CORONATION Street viewers welcomed a new resident this week - Brighouse comic and actor Jack Carroll.
Jack, a former Britain’s Got Talent finalist, plays Bobby, the nephew Carla Barlow never knew she had. He turned up at the factory boss’s flat, announcing that he’s the son of her brother, Rob Donovan.
The shock arrival came the day after Carla said an emotional farewell to her husband, Peter Barlow, who has left the Street for a round-the-world boat trip. Bobby’s dad Rob is in prison, serving a life sentence for the murder of Tina McIntyre.
Jack, who has cerebral palsy, reached the final of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent aged 14 with his stand-up comedy act. Tweeting about his Weatherfield debut, he said: “I hope Bobby brings viewers a lot of laughs in the vein of some of the street’s classic comedy characters.”
As a comedian, Jack has been on TV’s Live At the Apollo and Jason Manford’s Funny Old Week. He wrote and appeared in BBC comedy short film Mobility, about three sixth form students travelling on a mobility bus, and he was in CBBC’s Ministry of Curious Stuff, Doctors and the film Eaten By Lions.
Jack isn’t the only local talent to appear in his TV drama this year. Here are some of the Bradford stars who lit up our small screens in 2023.
Happy Valley
Happy Valley was one of the biggest TV hits of the year, with the series finale watched more than 7.5 million people.
Sally Wainwright’s gripping drama about Calderdale cop Catherine Cawood and her nemesis, Tommy Lee Royce, had a stellar cast, led by Sarah Lancashire, James Norton and Siobhan Finneran. Younger cast members included pupils from Bradford theatre school Articulate; five-year-old Bonnie Stott played Poppy, young daughter of teacher Rob Hepworth, and won viewers’ hearts as the troubled little girl who refused to take off her coat.
Poppy and her sister Florence were played by sisters Bonnie and Bethany Stott, from Bingley. Bethany told the T&A: “I loved meeting Sally Wainwright, I like to write stories and she read one of my stories between takes.”
Myra-Sofia Iftikhar played Faisal’s youngest daughter Haniya, and Freddy Smith was Cesco, school pal of Catherine’s grandson Ryan.
The final series of Happy Valley was partly filmed in Thornton, Denholme and Bailiff Bridge. Myra-Sofia, 11, from Birkenshaw said: “I didn’t realise how big a show it was. Each week my teachers said: ‘Myra, we saw you on telly last night’. Filming Happy Valley was unforgettable.”
Boiling Point
Bradford actor Vinette Robinson starred in Boiling Point, BBC1’s tense drama set in a restaurant kitchen. The sequel to 2021 film Boiling Point, which Vinette was in with Line of Duty actor Stephen Graham, saw her play head chef Carly.
Vinette, who went to Scala School for Performing Arts in Rawdon, has been in TV dramas including The A Word, Black Mirror and Doctor Who, playing Rosa Parks.
The Long Shadow
ITV drama The Long Shadow, about the five-year hunt for Peter Sutcliffe, focussed on the killer’s victims and the police investigation.
Holme Wood actor Shaun Thomas played Neil Jackson, son of Sutcliffe’s second murder victim Emily Jackson, played by Katherine Kelly. Shaun was at Tong High School when he starred in 2014 film The Selfish Giant. He has since been in the films Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Grimsby and Ali and Ava.
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