Actor Ian Puleston-Davies is famous for his roles in Coronation Street, The Teacher, Silent Witness, The Bay, and now The Responder – but behind every public TV appearance lays a hidden personal battle.
Ian is currently portraying shirker copper Eric in the excellent Martin Freeman police drama, but Corrie fans will know him better as builder Owen Armstrong. But why did he leave the ITV soap, and what other roles is he famous for?
Here’s everything you need to know about The Responder star Ian Puleston-Davies, including who his wife is, if he has children, and his battle with a debilitating health condition.
Who plays Eric in The Responder?
Ian Puleston-Davies portrays policeman Eric in series 2 of The Responder. Eric doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the Liverpool police force, but then no one does in this BBC One drama!
In the first episode Eric is overjoyed when his partner Rachel crashes the car after a tricky response call… Totally playing up his injuries, he tells Rachel that the compensation will pay for his new kitchen!
The Responder series 2 sees the return of Martin Freeman as Chris Carson, a policeman trying to do his best in a pretty grim world. However, he is often forced to break the rules under extreme circumstances.
Nearly separated Chris is trying to go straight. But when DCI Barnes asks him for a favour, he crosses one of Liverpool’s top drug dealers and starts to fall back into bad old ways.
Was Ian Puleston-Davies in The Bay series 4?
Actor Ian Puleston-Davies played Terry McGregor in the cast of The Bay series 4. He joined an epic guest cast, including Happy Valley stars Karl Davies and Joe Armstrong.
Series 4 followed the tragic murder of a mum-of-four Beth Metcalfe in a house fire. TV fans who have followed the career of Ian Puleston-Davies might not have been too surprised to find out he played another villain!
Terry ran a construction business, and set up a fraudulent company to win a crucial contract to build on the Frontierland site that Dean (Joe Armstrong) was also bidding for.
Viewers then discovered that Terry wanted to win the building bid so badly because he knew about the dead body that was buried at Frontierland, and that it would be discovered as soon as the site was dug up.
It was Terry’s own father who had shot and killed a local planning officer – who had been taking bribes but had got greedy – and years before Terry had helped his dad bury the man on the Frontierland site. Unfortunately for Terry, he had kept the gun that was the murder weapon and Jenn’s team quickly found it.
Police subsequently charged Terry with conspiracy to commit arson.
Who played Brian in The Teacher on Channel 5?
Ian Puleston-Davies portrayed Brian in The Teacher on Channel 5 in 2022. Fans will know that Brian was eventually revealed to be the villain in the series. Yes, again!
The character was the new man in Pauline’s life, played by Cecilia Noble in the cast. Pauline was one of Jenna’s colleagues and her closest ally at the school before she got sacked.
Teacher Jenna (Sheridan Smith) was accused of having sex with a student, and her world crashed down around her. Meanwhile, Pauline had her own problems as she wanted Brian to move in with her. But, whenever she suggested it, he became distant.
Viewers eventually learnt that Brian was actually called Arnold and had been plotting to ruin Jenna’s life. Brian/Arnold had harboured a grudge against Jenna for years… It transpired that Arnold was a former teacher himself. He’d had an affair with a female pupil called Denise while he was a teacher at Hillsden.
Jenna had reported him, and started the chain of events that he believed ruined his life. He was slung in jail and lost everything. After failing to rebuild his life abroad, he returned to the UK, changed his name to Brian and hatched his revenge plot.
What else has The Responder star Ian Puleston-Davies been in?
Soap fans will know Ian from his role in Corrie, but he’s been acting for nearly four decades. Early roles included small parts in Boon, Brookside and Grange Hill.
From 1995 to 1996, he played Terry Williams in Hollyoaks. Two years later, in 1998, he popped up in nine episodes of EastEnders as Jimmy.
He’s worked extensively as a jobbing actor in TV shows including The Bill, Conviction, Funland and Vincent. Ian also played Charlie Fisher in Waterloo Road, Peter Cullen in Marcella, and Mick O’Callaghan in A Confession.
Ian starred in the doomed ITV series Viewpoint, and he is the voice of King Thistle in the surreal CBeebies show Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom.
