OHMYGOSSIP — Brian Conley nearly played a relative of Shane Richie’s ‘EastEnders’ character Alfie Moon – but he couldn’t make the dates work.
The 59-year-old comedian has joined the BBC One soap as Sonia Fowler’s (Natalie Cassidy) long-lost father Terry Cant, but he came close to appearing in the show previously after holding lengthy talks with the show’s bosses.
He said: “I was approached twice before. The closest I got was to actually play a relative of Shane’s 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.”
Brian admitted Shane – who played Alfie on and off from 2002 to 2019 – got in touch with him after it was announced he was joining the soap, and the ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ star gave him some tips about what goes on in Albert Square.
He said: “Shane rang me the day after it was announced I was going into the show.
“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.”
Brian also admitted Natalie – who has played Sonia on and off since 1993 – has been a huge help to him.
He added to RadioTimes.com: “I have been helped and guided by Nat, she’s told me how it all runs and what to do.
“It’s second nature to her, she started in 1993 when she was just 10 years old, which is the age her eldest daughter is now.”
Source: VacationHunter.Online
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