Sir Cliff Richard is a British singer and actor who made his professional debut in August 1958. His discography consists of 45 studio albums (43 English, 2 German), seven soundtrack albums, 11 live albums, three stage show cast albums, 15 mainstream compilation albums, seven box sets, eight gospel compilation albums, 46 EPs and 146 singles (in the UK, including singles only available via. Sir Cliff Richard talks weight loss and legal battle. (PA Images) Sir Cliff Richard has revealed the unlikely inspiration behind his two-stone weight loss: soap opera Coronation Street.

Shayne Ward is about to make his Coronation Street debut as Aiden Connor.

The X Factor winner is following in the footsteps of Sarah Harding and Paddy McGuinness by being the latest big name to sign up for a role in the ITV soap.

But as one of the biggest shows on TV, it’s unsurprising that some of the biggest names in showbiz have made numerous cameos on Coronation Street over the years.

Cliff Richard Coronation Street John

From Honor Blackman to Cliff Richard and even the late Cilla Black, we look back at some of the celebrities to have popped into The Kabin for a paper and The Rovers Return for a pint.

1974 It's Cliff Richard (TV Series) (performer - 1 episode) - Episode #4.6 (1974). (performer: 'I'm Leaving It All Up To You', 'Pigeon', 'All I Have To Do Is Dream', 'Proud Mary'). Richard made his name in the spotlight on Coronation Street during his four-year stint on the show from 2002 until 2006. The actor also showed off his vocal talents when he won Soapstar Superstar. Remember when Cliff Richard went on Coronation Street? He says it made him FAT SIR Cliff Richard went on a diet after he was branded 'chubby' on Corrie.

1. Peter Kay

A successful guest stints on the Cobbles came courtesy of Peter Kay. The Phoenix Nights actor starred as Eric Gartside in 2004, and played an unlikely date for Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay). Kay admitted he was a “huge fan” of the soap, and agreed to the role as he was a friend of Lindsay’s.

2. Sir Cliff Richard

The singer starred as an extra in 1997 when made a cameo appearance in The Rovers Return as a punter. A fan of the soap for 53 years, Richard revealed last year that he had finally given up watching Coronation Street. “When I used to go away my sister put them on cassettes, and I’d come home to a 2ft stack of cassettes,' he said. 'I travel a lot now and I just can’t keep up with it all.”

3. Cilla Black

The late, great Cilla Black played herself in a scene at the Rovers in 2013. The one-off storyline saw her bumping into Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox) and Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) in the pub. Black revealed that she had been asked “several times” to star in the soap, but had always turned it down due to the lengthy hours required on set.

4. Honor Blackman

The former Bond girl, who played Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, starred as Norris Cole’s (Malcolm Hebden) love interest Rula Romanoff. Would-be wife swapper Rula was also a foe of Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox) from her days as a nightclub singer.

5. Sir Ian McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen took on a meaty role in Coronation Street back in 2005 when he played Mel Hutchwright for three weeks. The year previously, the veteran actor had said that his only remaining ambition was to appear in the soap. Meanwhile, Corrie’s Anthony Cotton revealed in 2014 that McKellen expressed an interest in returning to the Cobbles.

6. Keith Duffy

The Boyzone singer first appeared in Coronation Street in 2002 as chef Ciaran McCarthy, and stayed on the show for a whopping three years. He again returned in 2010 and departed a year later, vowing to return in future. Ciaran enjoyed romances with Michelle Connor (Kym Marsh) and Sunita Alahan (Shobna Gulati) while behind the bar at The Rovers.

Cliff Richard Coronation Street Peter

7. Stephanie Beacham

The former Dynasty actress visited Weatherfield for three months back in 2009, portraying Martha Fraser. She was a love interest for married Ken Barlow. “I liked her, I thought she was really down to earth,” revealed Stephanie. “But I don’t see how she could go back, this is the trouble.” Which is unfortunate, as she added that she really enjoyed starring alongside Bill Roache!

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8. Joan Collins

Joan Collins didn’t come to Coronation Street. Instead, Coronation Street went to Joan Collins! The second Dynasty star on this list filmed a one-off cameo, playing herself in an episode called Viva Las Vegas. The plot saw Jack and Vera Duckworth heading on holiday, and Collins popped up on the plane to offer advice to Vera for how to get champagne out of a dress. Well, why not!

9. Sir Derek Jacobi

Securing such a high profile actor, you might think the bosses of Coronation Street would want to give Sir Derek Jacobi as many lines as possible. However, the iconic actor actually had a walk-on part in the background in an episode in 2012 – and most of us probably missed him altogether! He revealed that he had always wanted to be in the show, and had once gotten soap star Bradley Walsh drunk to try and land a part.

10. Andrew Sachs

The Fawlty Towers legend played Norris Cole’s half-brother Ramsay Clegg, who arrived on the Street when he discovered he was ill to make amends with Norris. Sachs said he “nearly turned them down because I was too scared”. However, he was talked into appearing in the soap by his wife who was a big fan of the show. “I took her advice and accepted the part and now I’m delighted,” he said at the time.

11. Sir Norman Wisdom

The comic legend played elderly fitness fanatic Ernie Crabbe in 2004, with Coronation Street bosses said it was “an honour” to have the star on the show. It proved to be one of his last appearances on TV, as he retired from acting in 2005 at the age of 90 due to ill health. He sadly passed away in 2010.

12. Status Quo

Status Quo’s Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi played themselves in Corrie in 2005. The rockstars revealed that the role arose through their friendship with Bruce Jones, who played Les Battersby. Their plot saw the band playing at Les and Cilla’s wedding, and in 2005 Rossi said: “Bruce is a fan of ours and he’s been to quite a few gigs. We basically asked him if we could have a cameo part, one thing led to another and here we are, trying to be actors.”

Photo credit: PA/REX