archie was never really on his own territory - he's always been on somebody else's patch - whereas at the beginning, he was in his own home being himself and dealing with people on his own terms. Once they finished at the house, he was on the Square and out of his comfort zone."

Are you proud of the legacy that Archie's created?
"As far as I'm concerned, this business is all about writers. They give you the material, so it doesn't matter how good you are - there's no way you can create Archie Mitchell unless they hand you it on a plate. That's when the actor comes in and you take what they give you and bring it to life. I've spent 35 years learning how to do that! I was very fortunate with Archie, though - he was a very well established, well constructed, well thought out and well engineered character, who in the end was served extremely well by the writing team. It was almost like joining up the dots with him really. All credit goes to the writers and producers."

Do you think Archie has a conscience at all where his family's concerned?
"That's the great thing about Archie - you just don't know. It's very clever the way that Simon Ashdown - who originally designed and created the character - wrote him into the show and wrote him out. Archie goes out just as twisted and in as much of an unknown as there was when he came in. There are areas of the character where you actually see an element of him that we haven't really seen when he's saying goodbye to Peggy. You understand at that point that however mad and twisted he is, there is a great depth of feeling for Peggy. When he goes, though, there's a strong mystery there."

Do you think Archie's thoroughbred evil or just misunderstood?
"There's something very dark and dangerous within him. But that's not entirely his character - that's what makes him interesting, though. He's such a contrast. When I've been doing interviews recently, I've said that I've drawn the character on my father, which is right. But it's since made me reflect. My father wasn't entirely dark - he was a very, very funny man and could be riotously comical. But it could all turn ugly and he could become a horrifying, terrifying demon. That's what Archie's all about. You didn't see so much of his lighter side, though. Now and again a little of something else came through, though."

Who out of the family does he actually care about?
"He cares a lot for Peggy and his daughters. That's the one area he realises that he's repeated things that his father did wrong with him and his brothers, and now he's got it wrong with his own children - even though one is desperately trying to stay in touch with him. He can't get the daughter thing right, as much as he wants to. Then he has his association with Janine, but I think that's just a sexual connection. He's looking for a bit of comfort and she comes along - it just so happens that she can help him with his plans for The Vic, too."

What happens during the Christmas Day episode?
"Archie has one visitor after the other. He has a reckoning with all the people that later become potential suspects. The only one he never comes face to face with is Phil, but you know that because of all their history, he'll be a suspect no matter what."

Do you know who killed Archie?
"No, not at all. They asked if I wanted to know and I said, 'No!'"

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