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Craig Charles
in May 2009
Born	Craig Joseph Charles (1964-07-11) 11 July 1964 (age 60) Liverpool, England
Nationality	British
Occupation(s)	Actor, broadcaster, presenter, comedian, author, performance poet, voice-over artist, disc jockey
Years active	1981–present
Notable work	Red Dwarf (1988-present) Funk & Soul Show (2002-present) Coronation Street (2005-present) Robot Wars (1998-2004) Takeshi's Castle (2002-2004)
Spouse(s)	Cathy Tyson (m. 1984, div. 1989) Jackie Fleming ​(m. 1997)​

Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian, author, poet, television presenter and radio DJ. He is best known for playing Dave Lister in the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, and Lloyd Mullaney in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street.

Charles first appeared on television as a performance poet, which led on to minor presenting roles. After finding fame in Red Dwarf, he regularly featured on national television, with celebrity appearances on many shows of the time, while he continued to host a wide variety of programmes.

Charles notably presented the gladiator-style game show Robot Wars and narrated the comedy endurance show Takeshi's Castle. His acting credits include playing inmate Eugene Buffy in the ITV drama The Governor, and leading roles in the British films Fated and Clubbing to Death. As well as starring in Coronation Street and occasional Red Dwarf series, Charles continues to host his Funk and Soul Show on BBC radio, and performs DJ sets at numerous clubs and festivals nationally.

Early life

Charles was born to a mixed race family in Liverpool: his Guyanese father was black, and his mother was white Irish. Charles has an older brother, Dean, and a younger brother, Emile. He grew up on the deprived Cantril Farm housing estate, and went to school with Micky Quinn, who became a professional footballer. He attended West Derby Comprehensive School followed by Childwall Hall College of Further Education, and studied A-levels in History, Government and Politics, English Literature and General Studies. Charles won a national competition, run by The Guardian newspaper, for a poem he wrote when he was 12-years-old.

Early career

Charles began his career as a contemporary and urban performance poet on the British cabaret circuit. His performances were considered original, being described as having a natural ironic wit which appealed to talent scouts. In 1981, Charles climbed on stage at a Teardrop Explodes concert and recited a humorous, but derogatory poem about the band's singer. He was invited to open subsequent gigs for the band, and then began performing as a support act in pubs and clubs, for the next three years, and at events such as the Larks in the Park music festival at Sefton Park (1982). He performed poetry at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre (1983), alongside such poets as Roger McGough and Adrian Henri.

Charles was involved in the Liverpool music scene, writing and singing lyrics for a number of local rock bands. In 1980, he played keyboards and provided voice in the rock band Watt 4. He performed his rap lyrics to music as a 'Wordsmith', with his writing containing a powerful political message. In 1983, he was invited to record a session on the John Peel BBC Radio show with his band, performing six poems, which was his first professional engagement. Also in 1983, he recorded tracks including "In England and In Africa" and "Sing Like Billy Bragg" which were used as a ‘demo’ to secure a further Peel Session in 1984, where he performed three songs including "Hands Together Eyes Closed".

Charles realised he was using poetry as a vehicle for his sense of humour, and progressed into stand-up comedy. He was part of the Red Wedge comedy tour in 1986, which aimed to raise awareness of the social problems of the time, in support of the Labour Party. He performed his first one-man show in 1986, premiering in Edinburgh, then touring it internationally. Charles was a guest on programmes including Janice Long's Radio 1 show, and was a regular panellist on Ned Sherrin's chat show Loose Ends (1987-8) on BBC Radio 4.

Television career

Performance Poetry

Charles first appeared on television as the resident poet on the arts programme Riverside on BBC2, and on the day-time BBC1 chat show Pebble Mill at One. Charles was the resident poet on Channel 4's Black on Black (1985), and its entertainment-based successor, Club Mix (1986), and appeared, weekly, as a John Cooper Clarke-style 'punk poet' on the BBC2 pop music programme Oxford Road Show under the name of "Susan Williams". He performed his political poems as stand-up comedy on the late-night show, Saturday Live, and on the prime-time BBC1 chat show Wogan, where he performed a topical poem in a weekly feature. He also appeared as a guest on shows including Open Air (1988). Charles included significant acting in his performance style, to enable him to put the emotion across.

