Philip Middlemiss

Last updated

Philip Middlemiss
Born
Philip Sean Lloyd

(1963-06-19) 19 June 1963 (age 61)
OccupationActor
Years active1986–2014, 2024

Philip Middlemiss (born Philip Sean Lloyd; 19 June 1963) is an English television, radio actor and businessman, best known for playing bookmaker Des Barnes in ITV's Coronation Street between 1990 and 1998. The character was killed off, ordered by Brian Park, who was the programme's producer at the time. He subsequently appeared in ITV's Where the Heart Is for a few series in the 2000s.

Contents

Career

After leaving school, Middlemiss joined the National Youth Theatre and studied drama at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He appeared on stage after graduation in plays such as Strippers, Trackers, A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol . On television he made his debut in 1986 in Ladies in Charge and then had various roles in series such as Inspector Morse , The Bill and Waterfront Beat in which he had a regular role as PC Barry Smith.

Middlemiss made his debut in Coronation Street in February 1990 as newly-wed Des Barnes together with Amelia Bullmore who played his screen wife Steph. Bullmore left the series in 1991, but Middlemiss remained as a series regular until November 1998 when his character was killed off. Middlemiss wanted his character to be killed off, and this has been compared to how Rob James-Collier wanted his character Liam Connor to be killed off in 2008.

After leaving Coronation Street, he made only a small number of acting appearances on television, most notably in the role of David Buckley in the ITV drama Where the Heart Is , from 2000 to 2006. He made several TV appearances as himself on shows such as, Noel's House Party , Blankety Blank and The Brian Conley Show . He appeared on a celebrity edition of Come Dine with Me in 2010 with other former Coronation Street stars, Julie Goodyear, Tupele Dorgu and Ken Morley. He finished first on 23 points winning £1,000 for his chosen charity.

In 2024, Middlemiss had his first acting role in ten years playing DI Travis Lennox on Doctors . [1]

Personal life

Middlemiss has two sons. [2]

On 30 May 2012, Middlemiss declared himself bankrupt after a bad financial investment led to unpaid taxes. [3]

Middlemiss has business interests in Ghana which include a glass factory, a boutique hotel and a theme park. [2] In England, he owns a TV production company.

In May 2020, Middlemiss was wrongly accused of corruption in Ghana in the Airbus HQ scandal and faced 25 years in prison. The scandal made him "one of the world's most wanted men". [2] He was never charged and was formally cleared by investigators a year later. [4] He spoke to the press revealing how the false allegations ruined his life as they racked up huge legal costs and left him living in a rented house after his family home was repossessed, as well as it affecting his mental health. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Coronation Street</i> British TV soap opera (1960–)

Coronation Street is a British television soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced street in the fictional Weatherfield, a town based on inner-city Salford, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Alexander</span> English actress (1926–2016)

Jean Margaret Hodgkinson, known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera Coronation Street, a role she played from 1964 until 1987, and also as Auntie Wainwright in the long-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 1988 to 2010. For her role in Coronation Street, she won the 1985 Royal Television Society Award for Best Performance, and received a 1988 BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actress.

Kenneth William Farrington is a retired English actor. He first came to fame playing the role of Billy Walker, wayward son of publican Annie, in ITV's longest-running soap opera, Coronation Street. Following a brief period as a film actor, Farrington secured the role of power-hungry Tom King in Emmerdale. After the character's high-profile death in December 2006, Farrington largely retired from acting, although he has appeared in occasional TV roles since then.

Norris Cole (<i>Coronation Street</i>) Fictional character from Coronation Street

Norris Cole was a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Malcolm Hebden. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 March 1994. Hebden had previously played the role of Carlos, Mavis Riley's Spanish boyfriend, in one episode in 1974. Norris appeared on a recurring basis, until he was written out in April 1997 by Brian Park. However, two years later; the character was reintroduced on a regular basis. Hebden continued to appear on the soap until December 2017 after suffering a heart attack. Following his recovery, he made several guest returns, before his retirement from acting in January 2021 due to his health. The character was killed off-screen on 15 September 2021.

Simon O'Brien is a British television actor and radio presenter as well as a property developer. He is known for his role in the soap opera Brookside from 1982 to 1987 and for presenting on a number of different television shows.

