Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:57 pm Post subject: Corrie - What about ye?
McDonald to return to Weatherfield
Steve McDonald's dad will return to Corrie at the end of next week. Jim McDonald will be released from prison on November 30, and he seems like a changed man. So why is he returning to Coronation Street?
"He's been released from jail and as far as he's concerned that's where his family is and where he's spent a large proportion of his life," explains actor Charles Lawson. "I think we all know that Jim has come back because he wants to see Elizabeth. He loves her and always has done, she's been in his life for nearly 30 years now."
Of course, with Liz about to marry Vernon and Jim's track record for violence, it looks like there should be a few tense moments in the coming weeks. "As far as Jim's concerned Vernon enters the equation only because he's there - it doesn't alter his feelings for Liz. Jim's not the sort of man who's going to be intimidated by anybody. I'm sure he'd rather that Liz was single but you'll be surprised at how he acts when he arrives on the street. He doesn't act as you'd expect him to, he's extremely well behaved."
Lawson made his showbiz debut in 1982, appearing in acclaimed dramas such as Harry's Game and Ascendancy. He joined the cast of Corrie in 1989, and has also appeared in The Bill, Holby City and Doctors.
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there's always fireworks when big Jim gets going - excellent
Ulster actor Charlie back on Coronation Street after battling drink and depression Monday, November 26, 2007
By Ashleigh Wallace
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Ulster-born Coronation Street legend Charlie Lawson has revealed how he turned his life around from the hell of drink and depression - ahead of his long-awaited return to the soap. The Fermanagh-born actor - who returns to our screens as 'Big' Jim McDonald next weekend - has revealed he hit rock bottom after splitting from his second wife in 2003.
The 48-year-old actor, famous for his Street catchphrase "...so I am" , said he realised the extent of his depression when he found himself too scared to leave the house for an audition in the Hollywood blockbuster Master and Commander. The call for the audition came in the midst of a period of depression during which Charlie locked himself away for four months.
He said: "Until that moment I hadn't realised I was actually so unwell. I had to phone my agent to get out of going to the audition. I had to lie, I said that my dad was poorly, which was terrible. I was up for a big part, a good role but I had no choice."
Charlie also opened his heart in an interview with a Sunday newspaper about his financial problems which added to his depression. He was declared bankrupt in 2001 and, at that time, he owed around £200,000 to the Inland Revenue, two banks and two credit card companies. He and ex-wife Ellie lived the high-life by dining in top London restaurants, drinking fine wines and spending thousands of pounds on weekends away.
Another blow came earlier this year after he was caught drink driving. After being caught behind the wheel of his car nearly four times over the limit whilst visiting his dad in Scotland, Charlie was banned from driving for two years. He said: "Debbie and I came out of the pub, it was freezing and we had our dogs with us. I didn't want to leave them in the car so I drove. It was when I put my indicators on and missed the turning that the police pulled me over. I felt like a fool, it is what stupid 18-year-olds do."
The former Campbell College pupil said he has now turned his life around and plans to marry his new partner Debbie Stanley. He revealed the "stunning" 53-year-old bank manager helps him take care of his finances - and he plans to marry her when his divorce from Ellie is finalised.
Big Jim will be returning to the cobbled streets of Weatherfield next week after serving a prison sentence for the murder of drugs dealer Jez Quigley. Revealing the character will no longer have his trademark moustache, Charlie said: "People will be surprised by Jim. Being in prison has been a sobering experience for him. He is still madly in love with Liz. They are a great couple to play and being back is great."
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I'd say his famous catchphrase was 'What about ye?!' -
Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:29 pm Post subject: Corrie: Jim McDonald
"It's a dream come true to perform at the Citizen's Theatre" Feb 1 2009
Billy Sloan
Sunday Mail
A rehearsal room high above the famous Citizens Theatre is maybe the last place you'd expect to find a TV soap star. But for ex-Coronation Street actor Charles Lawson, appearing at the legendary Glasgow venue is a dream come true. Charles - who was propelled to stardom as fiery former squaddie Jim McDonald in 1990 - revealed it is an ambition fulfilled to tread the boards there. He'll follow in the footsteps of a veritable who's who of British theatre - including Glenda Jackson, Rupert Everett, Alan Rickman, Pierce Brosnan and David Hayman - who have performed at the Gorbals theatre.
Charles, 56, stars in a new production of Educating Rita - opening on February 11 - the Willy Russell play which became a hit movie in 1983 featuring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. He said: "It's my 30th year in the business and I've always wanted to work at the Citizens. The theatre has been on my list and the place has a great reputation for being innovative. It looks good on your CV too."
Charles plays alcoholic university lecturer Frank opposite actress Emma Cunniffe - best known for her role in top BBC drama The Lakes - who plays Rita. The drama tells the story of how workingclass Rita tries to better herself by studying literature and turns to him as a tutor.
