Ricky Norwood

Richard Colin Norwood (born 15 November 1986)[1] is a British actor who played Fatboy in the soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20. Ricky appeared on Celebrity Big Brother 18 in 2016, finishing as runner-up behind Ex on the Beach star Stephen Bear.[2][3]

Ricky Norwood
Norwood in 2012
Born
Richard Colin Norwood

(1986-11-15) 15 November 1986
Tower Hamlets, London, England
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present
Partner(s)Jade Ewen (2009–11)

Early life

Norwood was born in Tower Hamlets, London, to a Kenyan Indian mother and English father.[4][5] He lives in Forest Gate.[6] From the age of 12 he attended the Theatre Royal Stratford East's Youth Theatre, and also studied Performing Arts at Barking College. With friends, Norwood started a production company, writing, producing and starring in five original productions which were performed at the Theatre Royal Stratford.

Career

Norwood's theatre credits include Daddy Cool (Shaftesbury Theatre), Sick (Almeida Theatre) and The Stones (Royal National Theatre). In 2009, Norwood was cast in the EastEnders internet spin-off series EastEnders: E20 as Fatboy. Norwood said of his casting: "I am so excited to be on the show. It's an honour to now be part of a show that has been on in my house for as long as I have been alive. I am born and bred in the East End—a stone's throw from the real Albert Square. It feels like a homecoming. I love being part of a cast that feels like family and can't wait to have a scene in The Vic."[7] In the run-up to the series, Norwood also appeared in EastEnders for two episodes, and after EastEnders: E20's first series ended, Fatboy became a regular character in EastEnders. Fatboy was called one of the most popular new characters in the show[8] and Norwood won Most Popular Newcomer at the 16th National Television Awards in 2011.[9] Norwood went on to appear in series 2 and 3 of EastEnders: E20 as Fatboy, and has appeared in the spin-offs "East Street"[10] and All I Want for Christmas.[11] He has also appeared as a panellist on Pointless Celebrities[12] and Sweat the Small Stuff.[13] He took part in the 2013 Christmas special of Strictly Come Dancing, and was paired with professional dancer Janette Manrara.[14]

On 30 March 2014 a video surfaced of Norwood reportedly smoking cannabis, and performing a sex act during a Skype chat, captured by a woman he had met online. On 1 April, after meeting with BBC and EastEnders bosses, he was suspended from the show for two months. An EastEnders spokesperson told Digital Spy: "Ricky Norwood has been suspended from the show for a period of two months with immediate effect. In addition, Ricky would like to apologise to EastEnders' viewers for any offence caused and for bringing the show into disrepute."[15] On 16 October 2015 it was announced Norwood had been axed from EastEnders after nearly six years in the role of Fatboy, after show bosses chose to write the character out.[16] Norwood filmed his final scenes later that month and producers chose to keep details surrounding Fatboy's exit under wraps. A show spokesperson said, "We can confirm that Ricky will be leaving EastEnders. We wish him all the best for the future",[16] whilst a show insider commented: "Ricky is a great guy and very popular on set. He's leaving the show as it's the end of Fatboy's storyline, but everyone wishes him well for the future."[16] His last on-screen appearance was on 24 December 2015, and it transpired that the character was killed off-screen when crushed in the boot of a car.

Norwood's first role after leaving EastEnders was as a "vile, violent homophobe" in Marty Ross's audio drama Romeo and Jude, a gay adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.[17]

Since 2016, Norwood has been a regular panellist on the Big Brother companion show Big Brother's Bit on the Side. He made several appearances in 2015 but more as a regular in 2016.[18]

In July 2016, Norwood became a housemate on the eighteenth series of Celebrity Big Brother.[19] He finished the series as runner-up behind Stephen Bear.[20]

