Antony Cotton says he wants to drop dead on Corrie set

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog June 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


Antony Cotton, who plays Coronation Street's Sean Tully, has been speaking to The Express about  a potential exit story for his character.

"I literally want to come to work one day, however old I am, drop dead at work, cart me off, fine, gone. Just drop dead on set and let them deal with it, because it won't be any worry of mine will it. "They'll have no choice," he laughed.

He also said that while he loves his job at Corrie, he's been the same throughout his entire working-life.

"I want to work, I want to drop dead at work. I can't think of anything worse. I know it's different strokes for different folks, I'm not going down the pit and I realise it's not that, but I love my job, I've worked since I was a kid," he explained.

Antony also shared his fears about his luck running out and recognised the opportunities he's been fortunate enough to have throughout his career.

"If I have a week off work where I'm not in the schedule, I go mad. I appreciate that 90% of actors are out of work 90% of the time,” he said.

"It's one thing being over-worked and doing too many hours etc. But it's a whole other kettle of fish and a whole other set of problems if you're just never in work. I mean I can't think of anything worse."

Antony is busy supporting SSAFA - the Armed Forces charity that he is ambassador for - as they are busy getting its annual Big Brew Up campaign underway this month.

"The Big Brew Up is about people coming together, sitting round a table having a chat and having a brew. I think it's important because it's about families, not necessarily blood relatives but families which you’re a part of and I'm very lucky I have three. I've got my own, I’ve got my Coronation Street family and I've got my military family," he added.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Corrie stars visit patients at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog December 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Jennie McAlpine (Fiz Stape), Antony Cotton (Sean Tully) and Brooke Vincent (Sophie Webster) were among soap visiting Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital this week.  The soap stars were there to hand out presents to some of the hospital’s poorliest patients and to sprinkle a bit of festive cheer.

Jennie, Antony and Brooke spent time on Ward 84, the children’s cancer ward at the hospital, which looks after young patients with the condition from across the whole of the North West, before saying hello to patients on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

The hospital’s young patients and their families were delighted to meet their favourite soapstars, who handed out presents and chatted to the young children.

Long-term patron Antony commented: “Visiting the Children’s Hospital at Christmas time is always one of my favourite times of the year. Meeting the patients and their families is always humbling, heart-warming and a huge privilege and is something I cherish as a patron of Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity.”

The support of Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity means that the hospital can provide additional resources that make life easier for patients and their families who use the hospital.



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Coronation Street contracts extended for two stars

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog May 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Antony Cotton has had his contract extended to play Sean Tully in Coronation Street for at least another year.  He announced this on twitter. 

The Sun today says that Brooke Vincent, who plays Sophie Webster, has signed a new contract which will keep her in the show until February 2017.

Brooke will be taking a break from Coronation Street later this year to star in a play called Be My Baby.

She'll be playing 19-year-old young mum  Mary Adams in the play which will run at Manchester’s Lowry Theatre.  Find out more here.




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Antony Cotton signs new Corrie contract

Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully on Coronation Street, has signed a new contract to stay on the show.

Antony tweeted details of his new deal yesterday. It simply said:  “Just a quick @itvcorrie update. I have signed to stay with the show July 2016. Happy days #StreetLife”

I do hope this means we'll see more of Billy the Vicar.



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Blog Interview with Antony Cotton aka Sean Tully

(This post was originally posted by Ruth Owen on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2014.)


Sean Tully has been unlucky in love to say the least, but there will soon be a new man on the scene. The new man is a man of the cloth, a man of God - in short he’s a vicar.

I was privileged to meet Antony Cotton at Media City as he talked about his new storyline. Sean hasn’t had a meaty story for some time, but it really is his turn now.

Asked why Sean is unlucky in love, Antony gave quite an amazing answer. Sean came into Coronation Street, just as Raquel, played by Sarah Lancashire, left. It is Antony’s theory that the writers carried on writing for Raquel, who they seemed to think had metamorphosised into Sean. Never having written for an openly gay man, they basically wrote Sean as Raquel. So, it stands to reason that Sean is always unlucky in love because Raquel was.

Antony knew that he had to hit the ground running when he first appeared on screen. He said that at first, he would have been happy with three months, but then decided that he had to get himself, as an actor, noticed so that he could extend his time on the cobbles. So, 13 years later – well, something went right.

