Coronation Street star Bill Ward has revealed that he became a Tesco delivery driver during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The actor — best known for portraying Charlie Stubbs in the ITV soap — was touring The Glee Club when the first national lockdown was announced in March.
Speaking to Bristol Live, Bill — who also famously played James Barton in Emmerdale — revealed that he, like many other actors, decided to explore other avenues of work when he realised that the pandemic ‘wasn’t going away’.
‘Towards the end of May it started to become clear that the pandemic wasn’t going away,’ said Bill, ‘And if anything it was going to get worse.
‘That’s when you look at the rest of the year ahead and think: “Okay, I need to make a living this year; how are we going to do that as a family?”
‘My partner and I started doing things we wouldn’t normally be able to do as much of, and for me one of those things has been giving photography talks to camera clubs over Zoom.
‘I’ve also taught in drama schools and film schools, written for photography magazines and done a few bits of voiceover work for Channel 5.
‘But on top of that you need some kind of regular income, so I’ve been a delivery driver for Tesco since the end of May, doing around 30 hours a week.’
Bill is aware of the fact that his experience is by no means uncommon.He added: ‘With theatres shut for such a long time it affects the whole ecology of our work.
‘It’s been very difficult to make a living from acting this year.
‘Most actors and others behind the scenes have been as equally impacted this year, and as we’re all freelancers it means we can’t be furloughed or receive self-employment income support scheme.
“It’s a case of doing whatever you can to earn a living, and it’s part of the reason I wanted to do something to support the theatre industry.’
Bill used his photography talents to release a book — one which raises funds for the Theatres Trust.
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