Other notable roles include Frank Jackson in Tin Star, Arthur Pennyworth in Pennyworth, Karl Turner MP in Four Lives, and Professor Phil Scraton in Anne.
More recently, he popped up as grumpy DSI Ronnie Boyle
Who did Ian play in Coronation Street, and why did he leave?
Of course, soap fans will know Ian Puleston-Davies from his role as builder Owen Armstrong in Corrie. He lived in Weatherfield between 2010 and 2015.
During his time on the show, Owen became the new landlord of Weatherfield’s Rovers’ Return. He also tried to build a father-daughter relationship with both of his daughters Izzy and Katy.
In the soap, he was also caught in a love triangle between Liz McDonald and Eileen Grimshaw before eventually choosing landlady Liz. Owen historically had a feud with Izzy’s boyfriend Gary Windass, and formed a relationship with Gary’s mother Anna.
He went into business with the now infamous Pat Phelan, who ended up conning Owen out of his £80,000 investment. In November 2014, Ian Puleston-Davies announced he had quit the series.
His character eventually left the series on April 15 2015 when his relationship with Anna ended for good. Realising he didn’t want to live in Weatherfield without her, he decided to go and live in Aberdeen.
In real life, Ian left to pursue other projects. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo at the time, he said: “I had a great time but, I’ll be honest with you, I got fed up of playing my character, not fed up of the job. I ran out of things to do and I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know how the William Roache’s of this world manage to reinvent themselves and I couldn’t.
“Actually, I thought if I’m getting bored of my character, there’s a good chance the viewers are too. So I thought I’ll have a swift exit here.”
Was Ian Puleston-Davies in Brookside?
Welsh actor Ian has been on our TV screens ever since 1983. One of his early roles was in Brookside in 1986.
He played Stephen Nolan in just one episode of the Channel 4 soap.
And he’s in good company, as dozens of successful actors found fame on the long-running serial drama.
The Responder star Ian Puleston-Davies on OCD battle
Ian is a strong advocate for mental health following his own battles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He has spoken at length about his personal struggles with OCD, including making a documentary for BBC Wales in 2017.
He has suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder since childhood, but was only diagnosed in his 30s. His condition can be so severe, that he had to go through a mental checklist to help him cope before he set foot in the Rovers.
He said at the time: “I worry I’m going to cut my lip or chip my teeth on the glass, so that damn pint glass in the Rovers is always going to leave me susceptible to an OCD attack.
“I have to check the lip of the glass with my finger first to make sure that it’s not chipped and then practise taking a sip and a swallow before we even rehearse.
“If I waited until we began filming, my OCD – my little evil voice in my head – would say ‘it’s stained’ or ‘you’ve just chipped your teeth’.”
He has also admitted he prefers to eat on his own because of his OCD, and is worried about sitting down, because he fears he’ll crack his coccyx. The condition became so disabling, Ian was struggling to get out of bed in the morning, for fear of breaking his neck.
Ian used his own battle with OCD in a production in 2005 titled Dirty Filthy Love. The drama went on to win a Royal Television Society Award for Best Single Drama and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Single Drama.
Contrary to popular opinion, OCD isn’t just about cleanliness. Sufferers are often plagued with intrusive thoughts.
How old is Ian Puleston-Davies? Where is he from?
Ian Puleston-Davies was born on September 06 1958 in Flint, Flintshire, Wales. He was raised on a farm in North Wales, and was destined to follow in the family footsteps – until he joined the school drama club.
He has “happy memories as a school boy at Ysgol Gwynedd”, despite showing early signs of OCD. Ian was also part of the school Eisteddfod choir. He was a founding member of the Flintshire Youth Theatre. At 19, he left for London to study acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
He is currently 65 years of age.
Is Ian Puleston-Davies married? Who is his wife?
Actor Ian Puleston-Davies is not married, but he is in a long-term relationship with partner Sue MacPherson.
The pair currently live in Chester with their two children, Maggie and Charlie.
Ian has said he is determined not to pass his OCD on to the couple’s children.
Read more: Former Coronation Street star Ian Puleston-Davies wants to return to finish off arch-rival Phelan
The Responder continues on Sundays throughout May 2024 at 9pm on BBC One. Series 1 and 2 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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