Antony pointed out that Sean has not really had a story for a year now, other than being at The Rovers, the factory and at the Grimshaw’s. As long as he’s there present in the show, he’s happy though. Antony enjoys very much living with the Grimshaw’s and working with Sue Cleaver, Eileen, Bruno Langley, Todd and Ryan Thomas, Jason. He says that the writers have the ‘family voice’ exactly right as they do with the Platts.

‘I am the older brother they never wanted,’ laughed Antony but actually he is like their older brother and they have simply forgotten that they are not related. In the Grimshaw household Sean was originally a lodger but is now most definitely part of the family. He is Eileen’s rock and someone she could not manage without.

Sean is more than that too. Sean, uniquely, amongst the cast has no enemies in Weatherfield. He is its moral voice and compass. If Sean says it’s wrong, then it’s wrong.

Who then is the new man in Sean’s life? Well, Underworld has planned an outing, but gradually everyone drops out except for Sean and Sinead. Sinead is a strange dancer, apparently, but she does manage to get Billy, who is leading his congregation the next day, and Sean, talking. The actor who plays Billy is in the show initially for 6 months. It could be more, but Antony doesn’t know what the writers have in store for Sean and Billy. What Antony does know is that Billy is a very hardworking vicar because his work is a vocation rather than just a job. Billy is also a modernizer, which may well cause conflict with the more traditional members of the congregation.

Interestingly, Antony says that he never watches himself playing Sean. He fast forwards to avoid himself, though he does enjoy watching the rest of the cast.

Asked if there were any downsides to playing Sean, Antony spoke of the vile abuse he receives on social media. He wasn’t specific about the insults but did say that they consisted of the vilest, nastiest insults that anyone could possibly throw at someone. It is then most admirable, under such provocation, that Antony has never once retaliated – in fact he makes a point of never ‘slagging anyone else off.’

On the plus side, and because he is in the show, Antony has several achievements to his name. He is an ambassador for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. He has met the queen, he has been twice to Number 10, under 2 governments, and his mum, Edna, is very pleased by this.

Antony has also done considerable work for LGBT support. Sean has never apologized on the cobbles for who he is and nor has Antony, the character reflecting the person and the person reflecting the character.

Antony’s mum, as mentioned, is called Edna and that is what Antony has called her all his life. His mum would have loved him to call her mum, but it wasn’t to be.

There is a gentle, but solid self confidence in Antony Cotton, which seems to have been with him for some time. As a five-year old, just starting school, he said to the teacher, ‘I have come here to learn how to read and write, no to colour in.’

Asked if he would like to stay in the show until he’s as old as Norris and Rita, there was a definite yes. He envisages himself and Fiz as the future Norris and Rita. Though of course, Sean would be a much more likeable person.






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From Script To Screen: A Night To Remember

(This post was originally posted by Martyn Hett on the Coronation Street Blog in August 2014.)

A big thank you to our guest blogger Martyn Hett for this post

Earlier this week I headed to The Lowry to attend Coming Out - From Script To Screen, a discussion on homosexuality in Coronation Street taking place as part of Manchester Pride Fringe. I managed to bag a front row seat, and sat with palpitations knowing that within minutes I would be just feet away from the big man himself, Tony Warren.

Damon Rochefort introduced the event with a montage highlighting Corrie’s best moments throughout the years. It was met with lots of laughter and the fans in the audience were completing the actors’ lines as though they were at a Sound Of Music sing-along. Following the montage, Jonathan Harvey, Debbie Oates, Brooke Vincent, Anthony Cotton and Tony Warren entered the stage to rousing applause and took their seats.

As the discussion began, it was like crack for the superfans in the audience. The chemistry between the writers was infectious, the anecdotes from the actors were insightful and exciting, and Tony Warren commanded the entire room every time he spoke as though he were The Pope.

The Writers

Debbie Oates was a delight to listen to. She was incredibly witty, full of expression and seemed genuinely passionate about the LGBT cause – even claiming to be referred to as ‘Head Of Lesbian’ at Coronation Street. She discussed the unease felt by some of the writers when gay characters were initially introduced, with some claiming ‘not to know how gays think’ to which she responded, “You don’t know how women think either, but you still write for them!”

