Andrew Lancel

Last updated

Andrew Lancel
Lancel1.jpg
Born
Andrew Watkinson [1]

(1970-08-03) 3 August 1970 (age 53)
Rufford, Lancashire, England
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1993–present
Spouse
Louise Edge
​
(m. 2005)​
Children2

Andrew Lancel (born Andrew Watkinson on 3 August 1970) is an English television and theatre actor, producer and director. He is best known for his appearance as Dr. Andrew Collin in Cardiac Arrest , his role as DI Neil Manson in The Bill and Frank Foster in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street , as well as his acclaimed portrayal of Brian Epstein in the stage play Epstein – The Man Who Made The Beatles.

Contents

Biography

Andrew Lancel was born on 3 August 1970 in Rufford, Lancashire. He started his acting career in local theatre and as a cabaret singer. In 1993, he appeared in the TV film Wide-Eyed and Legless with Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Thora Hird. He gained fame as the lead role in the ground breaking medical series Cardiac Arrest with Helen Baxendale. Since then, he has become a well-established theatre and television actor with a reputation for seeking controversial roles and projects. He was described as the most realistic doctor on TV and sporadically was TV's most hated man, after roles in City Central , Bad Girls and Queer as Folk.

He is best known for his role as DI Neil Manson in the long running ITV series The Bill , a role he played from 2003 until 2010, as well as the villainous Frank Foster in Coronation Street for which he won 'Villain of the Year' at the British Soap Awards. [2]

An accomplished singer for many years, Lancel has also performed his own one-man show and has sung in venues including the Sands in Blackpool and the Royal Albert Hall in London.

In addition to acting, Lancel runs his own production company and has produced and directed numerous productions. In 2008, Lancel became a patron of the Unity Theatre, Liverpool. [3]

Lancel is also a regular panellist on the Channel 5 TV show The Wright Stuff and also covers the Pete Price Radio Show.

Lancel is an avid supporter of Everton F.C. [4] and was an original ambassador of Everton in the Community, he is also involved in the Everton Collection.

In summer 2010, he played a prison officer in an award-winning short film called Inside Run, directed by his former The Bill co-star Sam Callis which was shown at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2010. [5] Of the film, Lancel said "it's a long way from Manson and a joy to be directed by Sam." [5] He reunited with Callis for his next film, the award-winning short film Viking co-starring Sophie Thompson. [6]

His numerous stage appearances include Adam Snow in the Bill Kenwright produced production of the world premiere of The Small Hand in 2014, Juror 3 in Twelve Angry Men in 2015, and his acclaimed performance as Brian Epstein in Epstein – The Man Who Made The Beatles.

In 2015, Lancel portrayed Brian Clough in a stage production of The Damned United . More recently, Lancel yet again played Brian Epstein in the Bill Kenwright production of Cilla The Musical, touring the UK for fifteen months to critical acclaim. [7]

Career

Television

Following his break-out role in Cardiac Arrest Lancel appeared in numerous TV series as diverse as Liverpool 1 , The Vice , Urban Gothic and Merseybeat and portrayed highly controversial roles in the shows City Central and Queer As Folk and in the BBC medical drama Casualty . Series 8, episode 19 "Value for Money" (1994) and as a builder called Chris Perry in Series 28 Episode 48 "A Life Less Lived" (2014).

In 2002, he joined the cast of Bad Girls as Barry Pearce and his character was involved in a controversial domestic abuse story line with on-screen wife Di Barker.

Lancel as DCI Neil Manson in The Bill Andrew Lancel as DCI Neil Manson in The Bill.jpg
Lancel as DCI Neil Manson in The Bill

In 2003, Andrew joined The Bill as DI Neil Manson and played the character until the programme was axed in 2010. His most notable and memorable storyline was the thirteen-month-long Amy Tennant missing person case, concerning a young child who mysteriously vanished. This was also the longest storyline ever attempted in the history of The Bill.

Andrew Lancel & Will Finlason in 'Epstein - The Man Who Made The Beatles' Andrew Lancel & Will Finlason in 'Epstein - The Man Who Made The Beatles'.jpg
Andrew Lancel & Will Finlason in 'Epstein – The Man Who Made The Beatles'

In 2005, he entered Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes as A-ha singer Morten Harket and won.

