Former EastEnder Larry Lamb has signed up for the hit crime drama New Tricks, replacing outgoing star Dennis Waterman.

The actor, who played evil pub landlord Archie Mitchell in the soap, will make his first appearance in episode two of the new series playing retired policeman Ted Case.

Dennis, who will appear in the first two episodes of the next series before leaving, follows former co-stars Amanda Redman, Alun Armstrong and James Bolam out of the show. They were replaced by Denis Lawson, former EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite and Nicholas Lyndhurst.

Larry Lamb at a charity event
Larry lamb is looking forward to his New Tricks role (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Larry, who also starred in Gavin And Stacey, said: “I’m thrilled to have been asked to join such a well-loved show. The writing and the cast are top notch and I’m really looking forward to getting started.”

Producer Myar Craig-Brown said: “Larry is a fantastic addition to the show and Ted Case will slot in perfectly with Sacha, Steve and Dan in the UCOS team. The stories for series 12 are absolutely classic New Tricks – a mix of gripping whodunits solved by witty, likeable characters that the audience can root for and identify with.”

A spokeswoman for the show confirmed that viewers would still hear Dennis, if not see him, as they would not be changing the theme tune, which he sings.

A picture of Dennis Waterman receiving an award
Dennis Waterman sings the show’s theme song (Mark Allan/AP/PA)

The actor, who scored a top three hit with the theme from his show Minder, also sang the theme tune to other shows including Stay Lucky and On The Up. He had another top 40 hit in 1983, What Are We Gonna Get ‘Er Indoors?, with his Minder co-star George Cole.