Thomas "Tom" Cotton (often known as Rocky) is the son of Charlie Cotton and the husband of Jo Cotton and Kathy Cotton as well as being the half-brother of Nick and Andrew Cotton and the uncle of Dotty Cotton. He made his first appearance on 18 May 2021 and last on 29 December 2023.
Backstory[]
Tom said his father would go off with "strangers like his mum". Around 1993, Tom cleaned Cheryl Baker's windows, and one time while doing it, he saved her cat from a tree. Cheryl told Tom to call her if he needs a favour. Tom was engaged to a woman called Jo, later revealed they were actually married, but later walked out on her on 29th October 1997 when she told him she wanted a baby.
Prior to 2006, Tom somehow at somepoint found out that his late father Charlie had a son called Nick Cotton, then Tom and his half brother Nick, Sandy Gibson and their daughter Dotty Cotton all ended up meeting each other, but very little is known on the story to how Tom, Nick, Sandy and Dotty all met, and very little is also known to what their history together actually was, apart from what is known that Tom is Charlie's legitimate son, half brother to Nick, and uncle to Dotty However, during the time of Tom, Nick, Sandy and Dotty's history together, it has been implied that Tom didnt get along with his half brother Nick, nor Sandy either, but Tom has always looked out for his niece Dotty, and has been there for her.
Storylines[]
2021-2024: Arrival, marrying Kathy Cotton and departure[]
Prior to his first appearance, Sonia's father Terry is referenced by Sonia in June 2020 when she is shown to be looking for her father on genealogy websites, but she is unable to find any contact details. Tom arrives in Walford the following year and bumps into Rainie Highway after exiting Walford East Tube Station. He is later seen at Ruby's nightclub where he first meets his fake daughter Sonia, who is unaware he is posing as her father, and comes in to shout at Dotty Cotton and accuses him of being a pervert.
He later appears in The Queen Victoria pub when Denise Fox and Tiffany Butcher-Baker are with Sonia. He lies to Sonia that he is her father and starts a conversation with Jack Branning, Tiffany and Denise. After Sonia tells Tom that her mother, Carol, told her that he had walked out on them, Tom tells Sonia that he loved Carol and says they would have remained together, if it had not been for Carol's next partner Alan Jackson. Later, he notices Sonia leaving The Queen Victoria and Sonia explains how he cannot expect to come into her life after so long and act like family. He promises to give her space and if she ever wants to get back in touch with him, then she can. On 21 September 2021 it's revealed that his real name is Tom Cotton and that he is pretending to be Sonia's father in a scheme with Dotty so both can obtain Dot Branning's inheritance that Sonia is in charge of. He is the son of Charlie Cotton Snr (Dot's first husband); his mother has not been confirmed, this was revealed after Tom found Sonia's then boyfriend Ethan kissing another woman. Tom punches Ethan and damages his car resulting in getting arrested, where he revealed his name to the police and is then released on bail thanks to Dotty and the two talk about their plan to scam Sonia.
Tom begins dating Kathy Beale and gets closer with Sonia, Tom begins to feel extremely guilty for lying to them both, as a result Tom suffers a heart attack and is rushed to hospital. Tom decides he is going to leave Walford as a result but is convinced by Dotty to stay, when Dotty's mother Sandy Gibson turns up and threatens to tell everyone who Tom really is Tom. Tom threatens Sandy to keep quiet, Dotty witnesses this and decides she is going to tell everyone who Tom really is. On Christmas Day 2021, Dotty reveals the lie to Sonia, Kathy, Bobby and Peter during Christmas dinner at No 45. Later that episode, Dotty's mother Sandy told her that Tom was actually Dotty's father, not his half-brother Nick.
Tom would work hard over the next few months to try and make things right with Sonia and Kathy, when he approaches Sonia after Christmas Martin Fowler chases Tom away and Tom suffers a second heart attack. Kathy eventually forgives Tom and they get back together. Tom also becomes friends with Mick Carter, Mitch Baker and Harvey Monroe when the men accompany Mick on a date. Tom also later moves into number 45 with Kathy. Kathy would later propose to Tom after she got Tom's romantic gesture mixed up with a proposal, A hesitant Tom agreed to marry Kathy but it seemed like Tom was hiding something.
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In August 2022, Tom tells Dotty that he couldn't possibly be her father as he and Sandy never slept together. However he tells Dotty that if he had a daughter he would want it to be Dotty, Dotty then moves in with Tom and Kathy and Tom and Dotty continue to bond. However Tom turns his back on Dotty and kicks her out of his house when it is revealed by Bobby that Dotty conned Tom's best friend Harvey out £10,000. After Tom's close friend Mick Carter is presumed dead Tom and other residents re-open the Vic without telling Linda, as they believe that they are helping keep Linda's business going while she grieves for Mick.
