In the wake of his departure from the BBC soap opera Eastenders this week, 38-year-old German-Latvian actor Kristian Kiehling is exchanging the fictional Albert Square for Malta, and his life as a soap star for humanitarian work.

Kristian said he will be dedicating his time to raising funds for the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station, explaining: “I’m so angry; Europe is so rich and people are drowning on our doorstep.”

MOAS, run by American entrepreneur Christopher Catrambone and headed by former AFM commander Brigadier (Ret’d) Martin Xuereb, last year helped save 3,000 migrants during its 60-day mission in the central Mediterranean Sea. The NGO is now preparing to resume its search and rescue operations between May and October.