Roland Manookian recently joined the cast of EastEnders as Teddy Mitchell, but he has also appeared in a number of films and one of them has a surprising link to a TOWIE star

EastEnders’ latest addition Roland Manookian has made his bow as Billy Mitchell’s long-lost brother Teddy and fans were quick to discover a connection or two.

The actor is instantly recognised by viewers from his role in the 2004 film The Football Factory, where he portrayed Zeberdee, a young member of the gang run by Tommy, played by ex-EastEnder Danny Dyer. Eagle-eyed viewers have also spotted a link between Roland and a TOWIE star, courtesy of another of his film roles.

Roland has also appeared in Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla and the crime thriller Piggy. He part in the 2007 film Rise of the Footsoldier too, playing Craig Rolfe, and has featured in all four sequels of the movie including 2019’s Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella, which saw The Only Way Is Essex’s Jessica Wright in a minor role, reports OK!

Rise of the Footsoldier is a British gangster film series, with the first instalment based on the real-life story of Inter City Firm hooligan Carlton Leach. Leach transitioned from being a football hooligan to working as an enforcer for the Essex firm implicated in the murders of three men, including Pat Tate and Tony Tucker, who were shot dead in their Range Rover on an Essex farm track in 1995.

He has a surprise link to The Only Way Is Essex’s Jessica Wright as they both appeared in the same movie together

The initial two films centred on Carlton Leach, while the subsequent prequels revolved around Tucker and Tate. “Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella” trails Tate to Spain where he enlists Craig, played by Roland, to transport cash from Essex for a drug deal closure.

Jess Wright, in her sole acting gig so far, plays a minor role as a girl in Amsterdam whom Craig encounters. Recently, Roland opened up to OK! about his fresh character Teddy. “If you were to say to me nine months ago that I’d be joining EastEnders, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Roland admitted.

“It’s first and foremost a great honour to join the show EastEnders is such an institution. I feel really, really lucky.” Roland portrays Teddy as an “old school gentleman”, confessing he’s played similar characters before. “My experience in acting is always to play a little street urchin, a character with flaws,” he shared. Jess, on the other hand, exited TOWIE in 2016 and is now married to William Lee-Kemp, with whom she has a two year old son, Presley.