Desmond Francis “Des” Barnes is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and 90s kids will remember that he was played by Philip Middlemiss. Over the course of his time on Corrie, Des was deeply in love with Steph, but she didn’t seem to care as deeply for him, and eventually left poor Des for another man. Des had been building a boat in the back garden for years, and the date of the launch coincided with Steph leaving him. Fans will remember that he burned the boat on a canal.
When Terry Duckworth was in prison, Des offered his back garden to his wife Lisa for their son Tommy to play in. His relationship with Lisa gradually strengthened until she moved in with him. Terry subsequently arranged for some criminal associates outside the prison to beat Des. Terry’s mother Vera was furious, accusing Des of breaking up her son’s marriage and referring to him as a bookie’s runner. But she gradually began to respect Des when she realised how good a father figure Des was for Tommy.
Philip Middlemiss left the show in November 1998 when his ill-fated character was killed off. In the article below, we take a look at what the actor has been up to since then – some of it might well surprise you.
So what does “Des” look like now? Check him out!
Here is Des Barnes as we know him from Coronation Street:
This is what Philip Middlemiss looks like now:
Since leaving Coronation Street he has appeared as David Buckley in the ITV drama Where the Heart Is, from 2000 to 2006.
He appeared in a celebrity edition of Come Dine with Me in 2010 with other former Coronation Street stars, Julie Goodyear, Tupele Dorgu and Ken Morley. He finished first on 23 points winning £1,000 for his chosen charity.
On 30 May 2012, Middlemiss declared himself bankrupt.
However, he’s not the only one that we remember from this show and there have been many actors over the years. So, here’s a peek at some of our other favourites both then and now!
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See more great now and then pics below…
Philip Lowrie – Dennis Tanner
Philip Lowrie played Dennis Tanner from 1960 (the first episode) to 1968, and then reappeared in 2011 to 2014.
Bernard Youens – Stan Ogden
He played Hilda’s husband, Stan Ogden. He was on the show for over 20 years.
Peter Adamson – Len Fairclough
His character was Len Fairclough and he was on the show from 1961 to 1983.
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Jean Alexander – Hilda Ogden
She was Hilda Ogden and she even won a BAFTA for the TV “Best Actress” category for her role.
John Savident – Fred Elliot
He played Fred Elliot, the butcher from 1994 to 2006.
Brian Capron – Richard Hillman
He appeared on the show from 2001-2003 as Richard Hillman.
Charles Lawson – Jim McDonald
His character was James McDonald (Jim).
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Julie Hesmondhalgh – Harold Patterson/Hayley Cropper
The first transgender person on the show – Harold Patterson / Hayley Cropper.
Bruce Jones – Les Battersby
He was Les Battersby on this show.
Eileen Derbyshire – Emily Bishop
She was Emily Bishop and she was the longest female character on this show.
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Julie Goodyear – Bet Lynch
She played Bet Lynch and her first appearance was in 1966, and then again from 1970-1995 with yet another re-appearance in the show from 2002-03.
Arthur Lowe – Leonard Swindley
He was Leonard Swindley in Coronation Street.
Elizabeth Dawn – Vera Duckworth
She was Vera Duckworth.
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Bill Tarmey – Jack Duckworth
He played Jack Duckworth. He first appeared in 1979 and then again from 1981-2010.
Anne Kirkbridge – Deirdre Barlow
She’s well-known for her part as Deirdre Barlow.
Violet Carson – Ena Sharples
She was Ena Sharples and she stayed with the show for over 20 years.
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William Roache – Ken Barlow
He was Ken Barlow.
Patricia Phoenix – Elsie Tanner
She was Elsie Tanner.
Doris Speed – Annie Walker
She played Annie Walker and appeared in over 1,730 episodes.
Tracy Shaw – Maxine Peacock
She was Maxine Peacock.
