Jack, married to former Hear'Say star Kym Marsh, told the News of the World: "The producers treat people like s**t and try to control your life. They're all fine with you while you're flavour of the month, but as soon as they stop liking you they make your life hell.

"They play mind games with you. One executive actually told me the only reason my mum was interested in me was because of wealth and fame. I was speechless. And John Yorke, who was executive producer for a time, told me that if I ever left the show I'd only be good enough for Footballers' Wives."

But it was the arrival of the Slater family, said Jack, that left many cast members eyeing their futures nervously.

"They're in every scene more or less and a lot of cast members, including me, were p****d off," he added. "I never really spoke to Jessie Wallace, who plays Kat Slater, or any of the other Slaters. I didn't like them. They all wanted the limelight and you could see what they were trying to do.

"They were a nightmare between scenes, gossiping all the time. They think they're better than the other cast members.

"But not only did I have to face that every dayI had to put up with two-faced bitching cast members.

Pecking

"The main culprits were Jessie Wallace and Hannah Waterman, who plays Laura Beale. They were always being nice to each other's face, but when they were apart they'd just slag each other off."

Besides the Slater family, said Jack, Wendy Richard, who stars as Pauline Fowler, and Adam Woodyatt, who plays Ian Beale, also get the kid-glove treatment.

"There's a definite pecking order," he insisted. "Wendy and Adam have been in the longest and were always favourites.

"I remember Wendy, especially, could do whatever she wanted and get away with it. She has this dog called Shirley, who's the only pet allowed to roam on set. I once brought in mine, a boxer called Hendrix, but they wouldn't let me keep him on set and because I couldn't leave him at home I had to sell him. It was ridiculous. One cast member who thinks he's above others is Ian Lavender, who plays Pauline's friend Derek. He's quite a snob.

"I remember Dean Gaffney (Robbie Jackson) and I were playing football in the corridor and we didn't realise he was asleep in his dressing room. Obviously, the ball kept banging on the doors and he came out. Dean hid behind a bin and I just looked at him and he said, This is not a playground'. He was talking to us like a bunch of kids."

"Then there's Gary Beadle, who plays Paul Trueman. He tries to be everyone's friend but I didn't have time for him at all.

"He was out every night trying to get in the papers. He even gatecrashed a Holly Valance party and sneaked up behind her, just so he could get his picture taken."

At the beginning of last year, said Jack, "the executives upstairs" called him in and told him that they were planning a series of strong storylines for Jamie. These would include his marriage to Sonia Jackson, played by Natalie Cassidy, at Christmas.

"They were b*****ds," he adds bitterly. "As the stories unfolded they went back on their word and it was the same old Jamie fighting Phil Mitchell and just carrying on with his relationship with Sonia.

"It wasn't hard being Jamie in the end because he didn't do anything. I'd just sit in the cafe ordering tea or a bacon sandwich.

"The execs also didn't like me going out with Kym. They never let her come into my dressing room in case she saw the script and sold it to the papers, which was ludicrous."

When it was clear he was determined to leave, producers discussed a plan to write Jamie out of the plot for two years or so.

"I'd see how things went on the outside," he went on. "Then they had a plot written for me to get off with Belinda Slater. What was all that about?

"It was clear once again that the Slaters are the new in' people and bosses thought How can we get her in for a few episodes? Oh yes, she can sleep with Jamie'."

Finally Jack was summoned to the office of executive producer Louise Berridge.

"She told me I was going to be killed off," he said. "I was gutted. They'd lied to me."

Jack's character Jamie died in hospital after he was hit by Martin Fowler's car.

"I couldn't watch EastEnders on Christmas Day. I didn't want to ruin Kym and the kids' day," he explained. "I recorded it and watched it on my ownand cried. I was saying goodbye to a friend who helped me get my wife, house, cars and money.

Mushy

"Steve's the best actor in the soap by far. He looked after me from day one.

"When the final version was completed it was very emotional. I was never going to play Jamie opposite my only friends on the set againSteve, Babs Windsor (Peggy Mitchell), Dean Gaffney and Natalie Cassidy.

"Usually, when you filmed your last scenes, one of the executives would come and say a few words, but none of them did.

"I couldn't care less what happens to the other actors, they were just people I had to work with. And now that I've left I'll never watch EastEnders again."

(Taken from the NOTW website.)