Peter Christian was born on the 14th of August 1947 in Dingle, Liverpool and is best known for his roles on UK Television in 'Emmerdale Farm' (1972), 'Scully' (1984), 'Give Us a Break' (1984), 'Truckers' (1987) and 'Heartbeat' (1992). In 1983 he appeared in the original Liverpool Playhouse production of Willy Russell's 'Blood Brothers' as Sammy, one of the older Johnston brothers.
Christian's acting career started when his cousin asked for some
help with an amateur dramatics production being staged by the
Liverpool-based David Lewis Theatre Group. Although he was there to help
construct the sets and paint the scenery, Christian soon got landed
with a part and acting immediately caught his imagination and he began to
appear regularly in amateur plays round the area. Eventually this
enthusiasm led to his first professional part. "I played a gentleman
walking across the quayside with a bag. This lad comes up to me and asks
to carry my bag. My first professional line, and the only one in that
play was 'Go away boy'. That was it," says Christian. "I also had to
wear this huge hat. I remember thinking if only my mates from the docks
could see me now." After that his acting career blossomed and soon he
was appearing
in well known theatre productions such as 'Look Back in Anger' and 'Blood
Brothers'.
However he is best known for 'Brookside' (1982-83) in which he first appeared in the Channel 4 soap as Frank Blackburne, an associate of Gavin Taylor played by Danny Webb, and then more famously as Frank Rogers from 1987 until the character was killed off in 1993. In this role Peter, as the resident lorry driver of
Brookside Close became one of the most famous truckers in Britain.
For four days a week the dramas of the Close and the Rogers household were flashed across the nation's TV screens. 'Brookside' was one of Channel
Four's biggest successes as Frank Rogers, the
good-guy family man, was caught between long-distance hauls and his family
responsibilities — a situation all too familiar to many in the industry. During his time on the show, the
character was a drivers' shop steward, a transport manager and
even helped to set up a lorry drivers' co-operative which failed. Before 'Brookide', Christian acted in a BBC series called
'Truckers' (1987), in which he played 'Horse', "a hot-headed driver who would always go
straight to the boss if his pay was not there on the right day", says
Christian. Although the programme got a lot of public support, it was only
destined to run for one series. "A shame," says Christian. "It had the
potential for some great story lines." However Christian did not have to rely on TV researchers
and directors for his road transport knowledge when playing such parts.
Many viewers may be surprised to discover that he used to work on
Liverpool docks driving HGVs. As he was always driving on private
property, he says he never had to take his HGV driving test, but
the experience gave him a taste of the transport industry. As well as
driving he met hundreds of drivers and operators passing in and out of
the docks. His other TV roles included an appearance
in 'Boys from the Blackstuff' (1982) and 'Give us a Break' (1984) and then Truckers came along.  |
Peter with Rachael Lindsay filming at Melling stone bridge (1992)
|
He enjoyed his role as lorry driver Frank Rogers in
'Brookside' and when the character was prominent in the story line, he
could spend three days a week shooting on location, usually an up and
running transport yard somewhere in Liverpool. It was in November 1993 when Frank was driving Tony Dixon to his own
wedding reception that the car ploughed into a wall after a drug-fuelled Jimmy
Corkhill drove towards them. Frank died in hospital and Tony was left in
a coma, passing away a few months later. Peter is still recognised when walking
along the street and would often gets a toot, a wave or a thumbs-up
from passing lorry drivers. He is full of respect for truck drivers and the tough life they
are often forced to lead. He said at the time, "I have a lot of admiration for them. Always
leaving for destinations and having to get there on time must be very
hard going. And having to say goodbye to your family again and again —
it must be very hard getting used to that." His last TV appearance was as Derek Egan in an episode of 'Heartbeat' in 2000.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/11/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-judy.html
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