EastEnders star Larry Lamb has revealed that he based his infamous character Archie Mitchell on his dad. The 62-year-old actor said he lived in fear of his father Ronald who was a "skilled psychological bully" and a "crazy man". Larry told The Mirror: "From the start I based Archie Mitchell on my father - my dad was a very screwed up man and emotionally damaged from his childhood. "Just like Archie, my dad was absolutely convinced of his rightness and sanity and thought he was completely justified in everything he did. Everybody else is at fault, but he's fine." He added: "Archie is the same. As far as he's concerned, he's perfectly sane. But the truth is, he's twisted. That twisted, dark, nasty side of me comes from my father." Larry had not spoken to Ronald for 15 years when he died last year, and did not attend his funeral. The soap star said he was determined not to treat his own son, 30-year-old TV presenter George, in the same way his dad treated him. Larry explained: "When George was a toddler, his mum spotted the signs. She told me I was in danger of repeating the behaviour of my dad. The potential was there." He said the shock was enough to change his behaviour adding: "I have never, ever dominated my boy." Archie will be killed off this Christmas but the actor has been kept in the dark about the identity of the murderer as he said he didn't want to accidentally tell anyone. Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's new weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop
