Brian Conley joins EastEnders cast as Sonia’s long lost father

Brian Conley is to join the cast of EastEnders, the BBC has announced.

The actor will join the BBC One soap as Terry Cant, Sonia’s long lost father.

He said today: “As you can imagine being a Londoner and now being part of EastEnders is such an incredible moment for me.

“I know for sure my dad’s looking down from above and saying ‘Good on yer son!’ It was always his favourite programme.

“So in so many ways it really is an honour to be part of such an iconic show and to be working with an incredibly talented team on camera and off. I cannot wait to order my first pint at The Queen Vic.”

EastEnders’ executive producer Jon Sen added: “We are delighted to welcome Brian to Albert Square. We had been searching for some time but the moment we met Brian, we knew instantly we had found our man.

“Brian’s a talented performer whose charm, wit and charisma are exactly the qualities we want for Terry. We’ve got some wonderful stories in store for him and can’t wait for the audience to see Brian bring him to life.”

The soap previously saw Sonia, played by Natalie Cassidy, attempting to track down her dad online last year.

Brian’s first scenes as Terry will air later this Spring as he surprises Sonia by turning up in Walford.

EastEnders airs Mondays and Fridays at 8PM, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30PM on BBC One.