Ted Robbins and Lin Blakley have joined the cast of ‘Ackley Bridge’.
The ‘Phoenix Nights’ star and the former ‘EastEnders’ actress have signed up to the Channel 4 drama to play Mandy Carter’s (Jo Joyner) parents Ray and Dianne Carter, with Ted’s alter-ego suffering from dementia.
Channel 4 said: "Mandy’s past comes to light when her abusive father Ray turns up at school suffering from dementia.
"She returns to the estate she grew up on, as her mum Dianne can’t cope with her dad, and Mandy reluctantly agrees to take him in."
The 62-year-old actor and 69-year-old Lin will make their ‘Ackley Bridge’ debuts on July 24.
Ted – who played Brendan Finch in ‘Coronation Street’ for three months in 2016 – collapsed onstage from a heart attack while performing in Peter Kay’s ‘Phoenix Nights’ live show at Manchester Arena in January 2015, only for a quick-thinking medic in the audience to rush to his aid.
His wife, Judy Robbins, wrote on Facebook at the time: "We are so incredibly grateful for everyone’s support and we would love more than anything to find out who the doctor was out of the audience who gave such fantastic treatment."
Lin is no stranger to appearing alongside Jo having starred in ‘EastEnders’ from 2014 before bowing out of the BBC One soap in October 2016 only to reprise her role as Pam Coker in May 2017, June 2017 and in February this year.
Jo starred as Tanya Cross on the show for seven years from 2006 to 2013 and has also returned for numerous cameos, including in February 2015, and over Christmas 2017 and new year 2018.
What’s more, Lin and Jo are not the only former ‘EastEnders’ star in ‘Ackley Bridge’.
Amy-Leigh Hickman – who plays Nasreen Paracha in the drama – and Paul Nicholls (Steve Bell) played Linzi Bragg and Joe Wicks in the soap respectively.
Ted Robbins and Lin Blakley join Ackley Bridge
