Chucky Venn: EastEnders is cooler than Batman

EastEnders newcomer Chucky Venn has revealed that his family are thrilled he is appearing in Albert Square - even more so than when he worked on Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight.

Chucky - who also featured in The Bourne Ultimatum and the Sky One hit Dream Team - is due to make his Walford debut as Ray Dixon, who is Bianca's ex and father of her son Morgan.

And he told Inside Soap magazine, "It's funny, I've worked on big productions with the likes of Morgan Freeman and Joan Collins, but the minute my kids found out I'd won a role in EastEnders they were like 'That's so cool!' It's quality."

The 38-year-old added that he is a lifelong fan of the soap - and called his agent to ask for an audition as soon as he heard that the part of Ray was up for grabs.

"I remember watching the very first episode when I was about 12 years old, so it's a real privilege to now be a part of television history," he said.