Tom "Rocky" Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Brian Conley. He was introduced under the alias Terry Cant, the estranged father of Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) in episode 6274, broadcast on 18 May 2021, after his casting details were announced in February of that year. He was initially billed as the "ultimate people pleaser" and a charmer. In his time on the show, his storylines focused on the exposure of his false identity, his relationship and eventual marriage to Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), burning down the Bridge Street Café in an insurance scam, and being one of the potential victims in "The Six" storyline. In September 2023, it was announced that Conley had left the soap, with his last appearance being depicted in episode 6830, which aired on 29 December 2023. On 17 April 2025, Conley made an unannounced return to tie in with Sonia's departure.
Development Introduction
Rocky was introduced as Terry Cant, the estranged father of established character Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), with Conley's casting being announced on 15 February 2021. Rocky made his first appearance on 18 May 2021. Conley's contract was a long term one as a "series regular". Conley teased the reason for Terry's arrival as "he wants to find Sonia and [viewers] need to find out why". The character also entered with a hidden backstory, but "needs to try to convince Sonia that he is a good man and initially you are skeptical". Terry is billed the "ultimate people pleaser", who would be "quick to charm everyone on the Square and make himself at home" and "dip into everyone's lives". Conley also explained that Terry had a more humorous side, saying "He's cheeky, his name's Rocky and my wife and kids roared at that", and hoped viewers would find the character funny. Conley said he found himself relating to Terry on some occasions, saying "I'm a cheeky cockney lad, and Terry is too", adding that "He's got the gift of the gab". On his casting, Conley said "As you can imagine being a Londoner and now being part of EastEnders is such an incredible moment for me. I know for sure my dad's looking down from above and saying 'Good on yer son'", adding that he felt it was an "honour" to be cast on the show. He also described joining EastEnders as an "incredible moment", joking that he could not wait to order his first pint at The Queen Vic. When conflict arises, the character prefers to "defuse things with comedy".
Executive producer Jon Sen and his team wrote Rocky especially for Conley. The actor said that he received a call from EastEnders producers who said "they have this character and they want me in it". The actor was happy to not have to go through an audition process as he is "rubbish" at them. Sen said that despite Rocky being somewhat difficult to cast, Conley was the perfect person to play the character, saying "the moment we met Brian, we knew instantly we had found our man", calling the actor "a talented performer whose charm, wit and charisma are exactly the qualities we want for Terry". Conley explained in an interview with Inside Soap that EastEnders bosses had searched for an actor to play Terry for a while and that he was informed of his casting before Christmas 2020. Conley admitted that he "had to work on [his character's] accent" at first. The actor added that since he is also a comedian, he hoped his character could "lighten things up" around Walford. Sen teased storylines for the character, saying "We've got some wonderful stories in store for him and can't wait for the audience to see Brian bring him to life". Sen believed Conley's charm and charisma not only won him the role, but it also helped to "throw viewers off the scent" of the character's more villainous nature.
Relationship with Kathy Beale After Rocky began a relationship with Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth). Conley said Rocky was "madly in love with Kathy" as she is "a true gem" and he "doesn't want to hurt her". Conley said Rocky loved Kathy "from the very first moment he met her". Conley confirmed "He’s in love with her, but he’s been lying for so long and he just doesn’t know how to cope with it". Taylforth said that Rocky gave her a second chance at love, saying "after Gavin [Sullivan, Kathy's ex-husband], Kathy didn’t think she’d have another chance at love again and then along came Rocky, who through want of trying, taught her to love again". But she added that while "Kathy would love nothing more than to be happily married to Rocky", she was incapable of living with the "constant lies" as Rocky would often be dishonest with her.
On 24 February 2023, executive producer Chris Clenshaw appeared on Loose Women to announce that Rocky's secret wife of over 25 years Jo Cotton (Vicki Michelle) would join the show for a stint, in a storyline surrounding Rocky's bigamy. After Rocky proposed to Kathy, despite it being intended as a joke and still having a wife, Conley said of the proposal: "Rocky's got a lot of things wrong recently, not huge things, but he wants to apologise to Kathy. The trouble is that Kathy gets the wrong end of the stick during his apology and thinks he’s proposing". Despite this, the actor added that he was "glad" that Rocky had managed to gain the courage to pop the question, even if it was accidental, teasing that "if I know Rocky, it’s going to be a bumpy ride".
