Coronation Street Fans Spot 'Ashley' In Chiswick
Steven Arnold, aka Ashley Peacock, talks about his latest role at the Tabard Theatre
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Former Coronation Street star Steven Arnold is still associated with his popular on-screen character Ashley Peacock, six years after his last appearance on the show. And he has found that there are diehard fans of the soap in Chiswick.
Rehearsing for the latest Tabard Theatre production, Broken Strings, which starts a three-week run tonight (7th September), he was recognised while walking down the street.
"They came over and asked me if I was who they thought I was and then said 'Lovely to meet you'. I still get recognised a lot as Ashley, even in Chiswick " he told chiswickw4.com
Steven, who is originally from Warrington though he now lives in Surrey, spent nearly sixteen years in the ITV classic before being killed off in the 50th anniversary episode when he was knocked down by a tram. The show attracted over 15 million viewers.
He is the latest big name to perform at the Tabard Theatre and is joined by another 'Corrie' stalwart, Linda Clark, who played Jackie Dent, the mother of Marcus Dent-though the two actors did not appear in the soap at the same time.
Broken Strings tells the story of how two people damaged by bereavement, finally discover the truth about themselves, begin to understand one another better and deal with the pain they are both going through.
Steven, who plays the role of David, was working in a production of The Wizard of Oz with Linda (who plays the role of Rose) when she pursuaded him to have a look at Joe Wenborne's script in which a mother-in-law comes to live with her son and daughter after the death of her husband. There is antagonism between the two but when the daughter dies, they have to work through the grief and get on together.
"I read the script and thought it was brilliant. Then we met Joe and had a read through and it all worked out"
He says he really enjoys working in small venues such as the Tabard and finds an audiance can really connect with a play in such an intimate space.
The role is quite demanding and the theme is a serious one, but he says that there is humour involved in the clash between a son-in-law living with his mother-in-law.
"I tried to put myself into the character's shoes, to think how David thinks and how he feels."
Linda Clark has also appeared as the ‘Carrionite Witch’ in Doctor Who and Jackie Busher in That Peter Kay Thing.
After the run finishes on September 24th, Steven is taking a holiday and then has several projects in the run up to Christmas These include film roles, one of which is a love story, and then appearing in panto as Peter Pan in Peterborough over Christmas.
Steven was nominated for Most Popular Actor at the National Television Awards in 1999 and Most Popular Actor at The British Soap Awards in 2003. He was killed off in the tram crash in the 50th anniversary live episode of Coronation Street.
His theatre credits include playing Sydney Chaplin in a recent UK tour of The Charlie Chaplin Story; Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, CSM Rivers in The Accrington Pals and Steph Aston in Thick as Thieves (Best Fringe Production, Manchester Theatre Awards 2015); writer Terry Ravenscroft in Cissie and Ada: An Hysterical Rectomy, a stage show based on Cissie and Ada, the characters played by Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough.
He also appeared on Dancing on Ice in 2011.
Working on Coronation Street for sixteen years meant he could not do stage work at the same time, but now he likes to work across both theatre and film.
He still keeps in touch with some of the cast from the old days.
"I'm in London now mostly but I do keep in touch and meet up with some of them if I go up north."
Broken Strings is being performed from Tuesday - Saturday at 7:30pm. Tickets cost £17 or £15 for concessions or £12 per ticket for groups of 8 or more.
September 7, 2016
