Robert Beck has joined 'Hollyoaks'.
Robert Beck
The 52-year-old actor - who is no stranger to the soap world after previously appearing in the likes of 'Brookside', 'Emmerdale' and 'Coronation Street' - is to appear as Fergus Collins, Brad King's (Tom Benedict Knight) former business associate and Trish Minniver's (Denise Welch) ex-boyfriend, in the Channel 4 show.In upcoming episodes, Fergus will approach Brad with a dodgy deal, but there are evidently some issues from their past and their former rivalry could be set to reignite.
In a statement, Robert - who is the husband of 'Coronation Street' actress Jane Danson (Leanne Battersby) - said: "I’m over the moon to be given this opportunity. I couldn’t really feel more at home, especially having started my career here with 'Brookside'.
“Everyone has been so welcoming, including many old faces who were around in my 'Brookie' days.
"Working with Denise and Nikki is great - I know them both and they’ve really helped me settle in.”
And the soap star - whose alter ego will first appear in the village on March 16 on E4, and the following evening on Channel 4 - has given fans a hint of what to expect from Fergus.
He explained: "Fergus is a lovely character to play ... he’s cheeky, but he’s a man you really wouldn’t want as an enemy, and to be honest ... you would probably have to be pretty careful if he was your friend...”
As well as his role as Peter Harrison on 'Brookside' between 1991 and 1993, Robert also played Gavin Ferris on 'Emmerdale' back in 1999.
And from 2008 to 2009, he appeared as Jimmy Dockerson on the cobbles, while other credits include 'Doctors' and 'The Bill'.
He's even appeared in 'Hollyoaks' before, having played D.S. Parker eight years ago.