Scott Maslen defends 'Enders baby swap plot

EastEnders star Scott Maslen has defended the soap's controversial baby swap plot.

The actor, who plays Jack Branning, praised the show for taking risks with bold storylines and pointed to recent ratings of around 10m as a measure of its success.

He told The Sun's Buzz magazine: "Of course I was shocked when I read the script... and so was my wife. We have a kid [ten-year-old Zak]. But there are people who have actually done this horrible thing of swapping a baby.

"EastEnders had done its research. This show always likes to take a stance in telling stories that other people wouldn't necessarily take the risk on. And when you look at the viewing figures when the baby swap was revealed, the gap between us and our rival soaps was immense."

Speaking of co-star Samantha Womack (Ronnie Branning), he added: "When we do sex scenes, we just take the mick out of each other. I tell her that her breath smells. Sam and I are so similar. We're like a boy and girl version of each other - but of course I'm a lot more intelligent and sexier than she is!"

Maslen is nominated for 'Sexiest Male' at tonight's British Soap Awards.