Exclusive: EastEnders stars reveals hopes for Billy and Honey's future

EastEnders stars Perry Fenwick and Emma Barton have revealed what the future has in store for their long-time characters Billy and Honey Mitchell, following up from a dramatic past year for the fan favourites.

The couple were dealt a tough hand this year, when obsessive Bea Pollard became determined to infiltrate Honey's life and drive Billy out, even going as far as to frame Billy for her own fake-murder. The dramatic bunny-boiler storyline climaxed when Honey was kidnapped by Bea, who was subsequently arrested.

In a more positive look to the future, Perry and Emma sat down with Inside Soap at the Inside Soap Awards to speculate about their futures on the Square – and considered a change of circumstance for the down-on-their luck family.

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“Something would happen like they could hit the jackpot,” Perry mused. “It would be good to see them go a bit aloof and above their stations. It looks like they’ve won a lot of money, so they start talking down to people but it turns out they haven’t! I’d like them to have a B&B!"

"There’s already a B&B, Elaine’s got hers!" laughed Emma in response. "I don’t think Honey wants anything that involves the letter B! I don’t know, really! I mean, it’s their next chapter isn’t it – the kids have turned into adults so I think there is scope there."

Billy and Honey first got together in 2005, when Honey arrived in Walford to honeytrap Patrick Trueman. Since then, they've faced many hurdles in their marriage, but have prevailed as one of EastEnders' longest-lasting loves.

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"People were calling us an iconic couple," said Perry. "And it’s funny because you don’t think that yourself, you just carry on and do it, but it’s lovely to hear.

"There’s a real feeling out there with people who watch the show like, they’re a good couple, they’re a good family and they’ve been dealt some terrible times over the years. What is nice to see is those moments where they claw it back. A lot of characters want a lot of money, but they just muddle through."

"It’s really good for the audience to see that," added Emma. "It’s not all about status, it’s not all about money. It is good to see that there are people that are quite happy with their little family and a snuggle on the sofa watching their favourite film!"

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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