Back in June, Coronation Street fans bid farewell to Simon Barlow (Alex Bain), as the character left the show after more than 15 years. Alex Bain had played Simon since he was six years old, but at the age of 22 he decided the time was right to explore other opportunities.

‘I felt very positive about it, but I am 22 now and maybe it is time to see what the future holds’, he said, when discussing his exit.

‘It isn’t just a job, you become part of a family and I will always have those people in my life. They aren’t just colleagues, they are friends. Obviously anybody leaving feels sad about saying goodbye to people but any sadness is a small part of it.’

Simon’s exit storyline involved him going increasingly off the rails after his father, Peter (Chris Gascoyne), left Weatherfield to go and work on a boat following his own mental turmoil after killing Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce).

Eventually Simon decided to join his father.

‘With Chris going it felt like the obvious thing for Simon to follow his dad,’ Alex commented.

‘Simon has been through so much and he was lost without his dad around. Simon heading off on his adventures means I can have new ones of my own.’

Alex’s latest adventure has recently been revealed, as he’s been announced as playing the part of Dandini in the pantomime Cinderella, which will play for most of December at the King George’s Hall in Blackburn.

‘I’m so excited to announce that I will be in pantomime this year at the wonderful King George’s hall in my home town of Blackburn,’ the actor posted on Instagram. ‘Thanks to the amazing Shone Productions for the opportunity to get into the Panto spirit again.’

He also added a shout-out to co-star Callum Arnott, who has previously had guest roles in Coronation Street on several occasions. ‘@callumarnott76 I can’t believe we’re back doing this again together after so long,’ Alex posted.

In contrast to the spectacular, colourful pantomime, Alex’s final Coronation Street scenes were low-key as Simon said goodbye to his loved ones in the Street. ‘It was incredibly emotional which is understandable as it has been a huge part of my life,’ Alex said of filming those scenes.

He also described what it was like joining the show as a six year old. ‘At that age you don’t realise the enormity of what it means to be joining one of the longest running shows in the world and be part of the family that were in the first episode in 1960.

‘Obviously I came to appreciate that as I got older and also to have the privilege of working with some amazing actors.