Eric Richard has joined 'EastEnders'.
Eric Richard as Maurice
The 78-year-old actor is best known for portraying Bob Cryer in axed police drama 'The Bill' for 20 years, but he will rock up in Walford as former cab driver Maurice, an old pal of Kat Moon's (Jessie Wallace) late father Charlie Slater (Derek Martin).
A TV source said: "After a trip down memory lane, Kat is introduced to Maurice and is instantly suspicious of his frosty reception."
And Kat is set to be left shocked when Maurice delivers some huge news.
The source added to The Sun's Bizarre TV column: "Once alone, Kat confronts Maurice but isn't prepared for the bombshell he delivers."
Eric will see a familiar face in the green room as Scott Maslen - who plays Jack Branning on the soap - appeared as The Bill's DS Phil Hunter before he first signed up to star as ex-cop Jack in Albert Square in 2007.
And Billy Murray, who played corrupt Don Beech in 'The Bill' from 1995 to 2004, has also stepped foot in Walford a fair few times when he portrayed Johnny Allen in the soap from 2005 to 2006.
Johnny's daughter Ruby Allen, played by Louisa Lytton, recently returned to Albert Square and in last night's (19.11.18) episode she was seen renting her old flat back from landlord Jack.
Since departing the police soap, Eric has taken to the big screen, appearing in short film 'Stutterer', which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2016, and he also starred in 2017 war movie 'Dunkirk' as a man at a railway window.
Tagged in Jessie Wallace Louisa Lytton Scott Maslen