Inside life of EastEnders' Pastor Clayton star Howard Saddler off-screen and his famous roles

EastEnders' villain, Pastor Clayton, has been the talk of Walford due to his growing friendship with Yolande Trueman (portrayed by Angela Wynter), which took a dark turn. Earlier this year, Yolande was left heartbroken when she found out that her fellow church member Agatha had been spreading rumours about her and Pastor Clayton.

Despite the turmoil, Pastor Clayton comforted Yolande, promising to put an end to the gossip. However, in a shocking twist, he sexually assaulted Yolande during a church event, causing her immense distress and shaking her faith.

Yolande gathered the courage to report the despicable pastor to the police, with other victims also coming forward. But in upcoming scenes, Pastor Clayton returns to Walford, demanding Yolande retract her statement in a tense confrontation, and leaves when she refuses.

At the end of a long day at the harvest celebrations, Patrick (Rudolph Walker) and Yolande decide to call it a night. But their peace is shattered when the police arrive and announce that Pastor Clayton has taken his own life.

As actor Howard Saddler exits his role as Pastor Clayton, let's delve into the actor's life outside of Walford. Saddler's acting career kicked off in the nineties, with a brief stint as Detective Chambers in the cult classic children's show Grange Hill, reports the Mirror.

His career has spanned almost three decades, with early roles in The Bill, Footballer's Wives, and Doctors, according to MyLondon. Saddler secured more significant parts in Family Affairs as Lesley 'Les' Boulter between 2003 and 2005.

Loyal viewers might remember that Howard's portrayal of Pastor Clayton isn't his first appearance on the BBC soap; he previously appeared on screen in 2002 as Doctor Daniel Rodford for a single episode.

The doctor played a minor role in one of the most memorable Christmas storylines of the BBC soap, providing medical care to Jamie Mitchell after he was hit by Martin Fowler's car.

Sitcom fans will recognise Howard from his stint as Oliver in The Office during 2002 and 2003. The Wernham Hogg employee is a good-natured chap from Swindon who tolerates David Brent's (Ricky Gervais) 'jokes' with an air of indifference.

Brent begins his relationship with this Swindon transferee by making racially insensitive jokes, but easy-going Oliver dismisses the poor-taste humour. Among all the "Swindon slugs", he is the only one who makes any effort to gel with his new boss.

The only time a co-worker seems to ruffle Oliver's feathers is when Sheila confesses her feelings for him. His acting credits also include roles in Judge John Deed, Rockface, Waking the Dead, and Black Cake.

Prior to his role as Pastor Clayton in EastEnders, Howard Saddler made an appearance in a single episode of Netflix's The Witcher, playing the character Herald in 2023. You'll be able to catch Howard Saddler as Pastor Clayton in next week's EastEnders.