Former EastEnders star John Altman is to play a gig in Wolverhampton this summer as a tribute to his late friend and Auf Wiedersehen Pet actor Gary Holton.

John, who played soap villain ‘Nasty’ Nick Cotton, will visit the city’s Robin 2 rock’ n’ roll club in Mount Pleasant, Bilston, fronting Gary’s former band Heavy Metal Kids on August 11.

Gary, who was best known for playing Wayne Winston Norris in the Geordie comedy was found dead by his girlfriend at a friend’s house in London in October 1985.

John, aged 59, took up lead vocal duties with Gary’s band last year and believes being able to perform in his place is the greatest form of respect he could pay to his departed friend.

The pair worked together in the classic film Quadrophenia, which was released in 1979,  and they became friends. John will be joined on stage by Keith Boyce on drums, Ronnie Thomas on bass and vocals, Cosmo on guitar and Justin McConville on guitar, vocals and keyboards.

The gig is likely to contain a range of tracks from their 1974 debut album Anvil Chorus and the 1977 Kitsch album as well as 2003′s Hit The Right Button and a selection from the forthcoming new album Uncontrollable. The band split after Gary’s death but reformed in 2002.

Robin 2 owner Mike Hamblett said: “I went to see them back in the 1970s at Barbarella’s in Birmingham when Gary was frontman and if you think about it there couldn’t be anyone more perfect for the job than John.”