Filmography
Year Series Role Note
2010–15 EastEnders Fatboy Regular character
2010−11 EastEnders: E20 Regular character
2010 Children in Need Episode "East Street"
2012 All I Want for Christmas EastEnders spin-off
2013 Tamwar Tales – The Life of an Assistant Market Inspector EastEnders spin-off
2013 Strictly Come Dancing Contestant 2013 Christmas special
2015–2018 Big Brother's Bit on the Side Regular panellist
2016 Celebrity Big Brother Housemate Series 18
2020 The Princess Switch: Switched Again Reggie Netflix

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Result
2010 Inside Soap Awards Best Newcomer[21] Won
2010 TV Quick Awards Best Soap Newcomer[22] Shortlisted
2011 National Television Awards Newcomer[9] Won
2011 British Soap Awards Newcomer[23] Longlisted
2012 Inside Soap Awards Funniest Male[24] Won
2012 Black International Film Festival and Music Video & Screen Awards Best Newcomer[25] Nominated
2013 Screen Nation Awards Young Shooting Star (16-25)[26] Nominated
2013 British Soap Awards Best Comedy Performance[27] Shortlisted
2013 Inside Soap Awards Funniest Male[28] Shortlisted

References
  1. "Richard Norwood - Ancestry.co.uk".
  2. "Fatboy played by Ricky Norwood". BBC Online. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  3. "Ricky Norwood (EastEnders: E20) Interview". Last Broadcast. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  4. "'Enders star for BBC talks over weed video". 30 March 2014.
  5. "SB.TV - Ricky Norwood Interview - EastEnders AAA". Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  6. "Enders' Ricky: 'I'm just a boy from Forest Gate'". What's on TV. London: IPC Media. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  7. Green, Kris (25 November 2009). "'EastEnders' announces 'E20' cast". Digital Spy. London: Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  8. Carlin, Thomas (23 January 2011). "Eastenders bosses are casting a father for 'Fatboy'". The People. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  9. "NTA 2011: National Television Awards results". Beehive City. Honeycomb Publishing & Media. 26 January 2011. Archived from the original on January 29, 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  10. Kilkelly, Daniel (17 November 2010). "In Pictures: 'Enders, Corrie crossover". Digital Spy. London: Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
  11. Director: Tim Mercier; Executive Producer: Lorraine Newman; Writer: Carey Andrews (27 December 2012). "All I Want for Christmas". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
  12. "BBC One - Pointless Celebrities, Series 2, Episode 6". BBC Programmes. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  13. "BBC Three - Sweat the Small Stuff, Episode 1". BBC Programmes. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  14. "Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special line-up confirmed". BBC Online. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  15. "EastEnders actor Ricky Norwood suspended from soap". Digital Spy. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  16. "EastEnders exit ahead for Fatboy Chubb". 16 October 2015.
  17. Lee, Ben (14 February 2016). "A world away from Fatboy! EastEnders star Ricky Norwood plays "vile, violent homophobe" in radio play". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  18. "Ricky Norwood Net Worth". www.spearswms.com. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  19. Walker, Danny (29 July 2016). "Who is Ricky Norwood? Celebrity Big Brother 2016 housemate many EastEnders fans will simply know as 'Fatboy'". The Mirror. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  20. Travis, Ben (26 August 2016). "Celebrity Big Brother 2016: Stephen Bear wins final as EastEnders' Ricky Norwood comes in second place". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  21. "Inside Soap awards: full list of winners". The Daily Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
  22. "Vote online in the TVQuick and TVChoice Awards!". EastEnders. BBC Online. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  23. "The British Soap Awards 2011: Nominations". ITV Press Centre. ITV. 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  24. "2012 winners". Inside Soap. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  25. "EastEnders wins two MVSAs". EastEnders. BBC Online. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  26. "Official nominations & winners list 2012/13". Screen Nation. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  27. Kilkelly, Daniel (22 April 2013). "'Coronation Street' leads British Soap Awards shortlist". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  28. Rigby, Sam (15 October 2013). "'Coronation Street' leads Inside Soap Awards 2013 shortlist". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
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