Red Dwarf

Charles acquired cult status in 1988, in his television acting debut, as the Liverpudlian slob Dave Lister, in BBC2's new science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf. Charles has played this role in all eight series, until 1999, and in the 2009 three-part special, Red Dwarf: Back to Earth, for channel Dave. Charles' younger brother, Emile Charles, guest-starred in the series III episode "Timeslides", and the songs "Bad News" and "Cash" in this episode were written by Charles, and performed by his band. The role has involved Charles playing a variety of alternative characters, including a gangster, a cowboy, and angelic and evil versions of Lister, and in him carrying out a wide range of stunts, and acting involving special effects. All episodes, except those of series VII and IX, were recorded in front of a studio audience.

Charles reads the audiobook editions of the Red Dwarf novel Last Human, and his book The Log: A Dwarfer's Guide to Everything, and he regularly attends sci-fi, comedy and memorabilia conventions in connection with the Red Dwarf franchise. During Back to Earth, Charles' character, Lister, visits the set of Coronation Street where he meets the actor Craig Charles. Charles has filmed a 10th series of Red Dwarf, which is due to be broadcast on Dave in October 2012.

Robot Wars

Charles most notably presented the cult TV hit Robot Wars on BBC2 (1998–2003) and Channel 5 (2003–2004), from series 2 until its conclusion at series 7, which included two Extreme series and numerous 'specials'. Charles was the main host and presided over the arena in which teams of amateur engineers battled their home-made radio-controlled robots against each other, and against the house robots. Charles introduced the show, enthusiastically announced the results of the battles and spoke to the contestants after the main events. He ended each episode with a short Robot Wars themed poem. Charles' son, Jack, appeared on the show on several occasions, and was a contestant on "Team Nemesis" during series 4. Charles also hosted the Robot Wars Live UK tour, in 2001, and shows performed at the Wembley Arena.

Takeshi's Castle

Charles provided the voice-over commentary for the UK version of the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle, shown on Challenge and Ftn (2002–2004), in which contestants attempted to pass a series of near-impossible physical challenges, to reach the final showdown at the castle and win cash prizes. Charles co-wrote the scripted sections and commentated throughout all 122 episodes of the four series, and the special episodes. He provided comedy insights into the contestants' abilities, which were designed to appeal to adult audiences, as well as younger viewers.

Coronation Street

In 2005, Charles joined the principal cast of Coronation Street, the world's longest-running TV soap opera, playing philandering taxicab driver, Lloyd Mullaney. Charles introduced certain aspects of the character himself, making Lloyd a Northern Soul music record collector. Lloyd is portrayed as tough, but kind hearted and romantic, and the character is popular with viewers. Charles adds a comedy element to the role, but also has traumatic and emotional scenes with complicated storylines. In 2010, his character was involved in the show's dramatic 50th anniversary tram crash storyline, which was recorded live. Charles has presented documentaries for the show, including 50 Years of Corrie Stunts (2010). In November 2011, Charles took time off from Coronation Street to film a new series of Red Dwarf, returning to filming on 'Corrie' in April 2012.

Other acting roles

Charles has acted in episodes of popular dramas such as The Bill (1995), EastEnders (2002) and Holby City (2003) and in the comedy The 10 Percenters (1996). Charles played the emotionally disturbed and violent prisoner, Eugene Buffy, in the high successful Lynda La Plante drama series The Governor (1995); the title role in the Channel 4 pirate sitcom Captain Butler (1997); the warden of a women's prison in the Canadian sci-fi fantasy Lexx (2001); Detective Chief Inspector Mercer in 7 episodes of the BBC soap opera Doctors (2003); and soccer agent, Joel Brooks, in the Sky TV football soap Dream Team (2004-5).

