List of Kat &amp; Alfie: Redwater characters
Alfie Moon is played by Shane Richie. The character originally appeared in the soap opera "EastEnders" from 2002 to 2005, and 2010 to 2016. Before his departure from "EastEnders", he discovers he has a mass on his brain. Of Alfie's part in "Redwater", Richie said, "Alfie's journey is to help his wife find her son but at the same time he has his own dark secret which he's keeping." Richie later said, "For the first time in 15 years, [Alfie] questions himself as a father, a husband and as a life, it feels like it's coming to an end for him. [...] Alfie starts getting hallucinations and one in particular is quite harrowing."
Alfie Moon
Alfie Moon was conceptualised by "EastEnders"' scriptwriter Tony Jordan. The character is based on Jordan himself. Jordan has commented, "Alfie is basically me – a Jack The Lad in jeans, cowboy boots and dodgy shirts who wears his heart on his sleeve." Julia Crampsie, the BBC's casting executive, recommended that Shane Richie be considered for the role. Richie was already a familiar face to the UK audience, having had a career as an entertainer, appearing in various gameshows, variety shows and facing advert campaigns, most notably for the washing detergent Daz. Jordan was apprehensive about casting Ritchie in the role. He commented, "I just had this image of the guy with the mullet from the Daz adverts. And if we had Shane where would it stop? Harry Hill? Les Dennis? Bradley Walsh? But Julia was insistent, so I went to a workshop where we'd see lots of actors and [Richie] was fantastic."