Shaun Williamson talks joining Sam Fender on stage: "I nearly had to change me underwear"

26 July 2022, 15:04

Shaun Williamson on performing on stage with Sam Fender!

The star, who's best known for playing Barry in EastEnders, spoke to Chris Moyles about everything from Barrioke to his performance with Sam Fender.

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Shaun Williamson has discussed how his surprise duet with Sam Fender at Truck Festival came about and revealed he was so nervous he nearly had to change his underwear.

Asked about the viral moment, which saw the EastEnders actor sing backing on the choruses to Fender's Getting Started single, he told Chris Moyles: "I was doing something called Barrioke. I basically run a karaoke event and I sing with each member who gets up, member of the audience, simple as that, does what it says on the tin.

"And I got a message as we’re driving up (that said) ‘Sam Fender’s people have got an idea that could be fun’. So I was a massive fan of Sam's music. I first become aware of him, he fronted a brilliant documentary for BBC Four about the life of Alan Hull, who was the lead singer of Lindisfarne, so I knew he was very serious dude and serious about his music."

He continued: "So I got to meet Sam and he said ‘look, do you want to come on and join in with a song?’ And I immediately nearly had to change me underwear because I thought ‘I just don't want to wreck his set’. And also, although I'm a massive fan, I'm 57, doesn't mean I know all the lyrics. He said Getting Started so after a quick Google I'm like ‘yeah, I can handle the chorus of that’.

"So basically, I just provided backing vocals for the chorus of Getting Started, which you just played."

Watch our interview with the legendary soap star above.

Shaun Williamson aka Barry from Eastenders has talked about what led to his performance with Sam Fender. Picture: 1. Sachin Jethwa/Shutterstock 2. Radio X 3. Twitter/Truck Festival

The Extras star also talked about his 10 year stint on EastEnders and revealed that he barely remembers any of it.

"They're just repeating them weirdly on something called Drama," he said. "I think it's called the Drama Channel, you know, and I'm dipping in and out of them. I don't remember anything about nearly every scene I ever made. I have no memory of it."

He added: "Apart from the biggies, you know. It's weird, because you know, it's like when you're in a soap, you become a learning machine, but at the end of the day, if they said, ‘we're going to go back to start the day and do the scenes again’, you’d go ‘hang on, it’s gone.

"Those words have gone forever and tomorrow's are in now.’ And it's the same with… I look at them now and I have no memory of making that scene at all. It's scary."