Page 55 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

15 July 2024

Craig Charles: ‘I like to be a man of the people, I

don’t jump queues’

The actor discusses scathing reviews, his hero James Brown and the pitfalls of turning 60
By Lara Kilner15 July 2024 • 9:36am

'I'm settled in my own skin and can enjoy my achievements,' says Charles CREDIT: Getty

Best and worst is a regular interview in which a celebrity reflects on the highs and lows of their
life

Craig Charles found fame in cult sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf in the late 80s, before hosting Robot
Wars and starring in Coronation Street. Presenting on Radio 2 as well as his daily funk and soul
show on BBC 6 Music, he also DJs at major festivals. Married to wife Jackie since 1999, they have
two daughters Anna-Jo and Nellie, a singer, and he has a son, Jack, from his marriage to the
actress Cathy Tyson.

Best moment in your career?
I DJed at Liverpool’s pier head, right in front of the Liver Birds, for the naming of a cruise ship that
was the size of a city and blocked out the sky. There was a firework display synced up to my music,
the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra did arrangements around it. It was just brilliant. And then
there was being on the national treasures bus, with my face plastered all over the back, going down
the Mall during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee parade. I wish my parents had been alive for these