Damon Rochefort and Jonathan Harvey also provided great insight on their personal feelings towards Coronation Street’s portrayal of homosexuality, with Harvey making the very honest admission that he had previously felt excluded by the soap due to lack of representation. Rochefort and Harvey’s inappropriate jokes had me laughing out loud on several occasions, and the evening seemed to be constructed similarly to Coronation Street itself: the serious made digestible with regular doses of humour.

From a fan’s point of view, it was great to see some of the writers in the flesh, particularly names that I pray for at the beginning of an episode. Between the stories about the lines they can’t believe they got away with (Blanche’s “nasty gash”, anyone?) and their personal reflections on some of the more hard hitting scenes, it felt almost like a night at the Rovers with a group of old mates.

The Cast

Brooke Vincent, who joked about being the ‘nation’s favourite lesbian’, spoke of her fear at being given such a big challenge at the age of 16, her initial reaction being, “Why me?” I got a real sense of personal journey when she spoke, and it seemed as though playing the character of Sophie from such a young age had helped Brooke to develop her own sense of self.

When discussing her character, it was noted that she had been in the soap since birth and that the audience had watched her grow and develop as a person. This raised the interesting point that Sophie had not been brought into Coronation Street especially to be gay, and that the audience had had a chance to explore sexuality through the eyes of somebody they had witnessed growing up.

The biggest revelation of the evening for me was Anthony Cotton. Anthony discussed the abuse he regularly receives from members of the gay community who claim he has “set the gay cause back 25 years”. I’m ashamed to admit, this was an opinion I had shared until recently. As somebody who has always been flamboyant, I am no stranger to internalised homophobia. However, it wasn’t until recently that I realised that my disdain towards flamboyancy in the media was actually a projection of my own self-hate.

Anthony touched upon this when I questioned him on the issue of homophobia within the gay community. His answer was eloquent and heartrending, yet at the same time encouraging, particularly for somebody like myself. He mentioned that he had never featured on the front cover of a gay glossy, which instead tend to favour “naked straight men with boxing gloves in front of their willies”. These in turn become the role models for younger gay men, meaning the character of Sean becomes less aspirational. Couple this with people’s inability to distinguish between fiction and real life, and it becomes pretty clear to see that Anthony has suffered. Nevertheless, Anthony spoke of his achievements and the importance of representing every part of the spectrum, and it turned out to be one of the most poignant moments of the evening.

Tony Warren

From the moment Tony Warren entered the stage a sense of admiration and respect could be felt across the entire room. You could hear a pin drop when he spoke, and the same Tony Warren who refused to come down from the filing cabinet at Granada was clearly still present, albeit older and wiser.

Tony discussed a story conference in the early days at which he stood up to speak against anti-gay language being used by saying, “Without a poof, none of you would be in work this morning!” When his colleagues responded by saying it wasn’t directed at him, he simply said, “Call my brothers, and you call me.” It was a stark reminder of how difficult it must have been for somebody like Warren in those days, and brought the earlier discussion about internalised homophobia back into the forefront of my mind. How have we gotten to the point where we are attacking each other when people such as Tony faced daily battles simply to exist in society?

In response to a fan question about Coronation Street’s perceived ‘lateness’ when it came to representing the gay community, Tony mentioned that there were underlying fears that advertisers may have pulled out had Coronation Street introduced a gay character any sooner. Never one to leave the tone too serious, he then joked that we had come a long way since then as the current sponsorship seems to feature two gay meerkats raising a baby together. The audience was left in stitches.

Given that Coronation Street has pretty much dominated my entire life, this event was a dream come true; after all, it gave me the chance to publicly fangirl over my favourite writers, members of the cast and Tony himself. But the event also raised several important issues on the historical struggles faced by the LGBT community, as well as the rather different struggles faced by people such as Anthony today.

Thanks to Damon Rochefort for putting together such a wonderful event, and thanks to Tony Warren for making my dreams come true by posing for a photograph with me at the end. It was most definitely an evening I will never forget.

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Video: Antony Cotton in Let's Dance for Comic Relief

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog February 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

It's that time of year when celebrities start doing odd things for Comic Relief to raise funds for charity. 

Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully, turned up on BBC TV last night in Let's Dance for Comic Relief, tap-dancing his way through a decent routine to 'Anything Goes'.  It's worth a watch, he's pretty darn good.




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How do you solve a problem like Sean Tully?

(This post was originally posted by Clinkers (David) on the Coronation Street Blog in February 2013.)

On Monday, viewers were party to a sighting of that rarest of Weatherfield inhabitants, Sean Tully. Granted, this was only a fleeting glimpse but there he was, in his natural habitat behind the bar of the Rovers, calling Timothy West 'cock',  à la Bet Lynch.

No doubt many readers will be flexing their typing fingers, ready to respond to the "how do you solve..." question by answering "get rid".

Admittedly, the character of Sean has gone off the boil of late and seems to have been sidelined. A once funny Street resident has spent the past year either moping around or beefing out scenes in the factory. Sean's low-point came in a December episode where all he did was walk into the Rovers and hang his coat up.

When Sean first appeared, around ten years ago, he was welcomed as a real breath of fresh air. Yes, he was camp and catty, yet he had some excellent one-liners. His introduction to the Rovers was a great idea as he followed in a great tradition of bar staff. Rather him than some of the other disasters that have occupied that space - remember that Lauren person or Natalie's grim niece? I digress.

Presumably Sean is knocking-on forty and yet still doesn't seem to have any roots. Is he another Bet Lynch, someone desperately looking for love but putting everyone off because of his needy attitude? Sean used to be the Street's good friend, shoulder to cry on, person to have a laugh with at a party. Now he's free of that slightly moribund relationship with Marcus, is it time for him to settle down? Does he need friends other than Fiz and the increasingly dreadful Julie?

Sean used to be and, with the right storylines, probably could be a good character again. Remember - the challenge is to give Sean a new lease of life. Over to you!


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Corrie gays named in World Pride Power List 2012

Note: Today is World Pride Day!

Three openly out and proud Coronation Street actors have been named in the Word Pride Power List 2012.  The list has been compiled by The Guardian in association with Square Peg Media. Judges included Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall; Michael Fuller, managing director United Health UK; Linda Riley, managing director of Square peg Media and Cuc Vu, chief diversity officer of the Human Rights campaign

So, here we go with the men from Corrie who've been named in the list. What? No Phil Collinson?

Number 7: Sir Ian McKellen.  He played con man Mel Hutchwright in Coronation Street and is somewhat of a global superstar.  He came out in 1998 during a Radio 3 session on Section 28 and from then on brought al his star power to bear on the cause of equality, co-founding Stonewall and regularly speaking and writing on gay issues.

Number 15: Charlie Condou.  Plays Marcus Dent in Coronation Street. Father of two and champion of gay parenting.  Is wonderful, entertaining and polite on twitter @charliecondou

Number 32: Antony Cotton. Plays Sean Tully in Coronation Street. Is on twitter. The Guardian says "Cotton has done much to break down prejudice among the show's massive UK audience."  This fan would argue he hasn't done half as much as straight actor Julie Hesmondhalgh who plays transsexual Hayley Cropper, but that's just my own personal point of view.

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Corrie's Sean's baby

(This post was originally posted by blogger Rebecca on the Coronation Street Blog in May, 2010, reposted with permission.)

I adore Sean. Well, I adore Antony Cotton and have done since I saw him in Queer As Folk at my tender age of 14. I love Sean but I think he's criminally underused. I would love for him to find a lovely man, get married and settle down - maybe they could move into the Peacocks' house if they are definitely leaving? I hate how Sean is mostly just a spare part and mostly - sadly - just the funny gay man who ribs the factory girls. I have a lot of issues with GLBT issues in Coronation Street anyway, but that's a different post.

But, aww. Tonight's first episode showed Sean being allowed to show some feelings for a change! He was complaining about Becky being all: "Baby baby baby," without any regards to his feelings as an absentee father. I forget sometimes about that kid. He must miss him. (Was he called Dylan?) Maybe we could have a storyline about Sean pushing for access?

Side note, I once saw Violet and Jamie (Jenny Platt and Rupert Hill) at a Ryan Adams gig in Manchester. It was shortly before they left Corrie. It was very surreal.