Charles said: "Frank is a well-educated, highly intelligent man who is very good at his job. But he's completely disillusioned with his life and has become an alcoholic. A breath of fresh air - in the shape of Rita - comes into his life and he falls in love with her...although that love remains unrequited."
Charles is relishing getting his teeth into such a meaty role opposite Emma, whose screen credits include The Whistle Blower, Midsomer Murders and Silent Witness. He said: "Stage acting is a very different discipline to being part of a TV drama such as Coronation Street. This play only has two characters and we're on stage for the duration of the piece. On TV if you fuck up you get the chance to do it again. With Educating Rita, if you've finished a scene and it's bollocks, it's bollocks. You have to get it right on the night."
Charles kicked off his stage career in 1981 with the award-winning Hull Truck Company before getting the call eight years later to join Corrie. He said: "I was working at the National Theatre when Street producers first approached me. I was a little bit up my own arse at the time and said 'no' - which was very silly. The following year they were introducing a new family - the McDonalds - into the Street and asked me again. I didn't know anything about the show. I never watched it because it was on TV at the wrong time of night for me - I was usually in the pub."
But instantly Charles knew life would never be the same again. He added: "It hits you fast. For a start you get a fat cheque pretty damn quickly. But when the whole fame thing kicked in, that was a big shock. In my day 21 million people watched the Street - you didn't have Sky TV and umpteen satellite channels. I couldn't go anywhere without people recognising Jim McDonald. But being famous is a lot nicer than not being famous. You get first-class flights free, good tables in restaurants, invited into sponsor's boxes at race meetings...people look after you. Because of the nature of the character I played, I seldom got any trouble."
Charles loved his time in Corrie but quit the show in 1999 because he felt the scriptwriters had run out of ideas for Jim. He returned in 2003, 2005 and 2007 - and would go back again if Jim got juicy storylines. He said: "They'd run out of things for Jim to do. I got some highly improbable plot lines. I still felt I had plenty to offer so the sensible thing to do was shake hands and walk away - otherwise they would have killed Jim off. I'd go back in a minute. I miss Jim and I miss the cheque. He was fun to play because I thrived on good writing. But there's no point just bringing Jim back again to pull pints in the Rovers."
Charles doesn't mince words with thespians who say Corrie is not "proper acting". He said: "In the Street if you don't hit the ground running and grab the job by the nuts you get chewed up and spat out. It takes no prisoners. I know lots of arsehole actors who poo-pooed it but they all wanted to be in it. The industry has changed so much over the last few years. I'm disillusioned with it. Kids on TV seem to want to be famous without practising the craft of acting. It pisses me off. I've had a good career - earned my stripes - and long may it continue. Even after 30 years it still gives me a buzz. But if I won the lottery I could give up acting - I can take it or leave it."
Charles lives with his partner Debbie and black labrador in Cheshire. His big hobby is game shooting and he can't wait to get back to Scotland to indulge in his other passion. He said: "I'm a country boy from Fermanagh and love field sports. I've shot pheasant and duck in Kelso and Kirkcudbright. I also worked in a hotel in Moniaive, Dumfries-shire. It's one of the finest villages I've been in. Two pubs, hardly any people - brilliant."
Educating Rita is at the Citizens from February 11 to March 7.
Jim McDonald to return to Weatherfield By Brian Roberts
2/06/2009
mirror.co.uk
Fallen Corrie star Charlie Lawson is heading back to Weatherfield. His jailbird character Jim McDonald turns up next month for a family wedding - nine years after Charlie lost the part he loved as he battled a tidal wave of personal problems. And sources on the soap hinted the one-off return could turn into regular appearances.
Also back is Jim's screen son Andy McDonald, played by Nick Cochrane. The pair are being written in for Steve McDonald's re-arranged marriage to Becky Granger (Katherine Kelly).
For Charlie, 49, it is a dream comeback, and friends say he hopes it could become permanent. The actor has battled a number of problems over the years, broken marriages, bankruptcy, and drink and drug issues. He lost his regular part in 2000 after 11 years as fiery Irishman Jim and on his own admission was heading to a nervous breakdown. But he pulled himself around and started to find work again. Earlier this year he confessed his desire to get back into Corrie. He said: "I'd go back in a minute. I miss Jim and I miss the cheque. He was fun to play because I thrived on good writing."
Viewers last saw him 18 months ago when screen son Steve (Simon Gregson) sent him packing. A Corrie source said: "His ex-wife Liz (Bev Callard) is stuck in Spain so to bring some extra spice into the lead up to the big day they bring his dad and brother back and you can rest assured wherever Jim McDonald is, there's trouble. It could well be Charlie could become a regular once more."
Charlie Lawson goes native in Coatbridge
May 2 2010
Billy Sloan,
Sunday Mail
SOAP star Charlie Lawson has gone from Coronation Street to Coatbridge ... to star in a new comedy about life on the dole in a housing estate. The actor, who shot to fame as fiery ex-squaddie Jim McDonald in Corrie in 1990, got his first taste of one of the area's favourite tipples, Buckfast, to prepare for his role as a steel worker thrown on the scrapheap.
