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Craig Charles picked up from Coronation Street set in helicopter


Craig Charles was once picked up from the set of ‘Coronation Street’ in a helicopter.

The 50-year-old actor – who plays the role of Lloyd Mullaney in the ITV soap – has revealed how a fan once picked him up from the Manchester set in a helicopter as he was running late for a DJ set at music festival in the Lake District.

Speaking on ‘This Morning’, he told Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes: "I was working late and I was going to have to cancel the gig at the Kendal Calling Festival because I wasn’t going to make it.

"So I tweeted asking if anyone had a helicopter – a guy replied saying, ‘Yeah I have one’, and he came to pick me up!"

Despite being best known for his acting roles in Corrie and ‘Red Dwarf’, Craig is also a keen DJ and claims he developed his love of music during his childhood, when he’d listen to his dad’s records.

He explained: "My dad got me into music. He arrived in England in the 50s/60s with a pocket full of change and a bag full of records.

"He’d listen to Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte and all sorts of people."

And he admits he’s even incorporated his taste in music into his soap character, who also "loves soul", saying, "It all weaves in".

Craig performed at a number of festivals this summer including Glastonbury and Lovebox.