DRAMA: Shane strikes it Rich with his new role; WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAYS SUN, STV,9pm.

NEW!

When Shane Richie told his former EastEnders cast mates his first starring role after leaving the Walford soap was going to be filmed on a beach in Malta - they all agreed he'd landed on his feet!

"I spoke to Kacey Ainsworth yesterday and she just went: 'You lucky b*****!'", laughs Shane.

"They all think I'm a jammy so-and-so, but it's a cracking script filmed in a great location. You can't get better than that."

In What We Did On Our Holiday, Shane plays loving son and husband Nick, who takes his wife Laura (Angeline Ball) and ailing parents Lil (Pauline Collins) and Jim (Roger Lloyd-Pack) on a family holiday to Malta, where Jim did his National Service.

However, the holiday takes an unexpected turn when Jim - who is in the late stages of Parkinson's - confesses to a wartime romance and a long lost son. They track him down but Nick suspects his half-brother is not all he seems. Can he convince his wife and parents that his suspicions are based on more than envy?

"Nick is the opposite of Alfie. He doesn't really wear his heart on his sleeve and he keeps a lot to himself.

"Basically it's the story of him snapping out of his insecurities, taking the bull by the horns and appreciating his family and his life more," explains Shane, 42, who became a dad for the third time in April when his partner Christie gave birth to their son, Mackenzie.

"Life is good at the moment. For once Shane Richie has nothing to complain about."

CAPTION(S):

FAMILY TIES... Nick (Shane Richie) with his dad Jim (Roger Lloyd-Pack)