EastEnders’ Brian Conley reveals cast were bound by strict rule after ‘fiery row’
EastEnders star Brian Conley, who played Rocky on the BBC soap, has revealed how tough it was to shoot scenes and how he could only re-do scenes a certain number of times
Brian Conley has blasted the relentless shooting schedule on EastEnders.
The 62-year-old comic played Tom “Rocky” Cotton for two-and-a-half years. He quit the BBC One soap last year in a row over a ban on pantomime jobs.
Brian has now opened up about the gruelling schedule the cast must adhere to. He compared it to a “rollercoaster” which allows you no time to prepare for your scenes properly.
The stand-up says the cast get no more than three takes to get a scene right which puts everyone under immense pressure. “You’re always fighting against the clock, we’re doing four episodes a week, every week, that is a lot of content, so you’ve got to be on your game.
“You will come home and there’s always homework. It amazes me the work that people do on that. The standard of acting and the level that it’s at in a short amount of time is unbelievable.”
The actor recently teased a return to Walford after his character Rocky was thrown into prison. Rocky’s gambling addiction spiraled out of control and he ended up burning down his wife Kathy’s cafe to try and get an insurance payout.
On December 29, Rocky’s final scenes aired which saw him saying his final goodbyes to Kathy. But despite Rocky being banged up for the foreseeable, actor Brian teased his possible return to the soap.
Speaking to the Swindon Advertiser, he said: “Playing Rocky was nerve-wracking at first because the show is so iconic and I look back with very fond memories. I am in prison so I haven’t died and that’s a nice thought and I could get off with good behaviour.”
Brian also said that on-screen kisses were “weird” even though he got on so well with Gillian Taylforth, who plays his estranged wife Kathy. In addition to this, the star also confessed that he used to hate the non-alcoholic beer he had to drink on the show as it was very salty.