And Charlie revealed new comic drama Blue Hen has brought back memories of when he struggled to make ends meet as a penniless actor living in a dingy squat in London. In the show, penned by Coatbridge playwright Des Dillon, Charlie plays jobless Johnny McAlhatton who breeds chickens with a mate to raise money to buy food to keep baliffs from the door.
It's based on Dillon's real-life efforts as a chicken farmer in a Coatbridge council house in the 1980s. The money-making venture came to an end when a gangster wrung his prized cock's neck because its crowing woke him up every morning. Blue Hen receives its premiere at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow on Wednesday before embarking on a six-week tour of Scotland.
"I play an Irish emigrant who's made redundant from the local steelworks and life is pretty grim," said Charlie. "He breeds chickens and by the time you throw in a psychopathic drug dealer, a grave robber and a few bottles of Buckie, you've got a very funny play."
Charlie, 50, added:"In my first year at drama school I lived in a squat and didn't have any money at all. But I've been lucky to make a decent living since then."
Charlie was signed up for Blue Hen by actor Scott Kyle, who staged and also starred in hit football comedy, Singin' I'm No A Billy He's a Tim, also written by Dillon. Scott plays Johnny's mate Paddy Rafferty. But the play almost hit the buffers when the director quit after just one day after a bust-up with the soap star.
"He left citing, 'artistic differences'. And before you ask, I was very calm. I didn't go into Jim McDonald mode," said Charlie, laughing. "Scott then thought I was also going to walk. But after the third or fourth pint, I'd decided I really wanted to be part of this play. Acting is less fun than it used to be. So when a great new play comes along it excites me."
Dillon stepped in to direct the project and the group have been rehearsing, surrounded by crates of Buckfast tonic wine, in a Glasgow studio. Charlie is confident Blue Hen will go down a storm in Coatbridge.
"I know absolutely nothing about Coatbridge and wouldn't pretend otherwise. I've had a drive around the place, but that's it. I'm an actor, so I don't need to live there for six months to know what it's about, and frankly that would be very patronising," he said. "I hope people come along and have an enjoyable evening in the theatre. A documentary it ain't."
Charlie has not ruled out a return to Corrie's famous cobbles. He quit the show in 1999 saying the writers had run out of ideas for his character - but he has returned for guest appearances in 2003, 2005 and 2007. He was invited back last year,but the plans were scrapped when Beverley Callard, who played his screen wife Liz, took ill. "I'd jump at the chance to go back, but only if the storylines excited me. I think Jim is still supposed to be holed up in some bail hostel," he added.
Dillon is delighted the ex-Corrie actor is starring in his latest comedy. He said: "I think the Coatbridge punters will come to see Blue Hen, recognise themselves and have a good laugh."
Blue Hen is at the Citizens Theatre from May 5 -8 then on a Scottish tour until June 12. For ticket information log on to: www.nlptheatre.co.uk
Here's a great spoiler about what Jim does next week... it gave me a good laugh.
Hidden:
LOVESTRUCK JIM IN BANK RAID Jim really would do anything to make Liz happy and this once again proves it.
3rd April 2011
By Susan Hill
DAILY STAR SUNDAY
SMITTEN Jim McDonald waits patiently in a bank queue…before pulling a shotgun on the cashier. As our dramatic picture shows, the fiery Irishman orders the terrified woman to fill up his bag with money. But he promises no one will get hurt as long as she does exactly what she’s told.
Big Jim is desperate to get his hands on a load of cash so he can buy The Rovers for his ex-wife Liz. And having exhausted all legal avenues open to him he decides to stage a bank raid. Viewers will be left wondering if he pulls it off. He’s already served a long stretch in prison for beating twisted Jez Quigley to death and now risks spending the rest of his life behind bars if he is caught.
A Coronation Street insider said: “Jim really would do anything to make Liz happy and this once again proves it. He’s hoping that if he can get the money she needs to buy the pub from their son Steve, then she’ll soon warm to the idea of them getting back together. He’s desperate and decides the only way he is going to get his hands on that kind of cash is by carrying out an armed bank robbery.
“Jim’s heart is in the right place but even if he does manage to pull it off, there’s no way that Liz is going to be happy about how he got the money. It’s probably not the smartest thing he’s ever done but that’s just Jim and he’ll never change.”
Weatherfield watchers will be able to watch the dramatic scenes as Jim carries out his bank raid a week tomorrow.
I really wish they didn't go this route with Jim. I would have liked to see him more permanently on Corrie and showing him in a good light. I'm just a wee bit annoyed with this. Bank robbers rarely get away with it. Too many cameras. Maybe if he wore a mask and only did it that one and only time AND the money didn't explode with that red dye, he might get away with it. He's toast. I liked his character, I'm depressed.
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