Sanjay Tells You Why You Should Buy Albert Square & Me


Foreword by Deepak Verma

I am delighted to be able to write a few words about how I came to know Larry Jaffee. Larry is a true fan of EastEnders, and there’s nobody quite as obsessed as he is about the intricacies of the show and the people who have been in it over the years. It is people like Larry who have really made the experience of having been in the series a remarkable and warming one. We have become close friends over the years, and periodically have stayed at each other’s flats. We’ve often chuckled over the irony that he would prefer to be in London while I’d live in Manhattan. Just a month ago, we rekindled our friendship while I was visiting New York.

I met Larry in 1995 when I was planning a trip to New York. I adventurously phoned up the Walford Gazette to see if anybody would put me up – this was my mum’s idea as she had recently read the newspaper and thought I shouldn’t go to such a scary place on my own. New York was somewhere that I hadn’t been before, the thought of spending time on my own was frightening, and I had only recently come across these crazy Yanks who were lovers of the show. Since I agreed to tape some promotional spots for the local EastEnders broadcast outlet on Long Island, I eventually ended up staying with Larry Lombardo, an ex-cop who lived nearby and told me that he slept with a gun under his pillow. The only problem I had was that, as I was on the ground floor and he was on the top floor, it was me that would end up dead first!

At a party thrown in my honour at Chez Jaffee, I ended up cooking with Larry’s now ex-wife Teri my special Chicken Bhuna (just like mamma makes!) and a few veggie dishes while a group of the Walford Gazette contingent watched the latest episodes of ’enders. Those were my shy days, and I just hung out in the kitchen all evening as I was too embarrassed to face the crowd who were full of questions about being a “soapstar.” Larry just laughed at this in his usual way whilst downing a spoonful of Bhuna. Among the party guests were renowned musician Lenny Kaye and his lovely wife Stephanie (both diehard EastEnders fans). Larry introduced us, and we have remained in touch over the years.

Larry has continued to cover my career, and I really look forward to reading his chronicles of me and my EastEnders colleagues. We alumni do indeed belong to a special club. My tenure on the show gave me the freedom and the opportunities that I now am fortunate enough to enjoy.

I am eternally grateful to the series for changing my life.

I hope you enjoy the book and keep watching EastEnders. It is a true British institution and always will be.




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