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Tom continues to try and avoid marrying Kathy despite Kathy being keen to marry, on 27 March 2023 Tom tells Sonia that he can't marry Kathy as he is already married to a woman called Jo. Sonia is disgusted that Tom has lied to Kathy again, saying Tom is once again being a "liar" and a "con-man". Sonia tells Tom to tell Kathy or she will, Sonia changes her mind after a conversation with Reiss Colwell and agrees to help Tom track Jo down and get a divorce so he can marry Kathy. Tom later calls some of his friends to see if anyone has heard from Jo, Tom hangs up on one of his friends when Kathy approaches to talk to him about caterers for the wedding. Tom later admits everything to Kathy, who calls off the wedding. Unbeknownst to Tom, Freddie Slater found Jo and got her to come see Kathy, and when Freddie is writing "Toser" on to a car at Tom's car lot on behalf of Bobby Beale, Tom sees Jo arrive at Kathy's doorstep. Jo introduces herself asks if her husband is home. Tom later arrives at Kathy's and sees Jo again for the first time in twenty five years, Jo tells Kathy that she left her after two months and Kathy tells Tom the wedding off and then kicks Tom out of the house. When Tom is gone Jo hurl insults at Kathy and calls Tom scum, Kathy defends Tom, telling Jo he doesn't have a malicious bone in his body. Kathy then kicks Jo out with Jo calling Kathy a mug, Tom cries on a bench and goes to stay at Sonia's not having anywhere else to go. Kathy later gives Tom another chance and their wedding is back on, they go back to the Vic and run into Jo who tells them that she is going to take all of Tom's money during the divorce, however a happy Tom tells Jo that he doesn't have any money for her to take. Jo then tells Tom that she won't sign the divorce papers, however she backs down when Tom threatens to take her to court. Jo signs the papers but laughs as she leaves the Vic, implying she has a plan to make Tom pay.
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Tom later does a proper proposal to Kathy in the café, Tom hears Reiss on the phone to a woman called Debbie. Tom confronts Reiss and Sonia overhears their exchange, Reiss admits to Sonia that Debbie is his wife and Sonia throws him out. Reiss later takes Sonia to the hospital and explains that Debbie is in a coma and has been for along time. Sonia is angry with him at first and dumps him for lying to her, although Sonia later takes him back. Tom later organises a euro vision party at The Prince Albert for Kathy and manages to get a special guest in Cheryl Baker to attend. On 15 May 2023 Tom, Mitch and Harvey are the first customers in the Vic and meet the new landlady Elaine Peacock and she completes the three, saying she thinks they will be her best customers. On 31 May 2023, Tom is present when Linda hosts a lock in at the Vic to remember Lola Pearce-Brown. Tom later looks after Lexi after Lola's death.
Tom is left surprised when Jo turns up on his doorstep, Tom takes Jo over to the car lot and Jo hands Tom the divorce papers. Jo then tells Tom that Jasper says hello, Tom later phones Jo and refers to Jasper as "my boy". Bobby later overhears another conversation between Tom and Jo where Tom once again calls Jasper "my boy", Bobby tells Kathy that he thinks Tom has a secret son and Kathy then accuses Tom of lying again. Tom then explains that Jasper was his parrot that he had while with Jo, Kathy later meets Jo and buys Jasper back for Tom. When Tom is reunited with Jasper he is delighted. Kathy later tells Tom that she wants her son Ian Beale at the wedding, Tom then sets out to find Ian. George Knight tells Tom that if someone doesn't want to be found then they won't be, Tom later hires Ian son Bobby to help track Ian down.
Jasper causes mayhem between Kathy and Tom when bites out a piece of Kathy's dress for Lola's funeral, Tom promises Kathy he will make Jasper stop. Tom later teaches Jasper to say Kathy's name, Tom fixes Kathy's dress and Jasper apologises to her. On 27 June 2023 Tom attends Lola's funeral.
