A History Of Liverpool Thespians - Paul Byatt

 

Paul Byatt was born on the 22nd of December 1971 in Liverpool and was on his summer holidays after finishing his A levels at St. Edward's College when he heard about the audition for 'Brookside' as his mum had an agency. St. Edward's seems to have left its mark on the Brookside soap opera with at least six pupils having been cast members at various times, including his brother and three sisters having also previously appeared in the Channel 4 soap, playing recurring roles. Paul has stated that "turning out cast members for Brookside is a family industry." As one of five members of the same family who starred in the Channel 4 soap, many will remember his sister, Michelle who played Nikki White. Unlike his siblings, Paul secured a regular role on the show playing the part of barman-turned-cabbie, Mike Dixon from 1990 to 2003. The family success of being cast in 'Brookside' can be attributed to their mother owning a casting agency. 

Paul was one of the longest-serving members of the 'Brookside' cast, (1990–2003), appearing in 892 episodes,

After joining the show in 1990, Mike was one of the characters who remained until the end. He was involved in two huge storylines - the first his affair with his step-mother, which resulted in her giving birth to his son and the second being the car accident that left him in a wheelchair, following his marriage to Rachel Jordache. In 2008, the Mirror reported that Paul was working as a driving instructor in Liverpool to make ends meet. 

He took part in a soap opera Celebrity Football Match at V98. The match was between actors from 'Hollyoaks' and 'Brookside' in Chelmsford, Essex.

Off screen Paul hit the headlines in 2000 when he was linked to Sporty Spice Mel C. 
 
But the hit soap produced Phil Redmond was axed in 2003 after 21 years on screen. Paul's co-star Anna Friel, who played his on-screen wife's sister Beth Jordache, has headed on to bigger things in Hollywood. But since Brookside, Paul's screen career was stuck in neutral afterwards with only a guest appearance in 'Holby City' (2006) as George Lomax  and in two episodes of the mini series 'Mobile' (2007). He also appeared as himself on Soccer AM.