He is a stalwart of British television, with a career that stretches back to the late 1950s. His first major role was that of Charley Bates in the 1962 Oliver Twist miniseries. At the same time, he was a regular on Top Secret. In the late 1960s he joined the cast of Coronation Street as the character of David Barlow. Despite an active career thereafter, his next regular role wasn't until 2005's Dead Man Weds.