On 23 November 2010, Lancel was cast in the long running ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street as Frank Foster, a business associate of Carla Connor. [8] Another controversial role, Lancel's portrayal won him 'Villain of the Year' at the British Soap Awards in 2012. [2] Lancel made his final appearance as Frank on 5 March 2012; when the character met his demise. Frank's murder was part of a whodunnit plot, and the murderer was revealed to be the character's own mother, Anne, in a shock twist. [9] 2022-The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe as DS Paul Sampson

Theatre

In 2012, Lancel returned to the stage when he was cast as former Beatles manager Brian Epstein in Epstein – The Man Who Made the Beatles a new play by Andrew Sherlock which debuted at the Epstein Theatrein Liverpool on 15 November 2012. The newly refurbished theatre being named in honour of Brian Epstein. The play transferred to the West End at the Leicester Square Theatre in 2014. The play, and Lancel's performance as Epstein drew huge critical acclaim with Whats on Stage describing his performance as 'phenomenal' [10] and London Theatre calling it 'mesmerising.' [11] [12]

In 2014, Lancel was cast as Adam Snow alongside Diane Keen and Robert Duncan in the world premiere of The Small Hand based on the book by Susan Hill and adapted by Clive Francis. The play, directed by Roy Marsden and produced by Bill Kenwright, premiered at the Theatre Royal Windsor before touring the UK. [13]

Lancel joined the cast of Twelve Angry Men in 2015, following its West End run, and received rave reviews for his turn as juror number three, [14] [15] starring alongside Tom Conti and Denis Lill. [16]

In November 2015, it was announced that Lancel would be taking on the role of Brian Clough in a new stage adaptation of The Damned United based on the novel by David Peace. The play is a co-production between Red Ladder and West Yorkshire Playhouse. [7]

In May 2016, it was announced that Lancel will be making his musical debut, undertaking the role of Captain Von Trapp in the UK Tour of The Sound of Music . [17]

Following a national touring starring as Detective Superintendent Vetch in Ruth Rendell's A Judgement in Stone (again directed by a Roy Marsden and produced by Bill Kenwright he once again returned to the role of Brian Epstein in Jeff Pope's Cilla the Musical, an adaption of his ITV drama Cilla. The musical opened in September 2017 at the Liverpool Empire to rave reviews, and has played to sold out audiences throughout the UK.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cilla Black</span> English singer and media personality (1943–2015)

Priscilla Maria Veronica White, better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Ellison</span> English actress, model and singer

Jennifer Lesley Ellison is an English actress, former glamour model, television personality, dancer and singer. Ellison is perhaps best known for playing Emily Shadwick in the television soap opera Brookside until 2003, and as Meg Giry in the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. Ellison also starred on the reality television show Dance Mums with Jennifer Ellison, the UK version of the American show Dance Moms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Dennis</span> English television presenter, actor, and comedian

Leslie Dennis Heseltine is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented Family Fortunes from 1987 until 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Kenwright</span> English businessman, theatre producer and actor (1945–2023)

William Kenwright, CBE was an English West End theatre producer and film producer. He was also the chairman of Everton Football Club for nearly two decades, from 2004 until his death in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Hughes (actor)</span> English actor (1944–2012)

Geoffrey William Hughes DL was an English actor. Hughes provided the voice of Paul McCartney in the animated film Yellow Submarine (1968), and rose to fame for portraying much-loved bin man Eddie Yeats in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street from 1974 to 1983, making a return to the show in 1987. He is well known for playing loveable slob Onslow in the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995); and 'Twiggy' in the sitcom The Royle Family, playing the part from 1998 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendi Peters</span> English actress

Wendi Louise Peters is an English actress. Peters began her acting career in theatre, with appearances in various productions including The Scarlet Pimpernel (1991), Guys and Dolls (1991), Into the Woods (1992), Bedroom Farce (1996) and Noises Off (1997). Then from 2003 to 2007, she portrayed Cilla Battersby-Brown in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

Gwen Taylor is an English actress who has appeared in many British television programmes. She is known for her roles as Amy Pearce in the sitcom Duty Free (1984–1986); Barbara Liversidge in the sitcom Barbara (1999–2003); Peggy Armstrong in the drama series Heartbeat (2005–2009), Anne Foster in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2011–2012), and Vi Highway in BBC One soap opera EastEnders (2021–2023). She was nominated for the 1990 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her role as Rita Simcock in the comedy series A Bit of a Do (1989). Her film appearances include Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) and The Lady in the Van (2015).

Jason Scott Merrells is an English actor, who is best known for his roles in Casualty, Queer as Folk, Cutting It, Waterloo Road and Emmerdale.

