Former EastEnders actor Paul Nicholls has been cast in new BBC kids' drama Phoenix Rise.
The show - an exclusive for BBC iPlayer - is aimed at seven to 12-year-olds and follows a "diverse group of teens" at a West Midlands high school who are making the first moves back into education after being excluded.
Nicholls, who played heartthrob Joe Wicks on EastEnders in the '90s, will play the part of Carl - a dad to a 15-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter who has been away for months on end working in Europe.
Helen Bullough, head of kids at BBC Studios, said: "We're thrilled to have Paul joining the talented cast and crew on Phoenix Rise as this contemporary new school drama gets underway in its Coventry production base."
Filming on the new 20-episode, 30-minute series has already begun ahead of a planned release on iPlayer next year.
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