EastEnders star Brian Conley is leaving the show amid a bitter feud

Brian, who has played Thomas Cotton in the popular East London soap since 2021, has apparently fallen out with the showrunners and demanded to be axed from the show.

His supposedly abrupt exit is said to have caused headaches for the writing team and left many angry and dismayed.

It was suggested that a year-long storyline was ruined because the writers considered killing off Brian Conley’s character as him leaves.

BBC bosses ‘furious’ as Brian Conley quits EastEnders over ‘arguments’

A source close to the production of EastEnders At BBC One told The sun: “Brian was a brilliant signing and was really well received by the fans. But it looks like he just isn’t enjoying being on EastEnders anymore – and he’s been telling many colleagues and TV friends for some time that he wanted out.

“He seems pleased that he got his own way. The Beeb wanted him to stay but he won’t have any of it. The truth is that bosses are angry. They had made so many plans around him and his character and really thought he was in it for the long haul. There was a lot of talk privately about how he thwarted their plans.

“Whatever upset him, it feels like he’s not getting out of there fast enough – and now they have to rewrite their plans of action for his quick exit.”

Brian’s character has played a key role in the series’ storyline in recent years, as he married fan favorite Kathy Beale and was introduced as Sonia Fowler’s biological father.

Brian also seemed more than happy to talk about his work on the series, sharing how pleased he was that his character was on the cover of TV Times.

EastEnders is available to watch on BBC One and on demand via BBC iPlayer.