Amy Louise Robbins is an English stage, film and TV actress best known for her role as Dr. Jill Weatherill in the British television series The Royal. Before this, she played Police Sergeant Rachel James in the BBC One hospital drama Casualty. Robbins has appeared in many TV series including Emmerdale, EastEnders, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Holby City, World's End, Where the Heart Is, Happiness, My Hero, Heartbeat, Dalziel and Pascoe, The Slammer, Doctors, People Like Us and Noah's Ark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Schofield (actor)</span> British actor

Andrew Schofield is an English actor best known for starring as the Narrator in Willy Russell’s original production of the musical Blood Brothers in 1983, and playing Johnny Rotten in Alex Cox's 1986 film Sid and Nancy.

Elsie Kelly is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Noreen Maltby in the ITV hit sitcom Benidorm.

Everton Football Club is an English professional football club based in Liverpool that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Supporters of the club are known as Evertonians or "Toffees".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Angel (nightclub)</span>

Frank Foster (<i>Coronation Street</i>) Soap opera character

Frank Foster is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Andrew Lancel. He made his debut appearance on 20 January 2011. Frank was introduced as a business associate of Carla Connor. In December 2011, it was announced Frank would be leaving Coronation Street at the end of his storyline. Two months later, it was confirmed Frank would be murdered as part of a "whodunit" storyline. Five regular characters became suspects during the investigation, but his mother, Anne Foster eventually confessed to killing him. Frank made his last on-screen appearance on 8 March 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Tinker</span> Fictional character from Coronation Street

Beth Sutherland is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Lisa George. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 August 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Foster</span> Soap opera character

Anne Foster is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Gwen Taylor. Anne is the mother of Frank Foster and wife of Sam Foster. The character and casting was announced on 4 August 2011. Taylor revealed she had found her first day on set "terrifying", but she quickly settled in. A reporter for the Western Mail branded Anne a "pompous matriarch". Taylor said that after being revealed as Frank's killer, she fears that she will be hated in real life. She also admitted that she only knew the identity of Frank's killer when Lancel revealed it to her during filming and added that she loved filming her scenes as Anne. Taylor made her first appearance as Anne on 4 September 2011. She made her last appearance on 19 March 2012.

<i>Cilla</i> (2014 TV series) UK TV miniseries

Cilla is a British drama serial about the early career of Cilla Black. It was broadcast in three parts on ITV, and began on 15 September 2014 with Sheridan Smith playing the starring role. Smith was highly praised for her performance.

Kate Fitzgerald is a British television actress from Liverpool. She came to prominence playing Doreen Corkhill for five years in the soap opera Brookside (1985–1990), Nancy Tinker in Coronation Street (2015-2019), and Loretta Chase in Benidorm (2017–2018).

<i>Cilla The Musical</i> Musical written by Jeff Pope

Cilla The Musical is a jukebox musical written by Jeff Pope based on the early career and music of Cilla Black and Pope's 2014 ITV drama biopic of the same name.

Midas Man is an upcoming British biographical film about the life of music entrepreneur Brian Epstein. Directed by Joe Stephenson, previous directors Sara Sugarman and Jonas Åkerlund moved on from the project due to budget problems, it is based on a story and screenplay by Brigit Grant.

References

  1. ↑ "Lancel faces child sex charges". BBC News. December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Andrew Lancel named Villain of the Year at British Soap Awards". Liverpool Echo. liverpoolecho.co.uk. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Review: An Evening with Andrew Lancel, Unity". madeup.lv. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Collinson, Dawn (10 March 2011). "Why Corrie star and Everton FC fan Andrew Lancel is a Blue over the moon to work with idol Bob Latchford". Liverpool Echo. liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Back on Stage". 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  6. ↑ "Breakneck films – Viking".
  7. 1 2 "The Liverpool Echo – 'Andrew Lancel to play Brian Clough on stage'". 13 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Archived 8 September 2012 at archive.today
  9. ↑ "'Coronation Street's Frank Foster found dead". Digital Spy . 4 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  10. ↑ "Whats on Stage – 'Epstein review'".
  11. ↑ "London Theatre – Epstein The Man Who Made The Beatles".
  12. ↑ Jones, Catherine (17 October 2013). "Coronation Street star Andrew Lancel to return as Brian Epstein in West End". Liverpool Echo. liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "London Theatre1 – 'Bill Kenwright presents new stage thriller The Small Hand'". 15 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Northumberland Gazette – Twelve Angry Men review".
  15. ↑ "Chronicle Live – Twelve Angry Men review". 16 June 2015.
  16. ↑ O'Connell, Ben. "Stellar cast for courtroom drama". Northumberland Gazette. northumberlandgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  17. ↑ "Andrew Lancel reveals why he's happy to play a good guy for a change". 19 May 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.