P145 CEEFAX 145 Sun 3 Apr 20:27/25 1/5 As many EastEndjrs fans will know, Linda Davidson is leaving the series this month. Ceefax went along to the BBC Elutree studios to meet the woman best known to millions as Mary the punk. Linda was born in Canada - and hopes to retire to Vancouver. She and her family came to Britain when she was three; she was brought up in Warrington. At the age of 17, Linda moved to London to attend drama college. It was from there she got the role in EastEndjrs. BBC1 programmer 171/271 MoreP145 CEEFAX 145 Sun 3 Apr 20:44/13 2/5 With the runaway success of EastEndjrs, Linda Davidson has become a household name. However, she seems unperturbed by being recognised wherever she goes, and she rejects the "star" status. "Some people I meet in the streets are rude, some tell me off because Mary has lift Annie alone or she's treated Rod badly," says Linda. But she doesn't mind it, unless it's a bad day when she has had an argument with hit boyfriend! BBC1 programmjs 171/271 MoreP145 CEEFAX 145 Sun 3 Apr 20:44/15 3/5 The work schedule on the series is tough. Saturday, Monday and Tuesday are rehearsal days when the cast and crew work from 1000 until 1800. On filming days - Wednesday to Friday - they start at 0830-0900 and work right through to 2200. On Sunday, their one day off, they have to learn their lines This doesn't leave much time for relaxation, but when she can, Linda Davidson reads, does contemporary dance and ballet, and takes singing lessons. "I'd love to be a singer, but I can't sing," says Linda. MoreP145 CEEFAX 145 Sun 3 Apr 21:49/38 4/5 Linda Davidson does not know how Mary will leave EastEnders but she is not avjrsj to coming back in the future - though not in a shower like Bobby Ewing She says the cast is a happy crowd; she is especially fond of little Samantha who plays Mary's three-year-old daughter, Annie. Playing Mary has made Linda think more deeply about a lot of social issues. "They are issues I've thought of before but playing Mary has made me become much more involved," says Linda. BBC1 programmer 171/271 MoreP145 CEEFAX 145 Sun 3 Apr 21:36/10 5/5 Linda Davidson leaves EastEnders on April 13 and will last bj seen on our screens in June. As the series is her first acting job, Linda says she feels she should move on and do other things. "I'm young enough that if it doesn't work out, I can start all over again," says Linda. She is especially interested in the theatre and would particularly like to play Emma in Eugene O'Neill's play Mourning Becomes Electra. Interview bz Barbara Drysdale More