New EastEnders star Brian Conley has revealed that the BBC soap had twice tried to woo him to Albert Square before he finally signed up to play Terry 'Rocky' Cant - Sonia Fowler's (Natalie Cassidy) long-lost father.
West End star Conley makes his debut as Terry on RTÉ One and BBC One on Tuesday and has told Radio Times that his Walford arrival has been a long time coming.
"I was approached twice before," he recounted.
"The closest I got was to actually play a relative of Shane's [Richie] character, Alfie Moon. I was called in and had several long chats about it, but we just couldn't make it work because of my schedule.
"They needed an immediate answer, as it moves quite quickly with casting on these shows, but I had work I was already committed to. However, I always thought that one day I would love to be in it."
Conley said one of the first people to congratulate him on his casting was his old friend Richie.
"Shane Richie rang me the day after it was announced I was going into the show," he continued. "He said, 'Welcome to the Square, Brian! I know you're going to love it and it be wonderful'. That was lovely, he told me about how it works and his experience on the show."
As for what lies ahead for Terry and Sonia, Conley said: "She's barely had anything to do with her dad her whole life, but Terry genuinely wants to get to know her. Of course, Sonia is very tentative and will be for some time - it's a big thing for him to turn up 30-odd years later.
"As for the reasons Terry was never a big part of her life, that hasn't come out yet - and I honestly don't know myself! He finds all these connections in Walford through Sonia and starts to learn about his daughter's past. I don't want to say too much…"
Fans can watch Conley's debut as Terry on RTÉ One and BBC One on Tuesday, 18 May at 7:30pm.
EastEnders airs on RTÉ One and BBC One on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
