Lovestruck newly-weds Natalie and Barry Evans may be the only characters with anything to smile about in EastEnders - but actors Shaun Williamson and Lucy Speed admit they wouldn't mind a spot of misery.

The duo, who at first seemed to be one of soap's most mismatched couples, have been responsible for bringing some much-needed humour to Albert Square over the past few months.

But despite the laughs, the actors claim they are ready to get their teeth into a hard-hitting storyline. "It's always nice to be given the light-hearted stuff to do as it means you are beaten up less in the street," jokes the 35-year-old Shaun, who plays bungling loser Barry.

"But it would be nice for us to have a dramatic storyline instead of just playing comedy all the time. All the other characters seem to have their fair share of fear, misery and loathing.

"We all like to flex our dramatic muscles so it would be great to do something more meaty. But the way our characters have been written it would look really odd if I suddenly turned round and thumped Phil Mitchell.

"Then again I don't think Barry should be a character who just goes round slipping on banana skins because we all have the capacity to get angry and be bad.

"When Barry first appeared he was a bit sleazy but then he got a bit cuddly which I don't mind at all," admits Shaun.

The two actors followed very different paths to arrive in Albert Square. Shaun, who was born in Kent, left school at 16 and became a postman for three years.

At 19, he applied to join the Royal Navy and discovered he was colour blind so he became an accountant but was thrown out after six months for failing his exams. A string of jobs followed including a stint as a Bluecoat at a Pontins holiday camp, a job as a holiday rep for Club 18-30 and a job as a counsellor at a kids summer camp in America.

"I tried my luck with different jobs every summer, while every winter Safeway would have me back working on the night shift. My supermarket work mates are still my friends to this day," he reveals.

Ironically a chance meeting with former EastEnder Ross Kemp gave him the impetus to put his life on a different course.

"All my life I have wanted to perform," he admits. "Then Ross came to our local club to present a cheque for charity and I went over to ask him for advice.

"He came over and spent half an hour with me, giving me great tips, including which pieces to audition with. He is a great guy."

Shaun landed a place at the Webber-Douglas Academy in Kensington, west London and has never looked back.

On the other hand, Lucy Speed, from Croydon, Surrey, has always had her sights set on a career in showbusiness. The 23-year-old actress attended dance classes, worked as a model and appeared in television commercials as a child.

"Mum wasn't keen for me to be a child actress - she thought I'd be even more precocious than I already was," laughs Lucy.

"I worked constantly but I didn't tell the other kids at school in case they thought I was showing off."

At 11 she made a film with Hugh Grant and she also worked with John Mills and Susan Hampshire and was just 17 years old when she first appeared in Albert Square as the mischievous Natalie.

But after 12 months in the role, she left to pursue her acting career. Then at the start of last year she reappeared.

Lucy says: "Arriving back in Walford after being away for four years was a bit of a surreal experience for me. But that was good as I could incorporate that into my character.

"When EastEnders asked me back I thought: 'great I can pay the mortgage', as I'd just bought a flat. It seemed to be the right time and I feel most happy when I'm working."

Lucy admits that although she had worked after leaving EastEnders first time round, there wasn't much work in the pipeline when she was asked back to Albert Square.

"In the past during quiet periods I'd done radio plays but this time there was nothing and I had been really fed up. I missed being busy and the days went so slowly."

But the couple's wish to be seen as something other than Albert Square's Little and Large might be about to be granted.

"Barry definitely wants children but with Natalie being 15 years younger she doesn't want them just yet. It's that old cliche of him wanting to have kids who he can kick a football round with," says Shaun.

So are the couple looking forward to the prospect of the patter of tiny feet on screen?

"There was one paper that said if Barry and Natalie were to have children with his girth and her height they would probably be Pokemons," jokes Lucy."

"It tickled us. We found it quite funny - didn't we?" she says, turning to Shaun just to check that, like Barry, he is in full agreement with her.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.