Howard Saddler is an English actor who is known for his recurring role as Pastor Clayton in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

in 2023 and 2024''. He also appeared briefly in the other soap operas, ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

'' and ''Doctors''.

Career

Saddler started his acting career portraying minor characters in programmes such as ''Grange Hill'', ''The Bill'', '' The Ghost Hunter'', ''Footballers' Wives'', ''Rockface'' and ''Doctors'', before getting his first big part in the television series ''Without Motiv''e, where he played DC Trevor Richards. Following this, he would appear in the popular

mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...

series ''The Office'', as Oliver, a "kind natured Swindoner" who puts up with David's crude humour throughout the series. In 2003, he appeared in the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

production of ''The Beggar's Opera'', which was performed at the

Orange Tree Theatre The Orange Tree Theatre is a 180-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south-west London, which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style. Th ...

. Between September 2005 and February 2006, he appeared as Paul in ''The Arab Trader'', which was performed at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

. Between 2004 and 2021, Saddler would continue to appear in many others television series, including ''Holby City'', '' Waking the Dead'', ''Black Cake'', ''My Lady Jane'', ''The Ark'' and the ''

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

'' series ''The Witcher''. From 2003 to 2005, he appeared in ''Family Affairs'' as Les Boulter. In 2014, he appeared in the British film ''A Royal Hangover''. In 2023, Saddler made his debut on

as Pastor Clayton. Clayton remained a character on the show until 2024, where he was involved in a

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

storyline against

Yolande Trueman Yolande Trueman (also Duke) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Angela Wynter. She first appears in episode 2588, originally broadcast on 16 September 2003. The character is introduced as a love interest for ...

, played by actress

Angela Wynter Angela Wynter (born 14 July 1957) is a Jamaican-British actress. She is known for her role as Yolande Trueman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2003–2008, 2017, 2023–present). In 2021, she joined the cast of the BBC soap opera ''Doctors ...

. Since leaving Eastenders, Saddler has gone on to appear in the television series ''Grace'' and is set to appear in the upcoming

Horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

''Dig Dig Dead'' and ''Return to Silent Hill''. In 2024, Howard became a judge for ''Recovery’s Got Talent'', which he claims to have gotten involved with as he was in treatment himself.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saddler, Howard Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English male film actors English male soap opera actors English male stage actors English male television actors