Nicholas Cochrane
| Nicholas Cochrane | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Nicholas Marc Cochrane 16 December 1973 Wythenshawe, Manchester, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–2004, 2009 |
Nicholas Cochrane (born Nicholas Marc Cochrane; 16 December 1973) is an English actor, best known for his role as Andy McDonald in long-running soap opera Coronation Street.
Cochrane had appeared as an extra on TV for Coronation Street's production company, Granada TV, prior to his successful audition in 1989 for the role of Andy McDonald. A schoolfriend from the year below, Simon Gregson, was hired to play twin brother Steve.
Cochrane's character stayed in the programme for seven years before he was axed, along with several other cast members, in a high-profile cull by a new producer in 1997.[1] His character took a job as an English teacher in Spain, but has since returned for two short spells so that Andy McDonald could be seen attending the re-marriage of his parents and later being best man at his brother's wedding.
After Coronation Street, Cochrane co-launched a short-lived magazine about soap operas and has also co-hosted a show on Peak FM in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
Nick’s other television roles have included playing the Golf Pro ‘Barry Scripps’ in ITV1′s ‘Heartbeat’, which gave Nick the perfect opportunity to work on his 15 handicap!.
Other television guest appearances have included ‘Loose Women’ (ITV1), ‘Canada AM’ (national breakfast TV) ‘The South Bank Show’ (ITV1), ‘Live and Kicking’ (BBC1), ‘To Me To You’ (CBBC), ‘Confessions’ (ITV), ‘Win Lose or Draw’ (ITV1) and most recently Nick recorded ‘Celebrity Eggheads’ for BBC2 to air in late 2013.
In addition Nick has contributed to many Coronation Street related entertainment shows and documentaries over the years to most recently include ‘Farewell Liz’, a tribute to Beverly Callard in 2011. Other shows all for ITV stations or for commercial DVD release have included; ‘A Nightmare on Coronation Street’, ‘The Kids from Coronation Street’, ‘Women of Coronation Street’, ‘Coronation Street Through the Keyhole’, ‘The Stars of the street 50 years 50 classic characters’, ‘Happy Birthday Coronation Street’, ‘Classic Coronation Street’, ‘Coronation Street Secrets’ and ‘Coronation Street The Macdonald Family Album’.
He has also turned his hand at Television presenting with appearances on Granada TV and MUTV were Nick notably interviewed football legend Roy Keane and the world’s most famous footballer David Beckham OBE.
In addition to giving countless radio interviews Nick has also presented and guest presented on radio for a number of commercial stations including nationally on talkSPORT.
Nick has starred in the No.1 nationwide tour of ‘Spring and Port Wine’ with the Middle Ground Theatre Company touring venues including London, Oxford, Manchester, Crewe and Brighton amongst others. The tour received critical acclaim and was a Manchester Evening News theatre award winner.
Nick has appeared in numerous successful pantomime productions, raising the roof on hundreds of performances and playing to sell out audiences around the country. He has appeared in the timeless fairy tale stories Jack and The Beanstalk, Aladdin and Cinderella playing many classic panto roles like Buttons, Genie of the Lamp and Prince Charming.
Nick has topped the bill in pantomime at several venues including Cannock, Cambridge Corn Exchange, The Mansfield Palace, Pomegranate Theatre Chesterfield, St Helens, Leamington Spa and Llandudno.
2012 was a successful year for Nick with a sold out Canadian theatre tour ‘Tales from the Street’ which saw him and other Coronation Street stars talk candidly about the nation’s longest running soap Coronation Street. Nick starred with other Coronation Street favourites at several venues across the country and was an executive producer of the tour which earned rave reviews.
In Spring he starred in a 2-week half term run of Aladdin in Billingham. In autumn viewers got a chance to see some classic Corrie footage of Nick as Andy McDonald on ITV’s The Corrie Years.
Nick also recorded a guest appearance on BBC2’s Celebrity Eggheads to air over Christmas 2013 before finishing the year off starring as Buttons in Cinderella at the St Helens Theatre Royal.
2013 will see him star as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz also at the St Helens Theatre Royal.
In his spare time Nick enjoys playing and watching most sports, he lives in Manchester with his wife Denise and two children Sam and Lucia.[2]
References
- ↑ Brace, Matthew (24 May 1997). "`Street' is left deserted as soap exodus continues". The Independent. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ↑ Nick Cochrane Agent