Alan Rothwell

Alan Rothwell was an English actor and television presenter whose warm presence and quiet dedication shaped British broadcasting for more than seven decades. Born on 9 February 1937 in Oldham, Lancashire, he was the son of Alice and Harry Rothwell, both cotton mill workers whose working-class grit instilled in their son a lifelong sense of purpose and craft. He was educated at Chadderton Grammar School before winning a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which he attended from 1954 to 1955. His performing life began even earlier, however. At just twelve years old, Alan was already in front of a camera — and by 1951 he had become a regular voice on BBC Radio's beloved Children's Hour, where he forged a friendship with a young writer named Tony Warren. That friendship would prove defining. When Warren created Coronation Street in 1960, he wrote the role of David Barlow specifically for Alan, placing him in the original cast that first appeared on 9 December 1960. Alan remained with the Street through 1969, becoming one of the most recognisable faces in British television as the cheerful, ambitious younger brother of Ken Barlow. Between his Coronation Street years and beyond, Alan built a remarkably varied career. He starred opposite William Franklyn and Patrick Cargill in the ITV spy series Top Secret, appeared alongside Patrick McGoohan and Bill Travers in the Anglo-Swedish film Two Living, One Dead, directed by Anthony Asquith, and brought Charles Dickens's Charley Bates to life in the BBC's Oliver Twist. For Channel 4's Brookside, he delivered a bold dramatic turn as heroin addict Nicholas Black. Generations of British children came to know Alan through his gentle warmth as presenter of Picture Box, a role he held from 1969 to 1989, and Hickory House, which ran from 1973 to 1978. In his later years he continued to work steadily in Casualty, Emmerdale, Doctors, Shameless, Heartbeat, and A Song for Jenny, and appeared in the feature film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa in 2013. Beyond the screen, he mentored countless young performers as a drama teacher, passing on his craft to the next generation. Alan died peacefully in hospital on 14 May 2026, following a short illness. He is survived by his partner Maureen, his sons Ben and Toby, and his granddaughter Alys. He was 89 years old. Those who worked beside him remember not only a skilled and versatile actor, but a genuinely delightful man.