Steven Arnold is an English actor best known for his role as butcher Ashley Peacock in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

Alison Rosamund King is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles as Lynda Block in the Sky One drama series Dream Team, and Carla Connor in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2006–present). She won Best Actress at the 2012 British Soap Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Des Barnes</span> Soap opera character

Des Barnes is a fictional character from the English ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Philip Middlemiss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Duckworth</span> Soap opera character

Terry Duckworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Nigel Pivaro. He was introduced as the son of popular characters Jack and Vera Duckworth, making his on-screen debut on 1 August 1983. Terry has three sons: Paul Clayton, Tommy Duckworth, and Brad Armstrong. The character made regular appearances until leaving Weatherfield in 1987 and has made only brief visits in years following. In February 2012, it was announced Pivaro would be returning to Coronation Street and he made his return as Terry on 16 April 2012. Terry departed on 11 May 2012 and this was his last appearance to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Wilton</span> Soap opera character

Derek Bernard Wilton is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Peter Baldwin. He appeared in the show intermittently between 1976 and 1987, before becoming a regular from 1988 until the character's death in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raquel Watts</span> Fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street

Raquel Watts is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Sarah Lancashire from 23 January 1991 until 15 November 1996. Lancashire returned on 2 January 2000 for one episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Tanner</span> Fictional character from British soap Coronation Street

Dennis Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was introduced in the first episode on 9 December 1960. Lowrie remained in the role for just over a year before being written out unexpectedly in 1962 when a strike by the actor's union Equity prevented new contracts being signed. Although the strike ended a few months later, Lowrie chose not to return until a year later. After a further five years, Lowrie became frustrated with the material his character was getting and decided not to renew his contract. Dennis departed Coronation Street on 12 June 1968, shortly after marrying girlfriend Jenny Sutton.

Alan Rothwell is an English actor and television presenter. He played David Barlow in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as a regular from 1960 to 1961, and again from 1963 to 1968. His other acting credits include playing Mike in Top Secret (1961–1962), a recurring role in Heartbeat (1994–1995), and various roles in Doctors (2004–2016). He also presented the children's television series Picture Box and Hickory House.

Gray O'Brien is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his portrayal of the villainous Weatherfield businessman Tony Gordon in the popular ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2007–2010, and as Richard McCaig on the BBC medical drama Casualty from 1996–1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Keegan</span> British actress (born 1987)

Michelle Keegan is an English actress, known for her roles as Tina McIntyre in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and Sergeant Georgie Lane in the BBC drama series Our Girl. Keegan has also starred as Kate Thorne in Ten Pound Poms, Tina Moore in the biopic Tina and Bobby, Erin Croft in Sky Max comedy Brassic and Maya Stern in Netflix's Fool Me Once (2024).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Duckworth</span> Soap opera character

Tommy Duckworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Darryl Edwards from 1992 to 1997, Joseph Aston in 2000 and Chris Fountain from 2011 to 2013. The character was born on screen during the episode airing on 9 September 1992 and departed in December 1993, before returning for five short stints in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2000. The character returned on a more permanent basis on 28 March 2011. Tommy is the son of Terry and Lisa Duckworth. Since his first appearance in 1992, he had few storylines; but after his return in 2011, he became more of a central character.

Brian Park is a Scottish television producer and executive. He was born in Fife but lived in Aberdeen’s Bucksburn between the ages of nine and 17. He acted when he was a child and joined the Aberdeen Children’s Theatre at the age of 13, appearing in an episode of Dr Finlay’s Casebook.

<i>Scott & Bailey</i> British television drama series

Scott & Bailey is a British police procedural series that debuted on ITV on 29 May 2011 and concluded on 27 April 2016. The series stars Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Amelia Bullmore, Nicholas Gleaves, Danny Miller and Pippa Haywood. The show, mainly written by Sally Wainwright, revolves around the personal and professional lives of detectives Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey. Both characters are members of the Syndicate Nine Major Incident Team (MIT) of the fictional Manchester Metropolitan Police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy James-Kelly</span> British actress

Amy James-Kelly is a British actress. She gained prominence through her role as Maddie Heath in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2013–2015). She has since starred in the Netflix series Safe (2018), the BBC One drama Three Families (2021), and the Channel 4 sitcom Everyone Else Burns (2023).

References

  1. "Coronation Street legend Phil Middlemiss lands new soap role". Yahoo News. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Exclusive: Coronation Street star became one of world's most wanted men amid bribery scandal". The Mirror. 2 September 2021.
  3. "Ex-'Coronation Street' star Phil Middlemiss declared bankrupt". 30 May 2012.
  4. "Coronation Street star speaks of moment he became most wanted man in world". Gazette Live. 4 September 2021.