Tom Hooper worked 10-hour days on "EastEnders", and learned to direct with speed. He was influenced in his early career by the cinematic style of American TV series such as "ER", "NYPD Blue" and "" and tried to work that style into his "EastEnders" episodes; one scene featuring Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) involved a crane shot, which Hooper believes made him infamous among the "EastEnders" production crew. In 1999, Hooper directed two episodes of Granada Television's comedy-drama television series "Cold Feet", which marked his move to bigger-budget productions. There was initially concern at Granada that Hooper might be an unsuitable director for
Martin Kemp Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English actor, director, musician, occasional television presenter, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in "EastEnders". He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also a member of Spandau Ballet and an actor. Martin Kemp finished third in the summer series of "Celebrity Big Brother" 2012. In 2017, Kemp appeared as a judge on the BBC show, "Let It Shine". Kemp was born to parents Frank and Eileen Kemp at their house in Islington, north