Coronation Street’s Craig Harris joined the cobbles in 2002 — so what has actor Richard Fleeshman been doing since his 2006 exit?
Coronation Street has welcomed countless families onto the cobbles over the years, and one of them was the Harris family. Made up of dad Tommy Harris (Thomas Craig), mum Angela Harris (Kathryn Hunt), and their children Craig (Richard Fleeshman) and Katy (Lucy-Jo Hudson), the clan arrived in Weatherfield in November 2002.
Initially living under the surname Nelson as part of a witness protection programme, their true identities were meant to stay hidden. However, true to soap tradition, the truth soon emerged. Andy and Nick Morgan, who were tracking the family down, were eventually caught by the police.
Once the danger had passed and their pursuers were safely behind bars, the family reverted to their real surname, Harris, and resumed their true identities in 2003.
Tragedy struck once more in 2005 when Craig was left completely alone after losing his entire family. His sister Katy killed their father, Tommy, in a moment of rage, while their mother Angela later accepted the blame and went to prison. Consumed by guilt, Katy eventually took her own life.
In the aftermath, Craig went to live with his grandfather, Keith Appleyard (Ian Redford), and later found romance on the cobbles with Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan).
In one of the show’s more memorable storylines, the pair adopted a goth phase together. Even after Keith moved away, Craig chose to remain in Weatherfield so he could stay close to Rosie.
In 2006, the teenage couple planned to run away together to Berlin, but Rosie got cold feet at the last minute. Craig went ahead with the trip alone, marking the end of his time on Coronation Street.
Richard Fleeshman rose to fame as Craig Harris and has gone on to build an impressive and varied career. He has become a well-established name on both the West End and Broadway, starring in major productions including Legally Blonde and Ghost. Alongside his theatre success, he released his debut solo album, Neon, in 2007.
Away from the stage, Richard has continued to expand his screen career. In 2022, he appeared as recurring character Ken in Netflix’s The Sandman, before landing the role of James Brice in Syfy’s The Ark from 2023. More recently, he portrayed Taylor Fielding in Death In Paradise in 2024 and appeared as JoJo in Riot Women.
Now 36, Richard seems destined for life in the spotlight, having grown up in a family of accomplished actors. His mother, Sue Jenkins, is best known for playing Jackie Corkhill in Brookside, as well as Gloria Todd in Coronation Street between 1985 and 1988, and Bonnie Drinkwater in Emmerdale in 2008.
His father, David Fleeshman, appeared as Mr Soames in EastEnders in 1995 and has portrayed several characters in Emmerdale, including Rupert Jonas, DI Drake and John Widnes. More recently, he featured in It’s A Sin in 2021 and played Roger in The Teacher in 2022.
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