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| Nick Berry |
Nick Berry was one of the most familiar faces on British television in the 1980s and 1990s. He played Simon Wicks in EastEnders, then PC Nick Rowan in Heartbeat. He even had a No. 1 single. Then, at the height of his fame, he walked away from acting to raise his sons, and he has barely been seen on screen since.
This is the story of a child actor who became a soap pin-up, a pop star almost by accident, and the face of Sunday-night television, before choosing family life over fame. He is 63 now and lives quietly, out of the spotlight he once filled.
A Child Actor From Woodford
Nicholas Berry was born on Tuesday 16 April 1963 in Woodford, Essex. He started acting at the age of eight and trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, the stage school that has produced many British soap stars.
His first television credit came in 1976, in an episode of BBC2 Playhouse, while he was still a schoolboy. Small parts followed in the early 1980s: Dramarama, The Box of Delights, and the films Forever Young and Party Party, both in 1983. Just before his big break, at 21, he was in a car crash that fractured his skull. He made a full recovery, and the break came anyway.
Wicksy: The EastEnders Years
EastEnders launched in February 1985, and Berry joined a few months in as Simon Wicks, known to everyone as Wicksy. The character had been thought up almost overnight, after another young actor left the show suddenly, and Berry was cast with very little delay. It made him famous fast. He became the show's top pin-up and was flooded with fan mail.
Wicksy was a would-be pop star in the show, and in 1986 fiction turned into fact. Simon's on-screen band, The Banned, performed a song called "Every Loser Wins", and when it was released as a single under Berry's own name it spent three weeks at No. 1. It was the second-biggest-selling single in Britain that year, and its writers won an Ivor Novello Award. Berry took time away from the show to tour and record an album, then came back when the pop career cooled.
He left EastEnders in December 1990, in a storyline that left the door open. Simon emigrated, and Berry moved on. He has played the part once more since: a single episode on 13 January 2012, when Simon came back to Walford for the funeral of his on-screen mother, Pat, played by Pam St Clement.
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| Nick Berry biography |
Heartbeat and the Policeman Years
In 1992 Berry swapped the East End for 1960s Yorkshire. In ITV's Heartbeat he played PC Nick Rowan, a young London policeman posted to the fictional village of Aidensfield. The show became one of the biggest on British television, and Berry stayed for 96 episodes, with Rowan promoted to sergeant along the way. His co-stars included Tricia Penrose as Gina, the landlady's niece who arrived in 1993 and stayed to the very end of the series.
Once again, he sang the theme tune. His cover of Buddy Holly's "Heartbeat" reached No. 2 in 1992. His wife, Rachel Robertson, also turned up in the series in small one-off roles. Berry's time on the show ended in 1998 with a two-part special, Changing Places, in which Rowan left Yorkshire to start a new life as a mounted policeman in Canada.
Nick Berry as Nick Rowan in Canada in 1998, filming the Heartbeat special Changing Places. Photo: Davidforbes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
After Heartbeat he led two more series. In Harbour Lights (1999–2000), filmed around Bridport in Dorset, he played harbourmaster Mike Nicholls. Then came In Deep (2001–2003), a BBC crime drama in which he played undercover officer Liam Ketman alongside Stephen Tompkinson. It was his last regular role. His main television work, from the child actor of 1976 to the final series of In Deep, is set out below.
| Years | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | BBC2 Playhouse | Carter | One episode, as a child actor |
| 1983–1984 | Dramarama | Lance Boyle / Paul Walker | Two episodes |
| 1984 | The Box of Delights | Pirate Rat | Two episodes |
| 1985 | Cover Her Face | Tony | One episode |
| 1985–1990, 2012 | EastEnders | Simon Wicks | Series regular: 466 episodes, plus a one-off return in 2012 |
| 1991 | Cluedo | Ben the Window-Cleaner | One episode |
| 1992–1998 | Heartbeat | PC, later Sgt, Nick Rowan | Series regular: 96 episodes |
| 1996 | Respect | Bobby Carr | Television film |
| 1997 | Black Velvet Band | Martin Tusco | Television film |
| 1998 | Heartbeat: Changing Places | Nick Rowan | Spin-off special: Rowan starts a new life in Canada |
| 1999 | The Mystery of Men | Colin Dunbar | Television film |
| 1999–2000 | Harbour Lights | Mike Nicholls | Series regular: 16 episodes |
| 2001–2003 | In Deep | Liam Ketman | Series regular: 22 episodes, his last regular role |
The Music
Berry never planned a pop career. It grew out of the EastEnders storyline, and for a while it was huge: "Every Loser Wins" was one of the defining singles of 1986. A follow-up single in 1987 went nowhere, and the first album, released in December 1986, reached only No. 99. The 1992 Heartbeat album did better, reaching No. 28 on the back of the theme song's success.
