Coronation Street legend returning to soap ahead of ending as it’s axed after decades

Phil Middlemiss will swap Weatherfield for Letherbridge soon, as the former Coronation Street star joins Doctors.

The actor, 60, played the role of Des Barnes in the ITV soap from 1990-1998. He arrived on the cobbles with his partner Steph, but was left a single man when she departed in ’91.

In 1998, Des ended up marrying Natalie Horrocks, who was portrayed by Denise Welch.

Des’ life came to an end after he tried to stop a group of men from attacking his stepson Tony Horrocks. He was knocked unconscious and sent to hospital, but died after experiencing a heart attack.

Away from Weatherfield, Phil’s latest role will see him appear in the BBC daytime soap Doctors.

He will portray the role of DI Travis Lennox, around 10 years on from his previous role for the soap, where he played Frank Pickard.

Sadly, we know 2024 marks the final year of Doctors, as the show has been axed by the BBC.

Discussing the sad decision to end the programme, a BBC spokesperson said: ‘We have taken the very difficult decision to bring daytime drama Doctors to an end after 23 years.

‘With super inflation in drama production, the cost of the programme has increased significantly, and further investment is also now required to refurbish the site where the show is made, or to relocate it to another home.

‘With a flat licence-fee, the BBC’s funding challenges mean we have to make tough choices in order to deliver greater value to audiences.

‘We remain fully committed to the West Midlands and all of the funding for Doctors will be reinvested into new programming in the region. We would like to thank all the Doctors cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 2000.’

The final episode of Doctors is set to air in December.