Brian Conley has told how he became emotional on the set of EastEnders after seeing a prop that reminded him of his taxi driver dad.
The actor also revealed he wept tears of joy on his first day filming as Terry “Rocky” Cant, because he appreciates others in showbiz are still out of work.
Brian said he was in the Queen Vic when he saw something that brought back memories of his late dad Colin.
The 59-year-old added: “I’m holding court, telling a few jokes, but I just look over and, I’m getting emotional now, on the shelf there is a little cab.
“And I just knew that was my dad, who was a cab driver. Of course, he’s gone, he went 20 years ago, but it was like, ‘You’ll be all right’.”
Brian revealed his father always watched the BBC soap but became an even bigger fan during his last months battling bowel cancer.
Showbiz veteran Brian, who started in the industry aged 12, recalled how fortunate he felt on his first day in Walford – after all his theatre shows and tours dried up because of the pandemic.
He said: “I appreciate there’s so many of my friends not in this position and I cannot tell you how lucky I am. That’s why, when I was on that Square the first time, I cried, as I appreciated how many other people would die to be here and would die to just be part of the business.”
Brian was offered the part of Terry – the long-lost dad of Sonia Fowler, played by Natalie Cassidy – in November without an audition. He said: “They went, ‘There’s this character and we’d love you to be in it.’ I was like, ‘That’s unbelievable.”
Brian, who appeared on Strictly in 2017 with celebs including ex- Emmerdale star Gemma Atkinson, joined EastEnders in March and finally makes his screen debut on May 18.
The long gap left wife Anne-Marie and daughters Amy and Lucy wondering if he had made it all up. He said: “My family think I’m having an affair.”
Had the pandemic not halted the industry, Brian would have been on tour when the TV offer came in. He said: “The stars aligned.”
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