From Coronation Street Charmer to Financial Turmoil: The Rollercoaster Life of Phil Middlemiss...
- teessidetoday
- Oct 15
- 5 min read
The actor, originally from Hartlepool has been declared bankrupt for a second time as a life from Coronation Street Charmer to financial ruin continues to take its toll.....
15th October 2025
In the world of soap, few characters captured the charm and cheekiness of Des Barnes, the lovable bookmaker who strutted through Weatherfield with a wink and a wager.
However behind the role was Philip Middlemiss, a Hartlepool-born actor whose own life has been anything but scripted—marked by stardom, scandal, and now, a second bankruptcy. At 62, Middlemiss finds himself once again in the headlines for the wrong reasons, declared bankrupt again, this time over a "hefty five-figure" tax bill from HMRC.
For readers fascinated by the highs and lows of showbiz, here's a look at the man who traded the cobbles for continents, only to face controversy and comebacks.
Born Philip Sean Lloyd on June 19, 1963, in Hartlepool, County Durham, Middlemiss's early life was steeped in the working-class ethos of a mining community.
His biological mother, a pub landlady named Yvonne Lloyd, gave him up for adoption just 10 days after his birth. He was lovingly raised by builder Alex Middlemiss and his wife June, who later welcomed a daughter, Nicola, into the family.
As a teenager, young Phil harbored ambitions of becoming a professional footballer, but it was the allure of drama that eventually won out. Sneaking off to the cinema during school hours ignited a passion for performance, leading him to join the National Youth Theatre at 16.
After leaving school, he pursued a theatre diploma at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), setting the stage for a career that would take him from modest TV bit parts to soap stardom. By the mid-1980s, Middlemiss was dipping his toes into TV series such as Ladies in Charge, Inspector Morse, and The Bill, but it was a role in the cop show Waterfront Beat—as PC Barry Smith—that honed his on-screen presence.
Middlemiss's big break arrived in February 1990, when he stepped onto the iconic cobbles of ITV's Coronation Street as Desmond "Des" Barnes, a newlywed bookmaker with a roguish grin and a penchant for trouble. Arriving with his glamorous wife Steph (played by Amelia Bullmore), Des quickly became a fan favorite—a cheeky everyman whose storylines blended humor, heartbreak, and high-stakes gambling. Over eight tumultuous years, Des's arc was pure soap gold. His marriage to Steph crumbled by 1991, paving the way for a whirlwind romance with Rovers Return landlady Natalie Horrocks (Denise Welch), whom he married in 1997.
But true to Corrie form, bliss was short-lived: Des's death in November 1998—from a heart attack while heroically saving his stepson from drowning—left fans reeling. Middlemiss himself pushed for the dramatic exit, reportedly wanting to close the chapter decisively, much like actor Rob James-Collier later did with his Corrie character Liam Connor.
The role cemented Middlemiss as a household name, earning him a place in Corrie lore alongside the likes of Bill Roache and Julie Goodyear. Off-screen, his life mirrored the drama: He dated Corrie co-star Alison King (now famous as Carla Connor) for five years in the mid-1990s, a romance that stunned fans when rediscovered years later.
Middlemiss later married dancer Leanne Davis, with whom he has two sons, though the couple eventually parted ways.
Leaving Coronation Street in 1998, Middlemiss sought fresh challenges beyond the soap grind. He landed a steady gig as David Buckley in ITV's heartfelt family drama Where the Heart Is, portraying the character from 2000 to 2006—a run that kept him in the public eye during the show's six-season stint.
Sporadic TV appearances followed, including a 2010 win on Celebrity Come Dine with Me alongside fellow Corrie alumni, where he pocketed £1,000 for charity.
But acting started to take a backseat, as Middlemiss chased entrepreneurial dreams abroad. Drawn to Africa's vibrant opportunities, he relocated to Ghana in the early 2010s to direct a self-funded film project. However, its claimed production stalled three-quarters in, & financial strains began to mount. Back home, this coincided with his first bankruptcy declaration back in 2012, triggered by HMRC over disputed back taxes.
Living in Whitefield, Bury, at the time, Middlemiss explained the woes stemmed from delayed payments for tourism consulting work in Africa, where he was producing documentaries amid a dearth of UK drama roles.
He successfully annulled the order after settling the debts, but vowed to step away from acting. Middlemiss's African ventures then took a darker turn back in 2020, thrusting him into an international bribery probe that made global headlines. Named in Ghana's Airbus scandal—a £50 million deal for three military C-295 planes—Middlemiss was accused of acting as a project manager for Airbus, allegedly funneling £5 million in bribes through a UK company he incorporated in 2010.
Ghanaian authorities, alongside the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO), sought him for questioning, with Interpol issuing its infamous 'Red Notice', effectively branding him "one of the world's most wanted men" and facing up to 25 years in prison.
The allegations stemmed from Middlemiss's business pursuits in Ghana post-film flop: a drama school, glass factory, boutique hotel, and theme park, which reportedly built ties with government officials. Though never arrested or charged, the scrutiny derailed his life, with his then-girlfriend Leanne Davis denying knowledge of the probe. A year later, investigators fully cleared him of any wrongdoing, with his lawyer, Adam Rasul of Holborn Adams, slamming the probe's handling and its devastating toll.
Middlemiss reflected in later interviews saying the incident "was a nightmare,", emerging unscarred but wiser from the false accusations tied to Airbus's broader admissions of anti-bribery violations.
Now, in October 2025, history repeats itself with a vengeance, with Middlemiss declared bankrupt for the second time, again at HMRC's behest, this time again over an unpaid five-figure tax bill. The High Court petition echoes his 2012 ordeal, where tax disputes from stalled projects left him insolvent.
Whilst details on the case remains sparse—Middlemiss has declined comment on the exact sum said to be owed to the Tax Man—but the timing, amid a quiet return to acting, underscores the fragility of post-fame finances. Yet resilience defines him. In 2024, after a decade-long hiatus, Middlemiss dusted off his thespian skills for a guest spot as DI Travis Lennox on BBC's Doctors—his first role in 10 years.
At 62, the Hartlepool lad who once charmed millions shows no signs of fading quietly. Phil Middlemiss's journey—from Corrie's cobbled streets to Ghana's boardrooms and back to British screens—is a testament to reinvention amid adversity. As he navigates this latest chapter, one thing's clear: His character Des Barnes may be gone, but his portrayer's story is far from over. For fans and followers, it's a reminder that even soap legends face real-world reckonings.