| Single | Year | UK Peak | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Every Loser Wins" | 1986 | 1 | Second-biggest-selling single in the UK that year |
| "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" | 1987 | — | Follow-up single |
| "Heartbeat" | 1992 | 2 | Cover of the Buddy Holly song; the Heartbeat theme |
| "Long Live Love" | 1992 | 47 | Second single from the 1992 album |
Marriage and Family
During his EastEnders years Berry was in a relationship with his co-star Gillian Taylforth, who played Kathy Beale. He later settled down with actress Rachel Robertson. They have been together since 1989 and married in 1994. The couple have two sons, Louis and Finley.
Fatherhood changed his priorities completely. As he later explained, when he joined Heartbeat he was unmarried with no children, and filming kept him away from home for long stretches. Once the boys came along, he decided he wanted to be there for them instead.
Walking Away
When In Deep ended in 2003, Berry stopped acting and set up his own company, Valentine Productions, based at Pinewood Studios. In a 2011 interview with the Daily Mail he said he had chosen to be a stay-at-home dad and had loved it. He said he had always thought he might go back once the boys were teenagers, but the longer he stayed away, the harder a return felt, and he had not really missed acting. He described himself as genuinely happy as he was.
He resigned from Valentine Productions in October 2019, and the company was dissolved in March 2020. Since then he has kept the low profile he always wanted. He is rarely photographed and gives no interviews, though Heartbeat and EastEnders repeats keep his face on television. He is also a supporter of West Ham United. For viewers who grew up with Wicksy and PC Rowan, the story has an unusual ending: the star who left at the top, and never looked back.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Nicholas Berry |
| Born | Tuesday, 16 April 1963, Woodford, Essex, England |
| Age | 63 years old |
| Nationality | English |
| Profession | Actor and singer (retired) |
| Years Active | 1976, 1983–2003, and a one-off return in 2012 |
| Education | Sylvia Young Theatre School, London |
| Spouse | Rachel Robertson (married 1994) |
| Children | Two sons, Louis and Finley |
| Known For | Simon Wicks in EastEnders and Nick Rowan in Heartbeat |
| Biggest Hit | "Every Loser Wins" — UK No. 1 in 1986 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Nick Berry?
He is 63 years old. He was born on 16 April 1963 in Woodford, Essex.
What is Nick Berry doing now?
He is retired and lives a quiet family life away from the spotlight. His last acting role was a one-off return to EastEnders in January 2012. He ran a production company, Valentine Productions, until he resigned in 2019.
Why did Nick Berry quit acting?
He chose to be a stay-at-home father to his two sons. He told the Daily Mail in 2011 that he had loved it, had not really missed acting, and was genuinely happy out of the business.
Who is Nick Berry's wife?
He married actress Rachel Robertson in 1994. They have been together since 1989 and have two sons, Louis and Finley. She also appeared in small roles in Heartbeat.
What was Nick Berry's No. 1 single?
"Every Loser Wins", released in 1986 out of an EastEnders storyline. It spent three weeks at No. 1 in the UK and was the second-biggest-selling single of the year. His cover of "Heartbeat" reached No. 2 in 1992.
What is Nick Berry's net worth?
No reliable figure has been published. An old version of this page claimed $1.9 billion, which was simply invented — there is no source for it, and it has been removed. Tabloids have guessed far smaller sums, but none of them is verified either, so this page does not print one.
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