Eastend-born Michael Cashman describes how he appeared on a TV soap, located where he was born, as well as the furore which followed THAT kiss.

This extract features Michael Cashman recalling the time he was offered a major role in BBC's popular soap 'Eastenders'. Michael had already played the part of a gay photographer in the 1920s, being told to 'camp up' the role in order to get laughs – something he says he would be wary of doing today. In another production called 'The Sandbaggers', his character was to be a gay MI6 agent about to undergo positive vetting. Michael accepted the role on the proviso that the character's 'gayness' didn't become the whole story. The script, however, was dropped from the series. Then, while on holiday in Greece, he received a call from his agent about playing 'Colin' in 'Eastenders'.

After meeting with the show's producer, Julia Smith, with whom he'd once had a major row, and the show's co-creator, Tony Holland, Michael was offered the role. Julia Smith asked him to discuss the role beforehand with his parents and his partner, fearing the reaction of the tabloid press. Michael's partner was later spitefully 'outed' by the gutter press anyway.

Michael thinks that what they achieved on the show was great as it stood up to those TV 'moral campaigners', who spouted hatred and prejudice, as well as the 'rent-a-God' politicians who were using AIDS as an excuse to rid television of the 'wrong sort of role models'.

Michael wasn't quite prepared for the tabloid's savage onslaught following the first 'on-screen' kiss in a TV soap, and recognises that he couldn't have survived the experience without the firm backing of Julia Smith and Tony Holland. The BBC, however, were very nervous about the scene. In comparison to Eastenders, Michael cites the film Victim as being another important landmark in the breaking down of gay stereotypes.

Michael Cashman was born in 1950 and grew up, appropriately enough, in London's East End. He had a happy childhood and was a good singer. While still a child he auditioned for a part in the West End production of Lionel Bart's musical 'Oliver', performing on stage at night while going to school in the day.

At 16 he started his first relationship with a twenty-five-year-old man called Lee, while homosexual activity was still a crime and before the reforms of 1967. Michael lived with Lee for nine years and finally 'came out' formally to his parents when he was 25.

From 1964, Michael had played in a number of theatrical, television and feature film roles, sometimes playing gay characters. In 1986, Michael's agent asked him to attend a meeting with the producers of BBC's popular soap, Eastenders, who offered him the part of Colin Russell. Accepting the role, Michael soon became even more famous for delivering the first gay kiss to be seen in a mainstream British soap, in 1987.

After acting in Eastenders, Michael became a co-founder of the gay campaigning group, Stonewall and later joined the Labour Party. He became a Labour MEP for the West Midlands in 1999 and in 2014 was created Baron Cashman of Limehouse.

He has always maintained a strongly activist stance, particularly over gay and human-rights issues. He was partnered to Paul Cottingham for over 30 years until the latter's death in October 2014. In 2016, Michael made a few more appearances as Colin Russell in the soap that first made him a household name.