Corrie: Reece Dinsdale

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My wife is still shocked I'm in Coronation Street, says Reece Dinsdale
Apr 5 2009
Steve Hendry
sundaymail.co.uk

A YEAR might be a long time in a soap but it's still not enough for Reece Dinsdale to stop ruining the scenery for his wife. The veteran actor fulfilled a lifetime ambition the day he walked into Weatherfield as Joe McIntyre, the handyman dad of feisty teenager Tina, and he's been in the thick of it ever since. His character's been made homeless and jobless, he's fallen out with the locals, had an ill-fated affair with Gail Platt - the kiss of death in Corrie - and now he's battling depression. Reece, 49, is having a ball. The only downside is how it's affecting his actress wife Zara Turner's viewing pleasure.

He said: "We still watch the show and every time I come on my wife says, 'Oh my God'. "We haven't got used to it. Corrie is just part of our lives, as it is for so many people, and when you see yourself in the middle of it, it feels like there's something very odd going on. I was more nervous coming on to the show than anything else I've done in my career. Nothing affected me like this. The actors made me welcome from the start but in a way that made me more nervous because they knew who I was and I felt I had to hit a mark. I'm still a bit starstruck, even after the best part of a year. I can't believe it when someone like Barbara Knox walks through a door and you think, 'It's Rita'."

Being such a genuine fan of the show also gave him a heads-up about Michelle Keegan, who plays Tina. He had been singing her praises to his wife one night when the fates played a hand and he got a call asking if he would like to be her dad on screen. He said: "My reason for joining was 90 per cent because of Michelle. I was watching the show one night and I saw her. I turned to my wife and said, 'That girl is brilliant'. The next day my agent rang and asked if I fancied playing Tina's dad - it was meant to be. From the start we got on very well. I told her that tale and think I embarrassed her. But we're good mates. She's a lovely girl and a talented actress. I wish her all the success."

Playing a father is second nature to Reece, who has an eight-year-old daughter, Elwy, and a four-year-old son, Luca. His onscreen relationship with Michelle has also given him cause to remember when he used to play a rebel teen, starring with the late John Thaw in 1985 sitcom Home To Roost. He played the son who upset the bachelor lifestyle of his dad, played by Thaw.

Reece said: "I told Michelle we could have rejigged Home To Roost and she could be the daughter who came home to stay with her dad. We did some scenes which were comical and ended up laughing our heads off and it reminded me of Home To Roost a lot. Unfortunately in this business you put something in the can 20 years ago and they are still showing it now. You have a constant reminder of what you used to look like and what you look like now - it's pretty scary. I loved working with John. He gave me good advice. He said keep people guessing. Corrie is something which people don't expect you to turn up in and I have - and I'm thoroughly enjoying myself."

It's a shame the same can't be said for his character Joe, a man in desperate need of luck. He's not only up to his eyeballs in debt, suffering from depression and breaking up with Gail (Helen Worth), he's put his back out. He said: "He's just revealed the level of his depression, he's come to get his stuff from Gail - much to her displeasure - and is ready to share a flat with Tina. But as he loads his van, he does his back in and screams in agony on the cobbles. Who comes to the rescue but Gail. Before you know it, he's captive on her sofa because he can't move. Where we go from here, your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea."

While the serious nature of Joe's depression might sound like the carrot that drew in an actor of his stature, nothing could be further from the truth. Despite playing heavyweight roles and starring in everything from award-winning nuclear documentary Threads in 1984 to dramas such as Thief Takers, Spooks, The Chase, Life On Mars, Midnight Man and Silent Witness, it was Coronation Street's light touch that attracted him to the role.

He said: "I have a lot of serious drama in my background so I think people assume I came on to the show because of this storyline. But I have been a fan since I was three. I didn't need a big sell. I love the way it straddles comedy and drama. I've played a lot of heavy, emotional roles and enjoyed them but I did a comedy series called Haggard years ago and haven't done anything since. So while I enjoy the heavy drama Joe has been involved in, I also like there to be a lightness of to Tina touch. He is wonderful to play. There are so many aspects of his character."

Joe's battle with depression is only coming to the fore but it's likely to affect the character more seriously as time goes on. He said: "The producers wanted there to be a secret and hinted he might suffer from depression. "It's a serious subject that affects lots of people. Joe's obviously in a desperate place at times."

Despite the battles which lie ahead for Joe, Reece is relishing the challenge - and it looks like his wife will have to get used to him in Corrie for some time to come. He said: "I'm very lucky. I go on to Christmas at the moment and we'll see what happens from there."