It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that David Neilson is a legend of Coronation Street. The actor has spent an incredible 27 years playing the ITV's soap's much-loved Roy Cropper. The cafe owner made his debut on the cobbles back in July 1995.
He started out living in the Crimea Street flats alongside fellow tenant Deirdre Barlow. He ended up working at Jim's Café in Rosamund Street but after a year, Roy bought Alma Baldwin's majority share of the business and renamed it Roy's Rolls, as it still remains today. Roy was initially a 'secondary character' but was given a more prominent role in 1997.
In the years since, Roy has been featured in numerous high-profile storylines, most notably marrying the first transgender character in a British soap opera, Hayley Patterson, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh. There was also the time when Tracy Barlow spiked Roy's drink at a wedding reception before taking him home and putting him in her bed. Tracy later announced she was pregnant with his child, leaving Hayley devastated.
The truth later came out and Roy and Hayley ended up becoming godparents to Tracy's daughter, Amy, who she shares with Steve McDonald. Then, in 2010, the pair officially married when the law was changed to recognise their union. Tragically, Hayley took her own life in Roy's arms, in January 2014, by drinking a lethal cocktail after living with terminal pancreatic cancer.
But who is the man behind the much-loved character? Well, prior to joining Corrie, David had a few other TV roles - he actually appeared in the soap's BBC rival EastEnders way back in 1991. He made his Walford debut in August that year, playing the role of Mr Webster who turned up at Nick Cotton’s house intending to buy it.
Adopting a cockney accent and with his dark hair slicked back, David was worlds away from how fans recognise him now. David also made appearances in Young at Heart, Blue Heaven by Frank Skinner, Casualty, and Heartbeat, among others.
Fans may also be surprised by his musical talents. Back in 2003 the now 73-year-old appeared on a celebrity version of Stars in Their Eyes, where he transformed into American singer-songwriter Roy Orbison. He donned a black wig and dark shades and strummed an electric guitar for his performance of 'You Got It'.
David had a rather eclectic list of jobs before finding TV fame. He left school aged just 15 and later attended the Central School of Speech and Drama. In order to fund his education in London, he took on a variety of jobs, including working as a gas fitter and plumber.
During an interview with Mike Plowman in 1996, David said: "I have worked as a gas fitter, plumber, ice cream salesman and barman. Since becoming an actor I have also had stints as a theatre director, taught drama at RADA, Central and Rose Bruford and written plays."
And there has been a special person by David's side through it all. The soap star, from Loughborough, has been married to his wife Jane Neilson for around 47 years. The pair share a son, Daniel, who also has two children, making him a grandfather.
But Corrie fans may have Jane to thank for David’s long stint on Corrie, after he was only contracted for an initial six episodes playing Roy. "Roy was a psychopath. He was stalking Deirdre and was a bit scary. It’s nice to play psychos but they don’t stay around too long," he told the Mirror in 2009.
"My wife is a special needs teacher and she worked with people with autism. She said Roy could have Asperger's syndrome, making him socially inept, rather than menacing. Nobody really knew what Asperger's was back in 1995, so it's my wife I owe it to.
"It's never mentioned in the story though, and it shouldn't be - Roy is a human being, and a label doesn't help him. But I think he's got it. It gives him reasons for his behaviour and gives me something to play. I enjoy idiosyncrasies in people and Roy is full of them."
Since then, Roy has become known to viewers for various reasons, but one thing that hasn't often left his side is his trusty shopping bag. And it turns out David has a rather big secret he carries close to him during filming - and it’s stored in his iconic bag.
There's a personal reason for David having the bag with him on set. It actually belonged to his late mum, who died shortly before he took on his career-defining role in the nineties.
He previously told the Mirror: "That bag went around Loughborough market for many years! It will be 30 years old now. My mother died just before I joined the show so I was chucking stuff out and thought it would be good for Roy.
"He was always knocking on Deirdre’s door, asking if she needed a bit of shopping and initially they gave me a carrier bag. But you see guys standing at bus stops with bags like that and I thought I’d introduce it. It’s also very handy to carry my scripts round in!"
He added: "Roy’s key on the piece of knicker elastic attached to the bag was also my mother’s. We fastened it onto the bag for her, because she kept locking herself out. She was forever calling out the police or the glazier to get her back in and they’d have to break the window."
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