Brian Conley to play Sonia’s long lost father in EastEnders

Comedian, actor and television presenter, Brian Conley is heading to Albert Square next month playing Terry Cant, Sonia’s (Natalie Cassidy) long lost father.

Sonia futilely conducted an online search for her father last year while missing her daughter Bex who is off travelling Having given up any hope of finding him, Terry’s arrival in Walford will be a huge shock for her.

Terry is described by the Beeb as ‘the ultimate people pleaser’ who is quick to turn on the charm.

“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.” – Brian Conley

Conley is best known for his long running ITV sketch and variety series as well as playing Doug in sitcom The Grimleys.

Brian meeting Darth Vader at Disneyland Paris

Brian hosts his own An Audience With… for ITV company LWT

In 1992, he got his big break with the hugely successful ITV broadcast The Brian Conley Show which went on to become Britain’s most-watched entertainment show at the time, coining his catchphrase ‘It’s a puppet!’ from his spoof of Children’s BBC.

Brian has starred in many West End Productions including Me and My Girl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hairspray, Oliver!, Barnum, and A Christmas Carol. He is also a regular on the pantomime circuit and has performed/presented at the Royal Variety Performance eight times.

Brian took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2017

Brian most recently starred as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at The Dominion Theatre

His TV career has seen him win multiple awards including a National Television Award for ‘Most Popular Television Performer.’

“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.”  – Jon Sen, Executive Producer for EastEnders

Brian’s first scenes as Terry will be on screen later this spring.