Sid Owen, a star of EastEnders, has spoken about his criminal past and how, as the only member of his family who has never served time in jail or prison, he feels “like the odd one out.”
The actor, who is best known for playing Ricky Butcher in the BBC One serial opera, is one of six well-known figures participating in Channel 4’s documentary series Banged Up, which gives the stars a glimpse into what life is truly like in prison.
Sid, 51, recently revealed that his father had been engaged in bank robberies and that, had he not started taking acting courses, he probably would have followed in his father’s footsteps.
He told the Daily Mirror, “I felt like the odd one out because everyone in my family has served their time.”
Sid explained his decision to participate in the Channel 4 show by saying, “Even my mother was a petty thief.” I was curious to know what my father, brothers, and I had to cope with. When they boarded the aircraft, removed us, and arrested him for armed robbery, I was only two years old. Then I have a faint memory of visiting him in prison when I was around four years old.
After that, all I heard were negative rumors about him and how badly injured he had been. So, it was entirely my decision to stop everything and pursue my own interests.
Sid moved home with his aunt after his mother passed away at age 35.
After that, he began acting lessons and created his own path. Sid considers how things may have turned out differently and realizes:
I’m not lying; that’s the only path I knew; I would have taken it. Thank God, I followed my own route and avoided joining in the crime that all of my relatives and acquaintances in the neighborhood were committing.
“My brother has been fired at and stabbed.” When I was younger, my life was similar to that, but I refused to do the crime since I believed I couldn’t serve the sentence.
Ricky was addressed earlier this year on EastEnders when Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) visited Walford again.
She disclosed that she had spoken with Ricky, who resides in Germany, and who had assured her that Cindy Jr. was doing well.
In 2022, Ricky visited Walford once again during the penultimate act of Janine’s (Charlie Brooks) narrative.
Following the Christmastime confrontation between Janine, Mick (Danny Dyer), and Linda (Kellie Bright), Ricky left for Germany once more, this tide taking his niece Scarlett (Tabitha Byron) with him.