On Tom and Kathy's stag and hen do the two agree to no strippers, Kathy gets annoyed when Tom tells her he has booked them a holiday at a cottage in France. Kathy is also annoyed as Tom had organised her hen do despite her not wanting one, however Ben confesses to Kathy that he pressured Tom into organising her a hen do. Kathy and Tom make up and go on their respective do's. Kathy sends Bobby to spy on Tom and make sure he doesn't get in to trouble, the boys organise a stripper for Tom but when Bobby walks in they're worried Bobby will tell Kathy. Bobby agrees not to say anything as he doesn't blame Tom as the boys organised the stripper behind Tom's back. Later on the boys have a card game and Tom plays against Nish Panesar, Tom beats Nish in the first game, however when Nish dares Tom to play again he puts his honeymoon tickets with Kathy on the line, Nish beats Tom at the poker game and takes the tickets. On the day of his wedding to Kathy, Tom admits to losing the poker game and their tickets for the honeymoon. Kathy is heartbroken and calls Tom a liar and insists he will never change, Kathy then orders Tom to leave although Tom begs her to come to the ceremony to marry him. Kathy decides to marry Tom after being convinced by Elaine and Ben, however just before Kathy gets there Jo shows up and tells Tom the their was an error with the paper work and that they're still legally married. Jo then leaves just as Kathy turns up and she is unaware of what Jo has just told Kathy. Tom tries to tell Kathy about Jo's revelation but doesn't get the chance. Kathy and Tom then marry but Jo later turns up to the after party and tells Kathy that her and Tom are still married and when she attempts to tell everyone in the Vic Jo and Kathy slap each other. Jo then blackmails Tom and Kathy with a recording of her telling Tom they were still married and demands £50,000. The next day Tom asks his friends in Walford including Harvey and Jay for money to borrow him money, however they all say no. Kathy later talks to Elaine and tells her she's considering giving Tom £50,000 to pay Jo but is worried she is worried she's risking the security of her business, Elaine tells Kathy it's not a risk of she trusts him and Kathy gives Tom the £50,000 from her savings and loans and reveals that she is planning to sell the chippy to make the money back. Kathy and Tom give Jo the money but she demands another £10,000 but Jo is later scared off when Kathy's son Ben turns up and pretends to be a police officer. Kathy and Tom later tell Suki that the cruise she's going on with Nish was her and Tom's honeymoon that Nish won during a game of poker, Suki feels guilty and sets up a poker game against Kathy and deliberately looses so Kathy and Tom can get the tickets for their honeymoon back leaving Nish annoyed.
During their honeymoon Tom contracts coronavirus and him and Kathy aren't allowed to leave the cruise until Tom has the all clear. When Tom and Kathy return Kathy is furious to discover that Ian had gotten back together with Cindy Beale, Ian tells Kathy that if she can't accept him being with Cindy then she needs to move out. Kathy and Tom then move in to Sonia's house, in order to pay off his and Kathy's debts Tom turns to gambling and frequently visits the Heart Bet gambling store and Harvey realise Tom has a gambling problem and tries on many occasions to stop Tom gambling but doesn't tell Kathy.
Dorian Gates later persuades Tom as well as other Walford residents to attend The Boxing Den's first pie, pint and a punch up. Tom bets on a one of the boxer's to win and the boxer wins making Tom a lot of money. However later at the Vic George discovers that Dorian fixed the matches, Keanu overhears this and informs Sharon and Phil, Phil and two security guards leave to find Dorian.
In order to avoid buying a deposit for a flat Tom attempts to get Kathy and Ian to make up so they can move back in with Ian, Tom invites Ian and Cindy to lunch at Sonia's house. Kathy and Cindy continue to argue and eventually Kathy, Ian and Cindy realise it is a set up from Tom and Ian and Cindy leave. Kathy and Tom later meet Vinny Panesar and Kathy agrees to buy the house, however Tom secretly can't afford the deposit. Tom later meets Vinny and asks if he can drop the price of the deposit, Vinny refuses however he offers to give Tom a loan from his father Nish and Tom accepts the loan. Vinny warns Tom not to mess Nish around when it's time for the loan to be repayed.
On the day Tom is due to pay Nish his first instalment Tom can't afford to pay it and when Tom is with Harvey Tom takes £500 out of his and Kathy's joint account, Harvey tries to tell him not to do it but Tom ignores Harvey. Harvey later sees Tom going into Heart Bet so he phones the manager Olga Kubicka and tells Olga not to take his money due to Tom being a gambling addict. When Harvey comes into the store Tom is furious with Harvey and is left even further angry when Tom realises his horse won, meaning that if Harvey didn't interfere Tom would have won his bet. Harvey later apologies but insists to Tom that while he won this time he would have lost in the future. Tom admits to Nish that he doesn't have the money, Nish suggests that Tom steal a car from the car lot where Tom works and give it to him to pay him back. Tom considers stealing the car but after a conversation with his boss Jay Tom refuses to steal the car and Nish tells Tom that his debt interest has doubled. Tom then comes up with the idea to set the café on fire after hearing Sonia and Kathy mention that the cafe's electricity keep malfunctioning, however Harvey discovers his plan and tries to convince Tom not to do it.
