astEnders was already a national phenomenon by the time Sid Owen auditioned for the role of Ricky Butcher in 1988. The soap had been running for three years and producers wanted a new drama-torn family in Walford. Owen was 16, had left school with no GCSEs and was living in a squat with two of his older brothers in north London. He was desperate for the part, but the cramped flat had no phone so, after his third audition he called his agent every day from a phone box for news.
Rubbish‼️ His Aunt Carol, and her husband Michael took him, and his 3 brothers on. Sid was sent to a Private School. research