The acclaimed stage and screen actor Timothy West is to join the cast of BBC1's EastEnders, as the father of the new landlord of the Queen Vic, played by Danny Dyer.
West will play Stan Carter, a retired Billingsgate fishmonger who has been divorced for 30 years and who is described as an opinionated curmudgeon.
Dyer, who has built a reputation as a TV tough guy, starring as a hooligan in his best-known film, The Football Factory, will make his grand entrance as the new pub boss, Mick Carter, on Christmas Day.
West, who is married to the former Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales, and whose son is the actor Samuel West, will make his Albert Square debut the following month. He is no stranger to soaps, having appeared in EastEnders' ITV rival, Coronation Street.
"Stan is a wonderful character and I look forward to seeing what is going to happen to him," West said.
West's and Dyer's arrival, alongside Annette Badland, who will play the family's "bustling busybody", Aunt Babe, is part of an effort to rejuvenate the show's fortunes after a difficult year.
The exit of a string of major characters drew criticism from fans, and at one point this year its ratings fell below 5 million, far short of its typical 8 million viewers.
Its executive producer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who took over in August, said: "We are reinvigorating EastEnders' older generation with the arrival of Stan and Aunt Babe, who will start to fill in some holes in the dark Carter family history.
"Tim and Annette are national institutions and such gifted, nuanced actors, bringing a real touch of Dickensian magic to the screen. It's an honour to have them join our company."
West's recent TV roles include the BBC1 drama Last Tango in Halifax and ITV's Titanic. He also starred in the BBC1 comedy Bedtime, with Sheila Hancock, BBC1's acclaimed adaptation of Bleak House and Granada TV's comedy and soap parody, Brass.
An EastEnders spokeswoman said: "Stan is no fluffy old man in a cardigan, and it won't be long before he starts manipulating the whole Carter clan from the comfort of his armchair."