Tom decides not to go through with the idea and reassures Harvey that he won't set the café on fire, Tom then finds a pound coin in the café. Tom then goes to the Minute Mart and uses the pound coin to buy a scratch card off of Vinny. Tom wins £10 and is happy, Vinny tells him that's not anywhere near enough to pay Nish back, Tom acknowledges this but tells Vinny that it's a start. Nish then goes into Heart Bet and begs Olga to let him use the £10, telling her that if she doesn't let him he'll just use the money on a betting app. Olga accepts the £10 and Tom ends up winning loads of bets and gets over £500. Tom phones Nish and tells him that he has his money, however just as Tom leaves Patrick Trueman enters and encourages Tom to put in another bet. Tom puts on another bet but this time looses and as a result looses all the money he'd made, Harvey later sees Tom and offers to loan Tom some money. Patrick then sees Tom and Harvey and Patrick inadvertently reveals that Tom post all his money in the Heart Bet store, Harvey then backs out of giving Tom the money and the two have a furious row which ends with Harvey leaving Tom on his own. Tom then sets fire to the café but is later horrified to discover that Peter and Bobby are inside the burning café and goes in to save them. Tom, Bobby and Peter all make it out alive but are all rushed to hospital, Tom wakes up first and Kathy (who is unaware that Tom started the fire) informs Tom that Peter and Bobby haven't yet woken up and Tom worried.
Bobby wakes up, however Peter suffers lung damage and needs life support, Tom tells Kathy not to tell the police about the dodgy electric circuit but is later horrified when the police arrest Kathy for the café fire after Cindy told an investigator about Kathy knowing about the electricity being dodgy. Harvey sees Tom in the hospital and grabs Tom and pins him up against a wall and tells Tom he needs to confess to the police but Tom refuses saying he wants to see if Kathy is gets released first. Tom later goes to the police station and lies to the police, saying he tried to fix the electrics and it started the fire without him knowing. Nish realises that Tom started the fire and blackmails Tom, ordering Tom to sell him the café or he will tell everyone that Tom deliberately started the fire.
Tom convinces Kathy to sell the café to Nish, however when the contracts are signed Nish implies to Kathy that Tom started the fire at the café, Kathy demands to know from Harvey of Tom did start the fire and Harvey confirms he didn't. Kathy is devastated and dumps Tom and kicks him out of the house. On Christmas day 2023 Tom attends Sharon and Keanu's wedding and attempts to speak to Kathy but she doesn't want to speak to him. Later at the Vic six women (Kathy, Sharon, Denise, Stacey, Suki and Linda) attack Nish and kill Keanu and hide his body in the café. Tom goes out and gets drunk and nearly discovers Nish and Keanu when he goes to the Vic and asks Linda for a place to stay but Linda says no. The next day Tom remembers that while drunk he saw Sharon going into the café and tells Kathy that he thinks that she is hiding something and goes to have a look in the café. When Tom refuses to drop his suspicions the six women suggest to Kathy that she reports him to the police for setting fire to the café, Kathy then reports Tom to the police with Tom thinking that it was Ian, Kathy convinces Tom to confess to which Tom does and he is then sent to prison. On Valentine's Day 2024, Kathy receives a card from Tom saying that he was sorry and that he still loves her and gets upset reading it. In March 2024, Kathy gets a phone call about Tom's sentencing hearing and she reveals to Sonia and Elaine that he got ten years imprisonment and is devastated by this.
Employment history[]
| Occupation | Years Active |
|---|---|
| Real Estate Agent | ??-2023 |
| Cashier at Kathy's Café | 2021 |
| Barman at The Queen Victoria | 2021-2022 |
| Funeral Director at Coker & Mitchell | 2022 |
| Car Dealer at Square Dealz | 2022-2023 |
Residence[]
| Address | Years |
|---|---|
| 25 Albert Square | 2021, 2023 |
| 45 Albert Square | 2021, 2022-2023 |
| 46 Albert Square | 2022 |
| 5D Albert Square | 2022 |
| Prison | 2023- |
Background information[]
- On 27 May 2021, Tom mentioned he was 59 and a Sagittarius, which means he was born in 1961, between the 23rd November - 21st December.
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Worlds Best Dad Watch - Rocky
(23 November 2021)
- On 23 November 2021, Sonia threw a surprise 60th Birthday party for Tom. Sonia shared that her mother, used to always "wake up in the most terrible mood" once a year which Sonia explained to herself as "must be Dad's birthday". When Tom spoke to Dotty at the party, he said that he was "celebrating a birthday that ain't even mine", thereby confirming that 23/11/61 is Terry's birthday, not Tom's.
- Tom's mother could be Joan Leggett, as Joan was married to Charlie Cotton, whilst he was married to both Dot and Rose Cotton. Charlie faked his identity and told Joan his name was 'Tommy', suggesting that maybe Charlie and Joan had a son together, naming him Thomas, after Charlie's fake name.
- On 31 December 2021, whilst Tom was in hospital after he suffered cardiac arrest, it was revealed on his hospital tag that he was born on 14/07/61.
See also[]
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