Other presenting roles

Charles has presented children's television programmes, including What's That Noise? (1989) on BBC1, Parallel 9 (1992) on BBC1 and Go Getters (1994) on ITV. He was the travelling reporter for the highly acclaimed, but controversial, BBC mockumentary Ghostwatch, which tricked viewers into believing it was a live investigation into ghost sightings in a suburban home on Halloween night (1992). Charles presented the virtual reality game show Cyberzone (1993) on BBC2; the late-night entertainment show Funky Bunker (1997) on ITV; the reality television show Jailbreak (2000) on Channel 5; and the late-night chat show Weapons of Mass Distraction (2004) on ITV.

Celebrity appearances

Charles has appeared on celebrity editions of University Challenge (1998), Can't Cook, Won't Cook (1998) and The Weakest Link (2004), and comedy panel shows such as Have I Got News For You (1995), Just a Minute (1995) and They Think It's All Over (1996). He was a team captain on the sci-fi quiz series Space Cadets (1997) on Channel 4, which guest starred William Shatner. Charles has opened the National Lottery draw (1997) and his home has featured on Through the Keyhole. Charles was a contestant in the Celebrity Poker Club tournament (2004) on Challenge, where he reached the semi-finals, and in the Channel 4 reality game show, The Games (2005), which documented the contestants' intensive training regime and each live Olympic Games-style sporting event, in which he came fourth overall in the men's competition.

Other career

Radio

As well as being a regular panellist on Radio 4's Loose Ends (1987–88), and guest appearances on shows such as Radio 4's Kaleidoscope, in the early 1990s, Charles could be heard on the London Radio Station Kiss 100 (Kiss FM) as the Breakfast show presenter. In 1995, Charles played The Porter in Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, also on Radio 4.

Since 2002, Charles has been a DJ on BBC Radio 6 Music, presenting The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show, where he plays a diverse range of funk and soul music, from classic tracks to the latest releases, and provides publicity for new bands. Charles explains the context for the music and carries out engaging interviews with guest musicians. He was with the station at its launch, and while it was being tested during the previous year, under the name Network Y. Charles has also hosted the stations Breakfast Show (2004) and has sat in for Andrew Collins, Phil Wilding, Phill Jupitus and Radcliffe & Maconie.

Charles regularly sits in for Janice Long, Steve Wright and Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2, and has presented numerous one-off programmes on the station, including The Craig Charles Soul All-Nighter (2011), which he hosted continuously for 12 hours. Charles has also chosen music as a guest of other broadcasters such as Ken Bruce on Radio 2 and Liz Kershaw on 6 Music.

Music

Charles has been involved in the music industry through much of his career. His bands have included Watt 4 (1980), in which he played keyboards and provided voice, Craig Charles and the Beat Burglars (1989), The Sons of Gordon Gekko (1989), where he wrote lyrics and also composed tunes for the band, and The Eye (2000–01), with whom he released the rock album "Giving You The Eye, Live at the Edinburgh Festival". In 1987, Charles provided the poem track used for the opening credits of the BBC series The Marksman, which he also acted in, and the track is included on the album "The Marksman: Music from the BBC TV series". In 1993, Charles was signed to the Acid Jazz record label.

In 2009, Charles formed the Fantasy Funk Band, from the leading British musicians in the genre, and has presented the band at festivals, including Glastonbury. As an extension of his 6 Music show, Charles regularly takes the Funk and Soul Club to varied venues across the UK and to most major music festivals. He performs live DJ sets, occasionally comperes and curates the events, and has broadcast the radio show live from the festival location.

Stand-up comedy and theatre

Charles returned to stand-up comedy between 1995 and 2001, regularly touring his one-man adult-rated shows nationally, and releasing the videos Craig Charles: Live on Earth! (1995) and Sickbag (2000). International performances included the Great Norwegian Comedy Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Charles appeared in the John Godber comedy play Teechers, in which he swapped in and out of various roles, at the Arts Theatre, London, and at the Edinburgh Festival (1989), and he played Idle Jack in the pantomime Dick Whittington, at the Hull New Theatre (1997). In 2000, he performed the show Craig Charles and His Band at the Edinburgh Festival.

