EastEnders’ Richard Blackwood claims rapper he was due to meet the day he was murdered would still be alive if he had

EASTENDERS star Richard Blackwood has claimed The Notorious B.I.G was due to meet him in London on the day he was shot dead.

, 52, has said he was supposed to interview Biggie Smalls at a branch of Yo Sushi in 1997 but that the star never made it.

Richard claims in a podcast that Biggie had ‘deliberately' missed a flight from the to before being gunned down hours later.

The Brit star, who worked for MTV and hosted Top Of The Pops in the 90s, believes B.I.G. – real name Christopher George Latore Wallace – would be alive today if he had made his interview with him.

Richard made the revelation during an appearance on the Winners Talking podcast, hosted by Pound Sterling and Big Doug.

He said: “Back then, he was supposed to fly to the UK to do an interview that was with me.

“So literally, like, he was supposed to fly to the UK to just do an interview with me. It was supposed to be in Yo! Sushi in Dean Street in the West End.

“I got to work… this is before the internet. I got to work and they said, ‘Oh, he's dead'. And I said, ‘Don't be stupid, that's not even a funny joke'. They said, ‘No, he died a few hours ago'.

“I'm like, ‘Stop it' and they go, ‘No, no no. We've got to do a new show. He's dead. He got shot'.”

Twelve years after his murder, the film Notorious was released in cinemas across the world.

The movie was based on the life of B.I.G and how violent street life in Brooklyn, , had helped to make him one of the world's greatest ever hip-hop artists.

Richard recalls watching one scene in the movie which showed Biggie travelling through with his wife Faith Evans.

“I watched that movie and there's a scene in the car where Faith Evans is saying to him, ‘Aren't you supposed to be in London now?'” Richard said.

“Every time I see that scene my heart goes [sinking gesture] because he was specifically coming for my interview. And he just chose to miss the flight and he died.

“I say that to say, that these things are normal to me. If he had seen me, he would probably still be alive to this day.

“I'm a part of that history, as distant as it is. I'm a part of that. Do you understand what I'm saying?

“To me it's the norm because, ‘Yeah, B.I.G knew who I was because he was coming to see me'.”

Biggie was murdered on March 9, 1997, in a drive-by shooting in downtownLos Angeles.

The driver of a dark Impala SS, dressed in a suit and bow tie, pulled up alongside Notorious B.I.G's SUV at a red traffic light at 12.45am and began shooting at the rapper's car.

Biggie was shot four times and died in hospital at 1.15am.

To this day,and the case remains unsolved.

Just six months prior to his death, rapper was killed in very similar circumstances.

The former friends had been at the heart of a rap war, fuelled by jealousy and brutal diss tracks.

Following in September 1996, many accused Biggie of being involved in his shooting.

Fans have give their thoughts on Richard's revelation after it was shared on the account for Winners Talking.

Some accused him of fabricating his story about that day.

However, another listener said: “I believe him. It just goes to show that when it's your time, it's your time.”

Another added: “The younger generation are not aware of who is or was back in the day.

“I don’t believe for one minute he would jump in front of the camera and lie, not his style.”

And another wrote: “97'98 Richard was our man in UK hosting MTV, so it would make sense as there was NO urban hosts in UK. Why would he lie?”

In 1999, Richard presented his own show called The Richard Blackwood Show. It ran on for three years.

He also launched his own music career before moving into acting.

In 2018, he landed the role of Vincent Hubbard in . He also played Felix Westwood in .