Sid Owen
Born
David John Sutton

(1972-01-12) 12 January 1972
Chapel Market, London, England
Occupation(s)Actor, television presenter, singer
Years active1983–present
Partner(s)Carty Hubbard (1999–2003)
Polly Parsons (2006–2012)
Children1

Sid Owen (born David John Sutton; 12 January 1972) is an English actor, television presenter and former singer, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders (1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023). He also appeared in the tenth series of Strictly Come Dancing and made a cameo performance in the British cult show How Clean is Your House in 2005.

Career

Prior to his role in EastEnders, he had a role in the film Revolution in 1985, in which he appeared alongside Al Pacino and Donald Sutherland. In 1988, he was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Ricky Butcher, son of popular character Frank Butcher. His character's relationships with Sam Mitchell (Danniella Westbrook) and Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) became popular in the 1990s. He appeared regularly on the show until April 2000 when he decided to leave the show and tried his hand at pop music releasing his cover version of Michael Jackson's 1972 song, "We've Got a Good Thing Going" on Mushroom Records. The song reached No. 14 in the UK Singles Chart in June 2000.[1] A follow-up single was recorded but never released.[2] He had earlier released a 1995 Children in Need single with Patsy Palmer, "You Better Believe It". That track reached No. 60 in the UK chart.[1]

He returned to EastEnders in 2002, first appearing in a spin-off episode Ricky and Bianca which aired in May 2002 which saw his character reunite with his ex-wife Bianca. He returned to the show as a regular later in the year and was axed in 2004 due to lack of storylines. Returning to television work, Owen appeared on an episode of Lily Savage's Blankety Blank in 2001,[3] and took part in the fifth series of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! in 2005, where he carried out the first bushtucker trial with David Dickinson. He finished third in the series. He also took part in a celebrity boxing match with Ben Fogle, for Sport Relief, which Fogle ultimately won. Owen also starred in ITV1's prison drama Bad Girls in 2006, during the shows eighth and final series. His character fell for prisoner Janine Nebeski, played by his ex-EastEnders co-star, Nicola Stapleton.[4] Owen appeared in The Bill on 6 November 2007.[5]

On 30 October 2007, it was confirmed that Owen would make his return to EastEnders in 2008. This news came 24 hours after the announcement that Patsy Palmer, his on-screen wife, was also returning to the show.[6] In February 2011 he announced that he was taking a break from the show. Of his decision Owen said, "I will be taking a break from EastEnders so that I can dedicate more time to Drop 4 Drop, a charity to help alleviate the global water crisis in the developing world. Ricky will definitely be returning to Walford at some point next year."[7] He appeared in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from December 2007 to January 2008 at The Beck Theatre, Hayes, Middlesex as Prince Charming.[8] He also presented series 8 of To Buy or Not to Buy with Melinda Messenger.[9] In January 2012, Owen once again left EastEnders after four years back in the role. He returned for a few weeks in June 2012, before leaving again to run a restaurant in France[10][11]

On 10 September 2012, it was announced that Owen would be a contestant for the tenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with Ola Jordan. He and Jordan were the third couple to be eliminated, losing out in the dance-off against Colin Salmon.

Owen took part in the 2016 series of The Jump on Channel 4. In 2016, Owen signed a contract with the BBC and opined that he should return to EastEnders to "finish the storyline or go back for a length of time."[12] In August 2022, it was confirmed that he would reprise his role as Ricky for a brief stint.[13]

Owen participated in 2023 in the Channel 4 reality simulation of jail life Banged Up, saying that "he's the first member of his family not to go to jail for real, so he's keen to see what it's like."[14]

Personal life

Owen has four brothers. Owen's father, David, was an alcoholic who left home when he was six years old; his mother, Joan, died from pancreatic cancer when he was eight.[15] He then attended Anna Scher Theatre school. Sid's favourite hobby is football, playing in many celebrity matches in the process and is an Arsenal supporter.[16] In 2000, he was engaged to Carty Hubbard as he took her around the world for two years but they split up in 2003.[15] In October 2006, he began a relationship with Genie in the House actress, Polly Parsons. In April 2012, Owen told the Sunday Mirror that they were still good friends but not together any more and that he was single.[17] Owen had a daughter in 2022.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1983 Jury Barry Thompson 1 episode
1984 Weekend Playhouse Patrick 1 episode
1984 Bottle Boys Boy 1 episode
1987 William Tell Orphan Child 1 episode
1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023 EastEnders Ricky Butcher Series regular
1985 Revolution Young Ned Film
2000 Cat Burglar Tom Film
2004 Sport Relief Himself Contestant
2005 I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Himself Contestant
2006 Bad Girls Donny Kimber Main role
2007 The Bill Trevor Jones 4 episodes
2008 To Buy or Not to Buy Himself Presenter
2010–2011 EastEnders: E20 Ricky Butcher 4 episodes
2012 The Real Hustle Himself 1 episode
2012 Strictly Come Dancing Himself Contestant
2016 The Jump Himself Contestant
2023 Banged Up Himself Reality show[18]

Discography

Year Single UK Singles Chart[1]
1995 "Better Believe It (Children in Need)"
Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer		 60
2000 "Good Thing Going"
Sid Owen featuring Chukki Starr		 14

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. p. 413. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ "everyHit.com search results". Archived from the original on 12 October 2008.
  3. ↑ Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. 22 April 2001. ITV.
  4. ↑ "Latest Scotland, UK & World News - The Daily Record".
  5. ↑ "Entertainment news - Celebrity, movies, TV and gaming - MSN UK".
  6. ↑ "Owen to join Palmer in EastEnders". BBC News. 30 October 2007.
  7. ↑ Jeffries, Mark (26 February 2011). "Sid Owen is latest soap star to walk away from EastEnders – mirror.co.uk". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Exmoor, Series 8, To Buy or Not to Buy - BBC One".
  10. ↑ "Sid Owen: I'll never return to 'Enders". Digital Spy. 22 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Food for thought: EastEnders favourite Sid Owen quits acting to run his restaurant business in France". Daily Mirror. 21 July 2012.
  12. ↑ Greenwood, Carl (6 July 2016). "Sid Owen to return to EastEnders? Actor teases 'contract' with the BBC". Daily Mirror.
  13. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (13 August 2022). "EastEnders star Sid Owen to reprise role as Ricky Butcher". Digital Spy. (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  14. ↑ Hugo Rifkind, The Times Saturday Review November 4, 2023, page 3
  15. 1 2 "Enders Sid: Off drugs, on square meals - mirror.co.uk". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  16. ↑ "the world famous unofficial home of Tottenham Hotspur on the Internet". Topspurs. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  17. ↑ "'EastEnders' Sid Owen splits from fiancée Polly Parsons". Digital Spy. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "Banged Up". channel4.com. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
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