Clyde Tavernier
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| EastEnders character | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Clyde Tavernier | ||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Steven Woodcock | |||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1990–1993 | |||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 5 July 1990 | |||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 22 July 1993 | |||||||||||||||||
| Profile | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1968 | |||||||||||||||||
| Status | Single | |||||||||||||||||
| Home | Trinidad | |||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Barman/Boxer | |||||||||||||||||
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Clyde Tavernier was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He was played by Steven Woodcock.
Clyde had a rough few years in Albert Square. His inter-racial relationship with Michelle Fowler was frowned upon, he was almost framed for the murder of Eddie Royle and he had to fight in order to gain custody of his son. Things started to look up for him when his boxing talents were discovered and he eventually found true love with his cousin Gidea and left for a new start in 1993.
[edit] Clyde's story
Clyde arrived in Albert Square in 1990 along with the rest of the Taverniers: father Celestine; mother Etta; grandfather Jules and siblings Hattie and Lloyd.
Clyde soon got a job working in The Queen Vic under new landlord Eddie Royle. However, not long after he started, Clyde became the prime suspect for a series of thefts that were occurring in the Vic. As the only black barman working there, Clyde initially felt that the basis of Eddie's suspicions was purely down to racial prejudice. The fact that the other barstaff were not targeted as suspects angered Clyde, and although he was later cleared of any wrong doing, his working relationship with Eddie was severely strained from then on.
Clyde was father to Kofi, who lived with his grandparents in Bristol (following the breakdown of his relationship to Kofi's mother, Abigail, who subsequently died in a car crash). Clyde desperately missed his son and when he discovered that Kofi's grandparents were planning to take his child to live permanently in Jamaica he tailed them to the airport and attempted to take Kofi from them. Despite initial protests Clyde was given custody of his son and Kofi came to live in Albert Square with the rest of the Taverniers.
In 1991 Clyde started a relationship with fellow single parent Michelle Fowler, and their inter-racial relationship caused quite a few 'raised eyebrows' from the busy-bodies on the square. Clyde also embarked on a new career as a boxer, spurred on by Phil and Grant Mitchell, who hoped to exploit him in the ring by pitting him against a superior fighter and betting against him. However their plan backfired when an overfaced Clyde managed to win the fight, despite the odds being severely stacked against him. Clyde was later trained to box by Eddie Royle, but animosity between him and Eddie resurfaced when Eddie attempted to get Clyde to 'throw a fight' in a betting scam. Clyde refused to do this, but his altercations with Eddie came back to haunt him when he became the prime suspect in Eddie's murder soon after.
Clyde discovered Eddie's bloody body in the square and unwittingly picked up the knife that was used to kill him. Panicking, Clyde left the scene and disposed of the murder weapon, only to be seen by the real murderer, Nick Cotton, who proceeded to frame Clyde for the deed. With a clear motive and a key witness, Clyde found it difficult to convince anyone of his innocence, even his own family doubted him. Clyde felt that he was the victim of a racist conspiracy and sensing his imminent arrest he decided to go 'on the run' with Kofi.
Michelle stuck by him and she and her daughter Vicki left Walford with Clyde, with the hope of starting a new life together in France. Their bid for freedom was not to be however, as Clyde was apprehended in Portsmouth before he could leave the country and was subsequently imprisoned. Fortunately he was released three months later when a witness came forward and identified Nick as Eddie's real killer. Upon Clyde's release his relationship with Michelle abruptly ended when he caught her in bed with another man.
In 1992 the Taverniers were visited by Gidea Thompson, who was Jules' granddaughter from an adulterous affair he had in his 20s. Clyde and Gidea grew close, and even though they were cousins they embarked on a relationship together. Jules was distraught when he found out and forbade them from seeing each other again. Clyde ignored his protests, however, and in July 1993 he decided to leave Walford to start a new life with Gidea in Trinidad.
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