Film roles

Charles played Eddie in the 1987 political drama Business as Usual. In 2006, Charles starred in two feature films: the fantasy film Fated, and the gangster movie Clubbing to Death. Charles also voiced Zipper the Cat in the animation Prince Cinders (1993) and Asterix in Asterix Conquers America (1994).

Writing

In 1993, Charles worked with Russell Bell on the Craig Charles Almanac of Total Knowledge writing about his 'streetwise' sense of humour on a range of topics, from the world's most embarrassing stories to how to explain the mysteries of the universe. In 1997, he and Russell wrote Charles' Red Dwarf character's book The Log, in which Lister decides to leave a log detailing mankind's greatest achievements. In 1998, Charles published No Other Blue, a collection of his poetry, with illustrations by Philippa Drakeford, on diverse personal subjects including prison, his mother's final illness, love, and politics at home and abroad.

In 2000, Charles wrote his first autobiography about his experiences growing up in Liverpool, titled No Irish, No Niggers. In 2007, he announced he would release his autobiography, planned for March 2008, published by Hodder Headline and titled On the Rocks, which would cover the recent incidents in his life. The autobiography would be based on much of his journal, which he said he kept while in rehab. Charles has been involved in journalism and has had a column in Time Out magazine. In 1994, he launched a single issue of Comedy magazine with articles dedicated to the comedy circuit. In 2005 and 2006, Charles was a monthly columnist for the Liverpool Echo newspaper. His television writing credits include Funky Bunker (1997) and Takeshi's Castle (2002).

Personal life

Relationships

In 1984, Charles married English actress Cathy Tyson. Their son, Jack, was born in 1988. The couple divorced in 1989.

In the early 1990s, Charles dated Irish singer-songwriter Suzanne Rhatigan, co-writing lyrics for her album To Hell With Love and directing a video for her. Rhatigan appeared alongside Charles in the Red Dwarf series IV episode "Camille".

In August 1997, Charles married his second wife, Jackie, with whom he has two daughters Anna-Jo (born 1997) and Nellie (born 2003).

Rape allegation

In July 1994, Charles and a friend were arrested and remanded in custody for several months on a rape charge. While in prison, Charles was attacked by a man wielding a knife. In March 1995, both men were acquitted in their trial. After being cleared, Charles spoke of the need to restore anonymity for those accused of rape. He stated that "the fact that my name and address along with my picture can appear on the front of the papers before the so-called 'victim' has even signed a statement proves that anonymity for rape defendants is a must and that the law must be changed."

Drug use

In June 2006, newspaper allegations of crack cocaine use resulted in Charles being suspended from both Coronation Street and BBC Radio 6 Music. In August, Charles was arrested and released on bail pending further enquiries and, in September, he accepted a caution for possession of a Class A drug. Charles returned to hosting his 6 Music show from November 2006 and to filming Coronation Street from January 2007.

Filmography and credits

Bibliography

• 1993 Craig Charles Almanac of Total Knowledge by Craig Charles and Russell Bell (Penguin Books Ltd)
• 1997 The Log: A Dwarfer's Guide to Everything by Craig Charles and Russell Bell (Penguin Books Ltd)
• 1998 No Other Blue by Craig Charles, with illustrations by Philippa Drakeford (Penguin Books Ltd)

• 2000 No Irish, No Niggers (Penguin Books Ltd, unpublished)
• 2008 On the Rocks (Hodder Headline, unpublished)

