A couple of excerts from the new book Pam St Clement: The end of an earring.

My onscreen family included Michael French playing David Wicks, with whom I loved working; not only is he a good actor who makes demands on himself, but he has great onscreen presence. He can also be very naughty! He is one of the few people who not only corpsed me on set, but had me in a state of something approaching hysteria. The sort of laughter that bursts out of your body at the most inappropriate moments and that you can’t contain. In fact, to regain any control at all you have to leave the set. This was impossible during a party at the fowlers’ house when michael put a bunch of watercress in the hair of one of his least favourite characters. It went unnoticed for the entire scene, apart from the two knowing miscreants who were choking with laughter. Fortunately we were just extras in that situation.

I missed Michael French when he left Eastenders to do other work and was so thrilled that he came back to see Pat out. Not only because I wanted to work with him again, but because I felt it was essential for the story. Pat spends most of her last day on earth anticipating David’s arrival. As her undeserving but favourite son, it is only dramatically right that she dies in his arms.

Source: Pam St Clement – The end of an earring