Corrie's Steven Arnold stars in The Charlie Chaplin Story

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

Steven Arnold, best known for playing Ashley Peacock in Coronation Street, is starring as Charlie Chaplin’s brother in this heart-warming and hilarious musical about the first true British icon of Cinema.

Steven is joined onstage by Nicole Faraday (Bad Girls / Emmerdale), Helena Gullan (‘Once’- London’s West End) and a cast of six West End actor-musicians who play over 20 instruments live onstage!

This powerful musical tale weaves through Chaplin’s modest and troubled childhood growing up in the gutters of Victorian London.  It focuses on Chaplin’s relationship with his mother who, after being admitted to an asylum, was forced to put her sons into the workhouse. It moves through Chaplin’s early showbiz career on the Vaudeville stage, through the primitive years of early Hollywood and finishes with Chaplin discovering his big breakthrough film which made him a household name - ‘The Kid’. An untold story too fascinating to miss.

The creative team include the multi-award winning writer Stuart Price and No1 hit-single writer Jake Field as composer.

The musical is going on tour during June and July and the list of tour dates is here.



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Sunita Alahan and Ashley Peacock back on the cobbles

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2014, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Actors Shobna Gulati and Steven Arnold, who played Coronation Street's Sunita Alahan and Ashley Peacock, were back on the Coronation Street set - as part of a bingo world record attempt.

Both Steven and Sunita joined a host of former Coronation Street stars and celebrities taking part in Gala Bingo’s world record attempt for a game of bingo with the largest set of bingo balls.

The event also meant a Corrie return for Maureen Webster, aka actress Sherrie Hewson, who left Weatherfield for a new life in Germany with Bill Webster in 2006, as well as Adam Rickitt who used to play Nick Tilsley.

The bingo brand used the launch of its newest game, Corrie Bouncy Balls, as an opportunity to help raise money and awareness for the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign (MCAC).

The Manchester Evening News has a full photo gallery here.



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Meeting Steven

Right. So this was the week that I met Steven Arnold. I've written a lot about the event itself over here so i won't repeat too much of that. I met him on Monday night when the board members were going out to dinner with him. Some of them had met him the day before when he arrived in Halifax. A few people had stayed in the hotel the whole time, i didn't check in until Monday. Maybe next time i'll do all three days. Anyway no matter.

We were first going to the bar in the hotel before we went to the restaurant but when i got there, nobody else was there except Steven and his dad and his dad's long time friend so i didn't want to just go up to him and introduce myself cold like that. I waited for the others during which time Steven ducked out of the pub, not sure if for a smoke or to go to his room or both. When he finally came back, the others were there and i was introduced as another committee member. He came forward to shake my hand and then leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Ooh i said, that's a lovely birthday present! Because it was. My birthday, i mean. :D

Over at the dinner, we had photos taken and got some autographs. I brought my 40th anniversary book that all the others that have been to Halifax have signed plus i had my ticket to the event signed and one of the cast cards. I later got to sit beside him at dinner since all agreed i should, it being my birthday. I didn't get much one on one conversation, mainly because i can never think of anything to say to start one and also because there was a lot of stuff going on from one end of the table to the other. We all enjoyed it though and he's a lovely man.

He brought his dad with him, who is Steven Sr. (whom we referred to as Senior when we were distinguishing the two) and his dad brought his long time friend Jimmy. They've been friends since they were children so i expect he's as much family as anyone to Steven. Senior seemed a bit quieter but also very nice and Jimmy was a laugh. They all liked a laugh as it happens. And the two seniors loved their pints of Guinness. Steven likes a lighter beer, a Bud or a lager of some sort. All three smoke so they'd duck out for a quick fag, usually all together and every time they'd return, Steven would say how cold it was outside. Really, though, it wasn't cold to us!

After that a few of us accompanied Steven to a pub next door to the hotel where the band was too loud for conversation but they were quite good. Most of us left by about 10:30 and left Steven and his dad and Jimmy to have some time on their own.

The event was great. You can read that through the link above. I was busy running about wrangling the volunteers some of the time but i did make time to sit and listen for awhile and make notes. Steven really wowed the crowd, especially the women! At one point someone asked him to show his abs and he did! Through it all he was professional and congenial and patient. Never minded giving an autograph and went through the line of 100 people that paid for an autograph and photo at the end which takes about an hour and a half. That's signing, posing *flash*, over and over plus flashes from other people's cameras but he did it all good naturedly. I'm sure he was a bit tired by the end but was still raring to go.

Most of the committee and a few of the volunteers repaired to the bar in the hotel with Steven, dad and Jimmy for a couple of drinks. Even there, Steven didn't mind posing for a few more photos from us and from other bar patrons who recognized him. Steven's dad was saying over and over how really nice everyone was and what a fantastic job we'd done putting it all together. He was hugely proud of his son and told him so, a man of few words, it isn't something he says a lot but really means it when he does. I don't think Steven had ever participated in an event like this before and probably his Dad hasn't seen him deal with the public on such a scale. I'm not surprised he was bursting his buttons with pride. Both Dad and Jimmy kept saying they loved it here in Halifax and didn't want to leave.

The next morning in the hotel restaurant, Steven had breakfast with two raffle winners. We chatted a few minutes with Steven Sr. and Jimmy before they went and moved up to a table near where Steven was but I and one of the other committee members who was there presented those two with a little gift each, maple leaf bottles of maple syrup. They were very moved and pleased. It wasn't even a matter of keeping the father and friend happy so that Steven would be happy, we all really genuinely liked them both. It stands to reason, though, if the companions are treated well, then the actor will be happy too. They all three went away promising to recommend Halifax as a stopover for any future actor that's going to the Toronto British Isles show as well. With any luck we'll be doing it again next year.

An Evening with Steven Arnold in Halifax, NS

In exactly one week, the Downeast Streeters Non-Profit Society will be hosting an Evening with Steven Arnold here in Halifax at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel. Tickets are going fast, and may not be available on the night of the event. Tickets cost $25.00 and are available at Celtic Traditions in Spring Garden Place and Heatwave Fashions on Ochterloney Street in downtown Dartmouth (cash only there).

I'm on the committee that's organizing this event and have attended all the other ones that have been held here in Halifax as well. We piggyback onto the Toronto British Isles show, having the Corrie star that appears there stop over here on the way so we don't have a choice as to which actor comes. It's always been a good show, though. The actors speak to the audience, taking questions that are written down ahead of time. There's always lots of gossip and behind the scenes chat. In the past, we've hosted Jenny James (Geena Gregory) and her husband Lee Boardman (Jez Quigley), Samia Smith (Maria Sutherland), Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw), Bruce Jones (Les Battersby) and Shobna Gulati (Sunita Alahan).

What annoys me is people that say they don't want to come because they don't like the character. But the thing is, this isn't the character, it's the person behind the character. Someone that works on Coronation Street, someone that knows the characters you *do* like and would have loads of inside info on the show. I've never been disappointed in any of the actors that have come here. I'm sure that Steven is going to be equally enjoyable and this year, i'm more involved which makes it even better. I'll be blogging about the visit of course, once it's all done and dusted. Just pray to the weather gods please. It's so unpredictable this time of year!