When Phil Daniels decided to quit EastEnders he had no idea how brutal his on-screen death was going to be.
The Quadrophenia star, who is probably most famous for lending his voice to Blur’s hit single Parklife, chose to leave Albert Square in August 2007 - with his final scenes airing in December.
Car salesman Kevin Wicks first appeared on our screens in February 2006 as the nephew of Pat Butcher and quickly became a fan favourite for his wheeler dealer ways.
When Phil chose to leave Walford after nearly two years, bosses made sure that he could never return by killing off his character in one of the show's most gruesome ever deaths.
Tragedy struck when Kevin tried to get rid of one of Phil Mitchell's dangerous 'cut-and-shut' cars by pretending it was stolen by joyriders.
Kevin races the car round in circles and was planning to set it alight to cover his tracks, but lost control after being goaded to go faster by ex-wife Shirley Carter.
The car smashed into some debris at high speed and Kevin was fatally impaled on a metal pole, eventually dying in devastated Shirley's arms.
At the stroke of midnight at the start of the New Year, heartbroken Denise Fox kissed her dead husband while breaking down in floods of tears.
It would be the final time that Phil was seen on-screen as his as character laid cold in the mortuary.
It was a gory end for such a well-loved character, but there was more sadness to come for fans of the Wicks family.
EastEnders bosses decided to get rid of Phil's on-screen kids Carly and Deano Wicks, played by Kellie Shirley and Matt Di Angelo, at the same time.
"EastEnders has been an absolute pleasure, but it was always my intention, after two years in the job, to move on and do other things," said Phil as he explained his reasons for leaving.
"I'd like to thank all on the Square for making my stay such fun."
TV daughter Kellie admitted it was a "shame" the option on her contract was not picked up, while on-screen wife Diane Parish made a temporary exit to go on maternity leave.
But they kept Linda Henry, better known as Shirley Carter, who remains a firm favourite on the show to this day.
Years after leaving EastEnders and branching off to do other successful projects, Phil controversially called for the soap to be dramatically axed.
The actor claimed EastEnders had "run its course" and needed to be axed by the BBC in a surprising interview in June 2015.
While defending the quality of the acting, Phil insisted that Coronation Street and his former show were "like the opium of the masses".
"I'd take it off the telly if I could. I just think it's run its course," he told The Sun.
"It's nothing to do with any of the acting as I think people do really good work in it.
"EastEnders and Coronation Street seem a bit like the opium of the masses now.
"Why don't they try something else for the British public?"
He has also blasted the soap for its dark storylines, admitting he wasn't pleased with the direction his character went in throughout the course of his stay in Walford.
Initially expecting "a comedy part", Phil was unhappy that his jokes soon gave way to deeper, more gloomy scenarios.
Kevin supported Denise throughout the abuse of her ex-husband Owner Turner, his son Deano was imprisoned and his kids discovered he was not their biological father.
"I went into the show to be a comedy part," added Phil, whose character drastically changed over the two years.
"Then the gags started disappearing and I had a kid that died of cystic fibrosis and a wife that was violent.
"My character got more and more miserable.
"I just don't think they've got the writers for gags on that show. They need a few more jokes."
Phil Daniels' voice was actually heard in the show years after his character had died - when Shirley watched a family video in Ma 2014 and June 2015.
But the actor himself will certainly not be coming back to the soap unless he makes a Dirty Den style recovery from the grave.
Phil went on to appear in Strictly Come Dancing in 2008, but was knocked out in the very first round.
The actor has now turned his hand to cooking and will appear in this week's Celebrity Masterchef.