Jo went on to make her first appearance on 29 March 2023. Upon seeing her for the first time, Conley said Rocky is "devastated" as he spots her on Kathy's doorstep and that "once he sees Jo arrive, he knows that's it". Speaking on Jo's storylines, Conley said, "Rocky has tried to bury his past, like he does with so many things. I think he hoped deep down that [Jo and the marriage] would just go away". Conley added that Rocky "knows that eventually, unless he can get the situation sorted quietly behind Kathy’s back, he is going to have to say something". He added that he hoped that the relationship would survive as "Rocky is so in love with Kathy, and will do anything for her. I think over the last year, Kathy has realised how much he loves her, and I just hope that prevails". When asked about how their wedding would look, Conley said "I think it would be classy, because Kathy is. It will be glamorous, but not too glamorous". The carriage featured in the wedding, which was over 100 years old, was the same one used for the wedding between Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) and Pat Wicks (Pam St Clement). On the wedding day, Conley teased that Rocky would be "especially nervous" due to the issues he's had with Jo, as he knew that, based on her personality, "something [bad] could happen". As revenge for leaving her for over 25 years, Jo crashes the wedding by revealing that Rocky was still married to her, a reveal which was said to cause "huge ramifications" for the couple's future.
Identity reveal In September 2021, it was revealed that Rocky was not Terry Cant and was, in fact, Thomas Cotton, done in an elaborate scheme that his niece Dotty Cotton (Milly Zero) had cooked up to con Sonia of her inheritance. Conley explained the plot as "[Rocky has been] pretending to be Sonia’s dad because he has been brought in by Dotty, who has given him all the back story to be able to convince Sonia that he is her father, to fleece her of the money from Dot". The plot was a reason why the nickname Rocky was introduced for the character as it prevented confusion. Conley was aware from his introduction of his character's true identity, noting that "the hardest thing was keeping [the twist] a secret", and was excited for the show to tackle Rocky's real personality, saying "It's a relief that it's come out, I want them all to know who he really is, and how the story will unfold".
Conley revealed that he enjoyed playing Rocky's darker side as it was further from his public persona. He said "It’s a lot easier being dark. If you come into a room being happy and fun and doing quips, you’ve got to get a feel of the place and have your comedic timing. If you come in evil, you haven’t got to do anything; just come in, deep voice, 'Shaaaat up!' It’s a lot easier to act that than being funny". He also said "It's much harder to be jolly and bubbly and funny than it is to walk in with a big frown, start shouting, and be all tough". He believed that the character began to feel more strongly about living in Walford following the reveal and no longer wanted to leave it, and was excited for viewers to see that side of his character, saying "as the weeks and months have gone on he very much realises now that this is his home". The actor revealed that Rocky is not as wicked as Dotty or her deceased father Nick Cotton (John Altman), as he was being manipulated by Dotty, describing Rocky's true self as being a "wheeler-dealer" who has never resorted to violence, adding that he thinks "he's a cheeky ducking diving, bobbing, weaving – the cocky cockney Rocky". The actor called it an "honour" to play a central role in the storyline, adding that "Rocky [deserved] his punishment".
After Rocky experiences a heart attack after it was exposed, the actor said "The anxiety was all-consuming on his health". Talking about the cause of the heart attack, Conley said "I think he’s backed in this corner and for his own health he can't even think about it. One day at a time, try and get through this bit then that bit… if he sat down and realised the implications of how everything was going to pan out and asked: 'how are you going to get out of it?'". He added that "it’s obvious that he does care [...] a lot. Once it comes to a head, you will realise how much he cares and how much he realises what a terrible thing he has done".
Arson plot It was announced on 9 November 2023 that Rocky would set fire to the Bridge Street café in an insurance scam to pay off a debt he owed to Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry). When filming stunts for the scenes, Conley claimed that he "felt like Tom Cruise", adding that filming the scenes was "scary" as he "could not see anything". Teasing consequences for the fire, the actor believed that the fire would mark the end of his marriage with Kathy, he said: "I'd dump him. I mean, how much can Kathy put up with? The poor woman has really gone through it with him". He added that forgiveness would be possible as the characters' "love has kept them together, Rocky genuinely absolutely loves her, which is wonderful."
It was said that the couple would face "devastation" when Kathy discovered the truth. Conley said that the reveal would cause friction between the two, saying "Kathy obviously has put up with a hell of a lot [laughs] since the wedding". The actor commented that Rocky would remain optimistic and jolly as usual, but that "he knows in his heart that it will be asking a hell of a lot from her to forgive him". The actor also said that although "Kathy might have the heart to forgive him" as Rocky had noble intentions, disclosed that Rocky "would have to do a hell of a lot to win back her trust" and that Rocky would be "devastated that he's bought this all on himself".
The Six and departure