The One Show host red-faced after embarrassing slip-up with EastEnders star James Bye

The One Show presenter Alex Jones suffered a cblunder live on air during Monday night's programme while chatting with EastEnders legend James Bye. The actor, known for his portrayal of Martin Fowler who was killed off in last week's 40th anniversary live special, joined the presenters on the sofa to discuss his character’s explosive farewell.

But as the conversation unfolded, an awkward gaffe occurred when Alex accidentally called him by his character's name.

Fellow host Roman Kemp led into the discussion, remarking: "Now James the live EastEnders episode didn't pull any punches..." followed by a heart-stopping clip showing Martin's horrific final moments, getting crushed by a falling metal beam during the Queen Vic blast and succumbing to cardiac arrest.

With praise for the gripping scene, as Roman expressed after the footage: "It feels weird applauding it but it was great, it was unbelievable" James admitted to not having seen it yet. It was then that Alex had her mix-up moment: "Martin, Martin? I called you Martin! I did. James!" prompting James to quip in jest: "Right, that's that then!" while mimicking a dramatic exit from the set.

Embarrassed, Alex buried her head into her hands for a brief moment before recovering to carry on with the interview, saying: "I tell you what though, I mean the pressure isn't it, not only are you having to die on screen, you're dying live," reports the Mirror.

James disclosed: "I know, I know, listen I was incredibly lucky because I got to do that with my best friend Lacey Turner and we've worked together so much that we sort of knew every little tick that each one of us had. We'd already talked about if one of us went wrong. I was literally holding her hand throughout the whole live (episode) and I can definitely say I would not have been able to do it without her - 100%. Team work."

As clips of devastated EastEnders fans mourning Martin's death were played, James was visibly moved by the reactions.

Discussing his departure from the show, James revealed he insisted on informing actress Lacey Turner, who portrayed Martin's former spouse Stacey, of his exit himself. He recounted: "I was sworn to keep it a secret. Obviously the people involved in the storyline they were told not long after I was. In fact I told the exec producer that, well after he made the decision, that you have to let me tell Lacey."

He added, "Anyone else you can tell, but that was the most difficult conversation. Other than telling my wife, she wasn't over the moon with it to be fair. But telling Lacey was tough and it has been a really emotional couple of months."

Martin Fowler, a character born into the world of EastEnders in 1985, met a tragic fate during the soap's live broadcast commemorating its 40th anniversary.

Following the explosion at the pub, Martin made heroic efforts to rescue as many individuals as possible amidst the collapsing structure. After rescuing Stacey, he was tragically pinned down by a falling metal beam.

As he awaited medical assistance, he proposed to Stacey, who was soon hit with heartbreaking news. Paramedics informed her that Martin could be afflicted with Crush syndrome, a potentially deadly condition resulting from severe muscle damage.

Sadly, Martin did not survive after the beam was lifted, his death announced by the haunting screams reverberating around the Square.

The One Show is on BBC One weekdays at 7pm and on BBC iPlayer