Coronation Street cleaned up at this weekend’s British Soap Awards, and the accolades keep coming as one of its hard-working extras has now been recognised for his services.
Colin Murtagh has won the first ever TV Soap Extra of the Year award, which was launched to give credit to the extras who are otherwise overlooked for TV gongs.
Colin has played a policeman multiple times, in Holby, Casualty and Hollyoaks, as well as Corrie.
Originally from London and currently living in Bristol, Colin been a copper more than 20 times in the past decade.
He is one of the industry’s most prolific extras, having also starred in TV dramas and films including BBC Wales’s Keeping Faith with Eve Myles, and Sky’s Bulletproof, starring Ashley Walters and Noel Clarke.
Coronation Street’s Antony Cotton, a firm supporter of the work of supporting artists in the TV business, has backed the campaign and publicly presented the award.
Says Antony, who is no stranger to lingering in lots of shots in the factory and Rovers Return as Sean Tully: “I see every day the level of enthusiasm and hard work supporting artists bring to the set, so I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to acknowledge them for the great work they do.”
Read more: Best-dressed celebs at British Soap Awards
Colin won the support of the public Facebook vote, thanks to a great grassroots campaign from PlayOJO*, where fans and friends in the industry shared and voted him into number one place.
Now, you’re dying to know which extras he beat to pole position, right?
Feast your eyes on these faces you’ve probably missed…
The Corrie couple
Joel David and Maureen hold the unique record of being the longest-serving married couple on the world’s longest-running TV soap, Coronation Street, first stepping foot on the famous cobbles together back in 1973. They have been drinking in the Rovers Return for 41 years.
The EastEnders market trader
TV fans may recognise actor Ulric Browne (or not!) from various roles, including The Bill, but he is best known for playing Winston, a trader on Walford’s market. Ulric has held the role since 1986 and, although he only has the odd line, hard-core fans still love him.
The Hollyoaks nurse
Gemma has been a Hollyoaks extra since she was 17, namely as a barmaid in the Dog in the Pond. However, after a dramatic fire saw the pub burn down she moved to Tony’s Il Gnosh restaurant. Despite working her socks off at Tony’s, job number two came to an end when it was also burnt down! Gemma now takes on the role of a nurse in Hollyoaks Hospital and gets a variety of speaking parts.
The Corrie knicker stitcher
Adam Blease has featured on Corrie for more than a decade; his character, Dirk, works as a knicker in the Underworld factory. A favourite among Corrie’s devoted fan base, Dirk even has his own dedicated Twitter page.
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Who’s your favourite soap extra? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!