Coronation Street star set to return to TV 26 years after ITV exit

26 years after departing from ITV’s Coronation Street, Philip Middlemiss, the actor from Des Barnes, is about to return to television.
After spending the last ten years of his life off-screen, Philip Middlemiss, a former Coronation Street legend, is about to make a comeback to acting. From 1990 to 1998, the actor gained popularity in the ITV series Cobbles as bookkeeper Des Barnes.

The 60-year-old is reportedly joining the cast of Doctors, where he will play DI Travis Lennox, and is on his way to the BBC, a rival broadcaster. Philip has appeared in several episodes of the show before, most notably one in which he played Frank Pickard in 2014.

Even though the exact date of his debut as DI Travis is still unknown, the position might not last long. The long-running daytime soap opera is apparently being canceled by the BBC, who claim that the cost of producing the drama is simply too high.

The show issued the following statement in October: “After 23 years, we have decided to end the daytime drama Doctors. This was a very difficult decision. The cost of the program has increased dramatically due to super inflation in drama production, and additional funding is now needed to either renovate the show’s current location or move it to a new location.

“We would like to thank all the Doctors cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 2000. We know the crucial role Doctors has played in nurturing talent, and we will work to develop new opportunities to support skills in scripted programming.”

In 1990, Philip made his Corrie debut as Des, costarring with Amelia Bullmore as Steph.

But the soap opera romance ended quickly, and in 1998 he moved on to fall in love again with Natalie Horrocks (Denise Welch).

Des had a tragic exit from the show when he attempted to stop a group of men from attacking his stepson, Tony Horrocks, who was portrayed by 52-year-old Lee Warburton.

Des was rendered unconscious and seemed to be getting better in the hospital, but he later died of a heart attack.

Following his departure from Coronation Street, Philip played David Buckley in the ITV series Where The Heart Is, which ran from 2000 to 2006.

In addition, he made appearances in programs like Noel’s House Party and Blankety Blank in his own image.
He made an appearance in a Celebrity Come Dine With Me episode in 2010 alongside Julie Goodyear, 82, Ken Morley, 81, and Tupele Dorgu, 46, who were all former Coronation Street stars.