Coronation Street icon Philip Middlemiss is set to make a return to acting after a decade away from the screen. The 60-year-old actor, best known for playing bookmaker Des Barnes on the ITV soap from 1990 to 1998, will reportedly appear in the BBC series Doctors.
Middlemiss will take on the role of DI Travis Lennox in the long-running daytime drama, swapping Weatherfield for the fictional town of Letherbridge. However, the role may be short-lived as the BBC has announced plans to axe Doctors, citing high production costs.
This is not Middlemiss's first appearance on Doctors; he previously played Frank Pickard in a 2014 episode. His return to acting comes after a difficult period, including bankruptcy following a failed film project in 2008 that drained his life savings.
During his Coronation Street days, Middlemiss's character Des Barnes arrived as a newlywed alongside on-screen wife Steph, played by Amelia Bullmore. After Steph's departure in 1991, Des remarried Natalie Horrocks, played by Denise Welch, in 1998. His character met a tragic end when he died of a heart attack after being attacked while trying to protect his stepson.
After leaving Coronation Street, Middlemiss starred in ITV's Where The Heart Is from 2000 to 2006 and appeared on shows such as Blankety Blank and Noel's House Party. In 2010, he took part in Celebrity Come Dine With Me alongside former Corrie stars.
