(Image: PA)
An EastEnders star pretended to be Richard Hammond after a fan mistook him for the motoring presenter.
Mr Hammond worked with Jeremy Clarkson and James May on the BBC’s Top Gear and, latterly, Prime Video’s The Grand Tour for 22 years before calling time in 2024.
The 56-year-old moved to Ripon as a teenager and attended Ripon Grammar School in North Yorkshire.
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It was recently announced that he will return for this year's event, with guests having the opportunity to meet him during bottle signing sessions.
Mr Croasdell played Dr Al Jenkins in the BBC soap between 2009 and 2010 and was recently walking through Covent Garden in London when a woman approached him.
She recognised him from television and incorrectly identified him as Mr Hammond but rather than reveal the mistake, the 46-year-old actor decided to go along with it.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz, Mr Croasdell said: “I was walking in Covent Garden one day, and this lady came up to me, and she went, 'Ere! Ain’t you the geezer from TV?' I went, 'Er, yeah, I am.'
“And she goes, 'Yeah, I knew I recognised you. It’s one of my favourite shows.'
“And I was like, 'Oh, that’s so nice.'
“She goes, 'Top Gear, right? Richard Hammond, right?'
“And I couldn’t let her down, so I let her believe she’d met Richard Hammond that day.”