Yahoo News Stars who were in Corrie before they were famous
Coronation Street has welcomed hundreds of faces over the years, so many in fact that a few might have slipped your memory. And yet some of them went on bigger roles in other, equally high-profile shows. Some went on to megastardom.
Remember this lot?
Stephen Graham
Back in 1999, Stephen Graham (White House Farm, Line of Duty) appeared in the soap as Lee Sankey, one of Steve McDonald's mates.
His appearance comprised only a handful of episodes, but he did get to enjoy a face-off with Steve's dad Jim, which must have left a lasting impression on him (so it must).
Jessy Barden
A post shared by Jessica Barden (@jessybarden) on May 4, 2020 at 11:31am PDT
Jessy Barden (The End of the F***king World) played Kayleigh Morton from 2007–2008.
She lived at number six with her dad Jerry and siblings Jodie, Mel and Darryl, and she enjoyed a brief romance with Chesney before moving to Spain.
Joe Gilgun
It's common knowledge that Joe Gilgun (Brassic) appeared in Emmerdale, but he also bagged himself a role in Coronation Street when he was much younger.
Gilgun played Jamie Armstrong from 1994–1997, son of Tricia Armstrong. You may remember that he was pretty much always in trouble for one reason or another, and that he took a shine to Jack Duckworth's pigeons.
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) traversed the famous cobbles as Elaine Perkins for three weeks in 1973.
Elaine briefly dated Ken Barlow, who was more set on her than she was on him, and eventually they went their separate ways.
Ralf Little
Ralf Little (Death in Paradise) popped up on the soap for a few weeks in 1999.
He played Weatherfield Vale nursing-home assistant Mark Stranks.
Anna Friel
In 1991, Anna Friel (Deep Water) rocked up on the cobbles as Belinda Johnson.
She was the best friend of Vicky McDonald (maiden name Arden), Steve's first wife.
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings) is one of the biggest names to ever walk those iconic cobbles, and of course he was already famous when he did.
He played con artist Mel Hutchwright back in May 2005 and took advantage of anyone who would fall for his tricks.
From Emily and Norris to Roy and Audrey, Mel didn't have any qualms about who he duped.
June Brown
June Brown is an EastEnders legend, but she also appeared in Corrie as Tony Parson's mum on three occasions between 1970 and 1971.
The soap's Twitter account wished her a happy 90th birthday back in 2017 with a short clip from her time on the show.
Michael Ball
In 1985, actor and singer Michael Ball played the minor role of tennis coach Malcolm Nuttall in Coronation Street.
Malcolm was dating Michelle Robinson before she met Kevin Webster, and viewers were treated to a feisty altercation between the pair which you can enjoy here.
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