References

1. Liverpool Echo, 22 November 2005, "Actor Craig's tribute to much-loved father"
2. "Craig Charles person page" bbc.co.uk
3. The Independent, 30 June 2012, Holly Williams "My Secret Life: Craig Charles, 47, DJ and actor", London
4. The Independent, 11 February 1999, "Education: Passed/Failed Craig Charles", London
5. Interview with Charles by Chris Jarvis, Fully Booked, BBC TV, 1998
6. Q magazine, April 1987, David Housham "Craig Charles: Compulsive Listening", pp.25-26
7. Craig Charles, Introduction to No Other Blue, Penguin Books Ltd, London, 1997
8. Daily Post, 16 September 2003, Chris Brown "A club that rocked when punk was in its prime", Liverpool
9. The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show, BBC Radio 6 Music, 12 May 2012
10. AL Peters, "Craig Charles The Wordsmith, The John Peel Radio Show, 1984", Groovin' Records
11. Raising the Roof for the Gateway Exchange, 29 August 1986, Edinburgh Festival Fringe]
12. The Glasgow Herald, 13 August 1987, Andrew Young The Fringe: Craig Charles
13. The Soulsbury Show, 22 April 2011, Mr Soulsbury]
14. "Champion of funk soul brothers". The Independent, 7 March 2005.
15. Birmingham Mail, 2 July 2011, "Craig Charles returns to Birmingham for the Mostly Jazz festival"
16. 2Craig Charles poet/broadcaster2, Black on Black, 1985, Digital Handsworth
17. Charles interviewed on the Steve Jones Show, LBC Radio (London), 16 March 1989
18. Andrew Ellard, Red Dwarf series III DVD boxset Collector's Booklet, Grant Naylor Productions, 2003, pp.8
19. TV Zone, November 1993, Carrie Cantor "Red Dwarf Interview: Lager Lout Lister", pp.8-11
20. Alexander Baron, "Review: The Return of 'Red Dwarf'", 10 March 2012, Digital Journal
21. "Robot Wars Wiki: Team Nemesis".
22. "Corrie's Craig Charles on being romantic, This Morning ITV interview with Charles, 6 September 2011".
23. "Kate Roma Interviews Craig Charles", Future Radio, Norwich, 27 April 2012
24. "Lexx with Lister".
25. Tyler, Lee (15 May 2010). "Craig Charles: The funk, the whole funk and nothin' but the funk". Blues And Soul magazine.
26. Interview with Charles by Terry Christian, The Word, Channel 4, 1994
27. The Independent, 20 September 1995, "Comedy: Craig Charles Speaks, Duke of York's Theatre, London", London
28. "'Hull In Print: The show must go on', Hull County Council, 2009".
29. "Star Challenge: Hanging on the telephone with...Craig Charles, The Mirror, 25 July 2000".
30. "Charles writing Autobiography". Official Red Dwarf Website. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
31. The Independent, 4 January 1997, James Rampton "Profile: Craig Charles: The Inside Story", London
32. "The trauma of being falsely accused". London: BBC News. 31 July 2003. Retrieved 27 December 2006.
33. Press statement by Charles shown on ITN News at Ten (ITV), 3 March 1995, London "Craig Charles cleared of rape"
34. "Charles to make Street comeback". London: BBC News. 29 September 2006. Retrieved 27 December 2006.
35. "Actor Charles given drugs caution". London: BBC News. 22 September 2006. Retrieved 27 December 2006.
36. "Craig Charles CV, United Agents"., 2005
37. "Charles, speaking to Simon Fitzpatrick and Ema Lea, PlanetSmeg, 2010".

External links

• Craig Charles at IMDb
• Template:Worldcat id
• Craig Charles BFI site
• The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show BBC Radio 6 Music site
• Coronation Street ITV site
• Red Dwarf BBC site
• Red Dwarf Dave site
• Robot Wars Dave site

{{Persondata

| NAME = Charles, Craig | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = 11 July 1964 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Liverpool, England | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }}

• Use dmy dates from February 2012
• 1964 births
• Living people
• Actors from Liverpool
• Comedians from Liverpool
• Black English actors
• English male comedians
• English people of Irish descent
• English poets
• British radio DJs
• English soap opera actors
• English television actors
• English television presenters
• English writers
• People acquitted of rape