SOAP fans were left startled after unearthing Sir Patrick Stewart’s 1967 appearance on Coronation Street earlier this week.
And while his cobbles stint may be surprising to some, it isn’t actually that unusual for stars to try their hand at soap land before finding fame on the big screen.
From Eastenders to Neighbours, we take a look at the megastars who have first found fame on our TV sets.
Patrick Stewart
The 79-year-old Star Trek actor played a firefighter in the ITV soap in 1967 – 53 years ago.
Although he didn’t last long on show, Sir Patrick went on to enjoy huge blockbuster success after landing the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generationin 1987.
Joanna Lumley
Joanna’s early career saw her take on the role ofKen Barlow’s love interest, Elaine Perkins, in Coronation Street.
Following her stint on the cobbles in 1973, she reached international success in the Jennifer Saunderscomedy,Absolutely Fabulous.
Together they became Eddie and Patsy in a show that was a worldwide hit.
Margot Robbie
Oscar-nominated actress Margot first appeared as Donna Freedman in Neighbours.
She previously revealed she’d love to return to the show, saying: They have asked, yeah, but it hasnt worked with where Ive been at the time but Id like to because I miss it.I had so much fun on the show. A lot of people arent there any more though. A lot of people who I was on with arent there.
Kiera Knightley
She may be a two-time Oscar nominee these days, but a baby-faced Keirawas on The Bill as Sheena Rose in 1995.
Chris Hemsworth
Chris swapped Summer Bay for the Hollywood Hills after a three-year stint as Kim Hyde in Home and Away.
The 35-year-old, who starred in the soap between 20042007, has went on to feature in a string of big budget blockbusters, including Thor.
Chris’ portrayal of Kim won him the Most Popular New Male Talent award at the 2005 Logie Awards. and he also received a nomination for Most Popular Actor.
Ben Hardy
The hunky actor, 29, who went from flogging fruit and veg in Albert Square to walking the Oscars red carpet, has since landed the role of Queen drummer Roger Taylor in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Ben previously said in an interview withHOAR: “Hollywood’s not as glamorous as I thought. It’s grungy. It’s not too much of a leap from EastEnders.”
He’s also starred in the superhero film X-Men: Apocalypse.
Russell Brand
Another name added to The Bill’s surprising all-star line-up is Russell Brand.
The comedian, 44, made his acting debut in the police drama for a one-off episode back in 1994 as a cocky thief called Billy Case.
Ben Kingsley
The Ghandi star, 76, joined the cobbles in 1966 as Ron Jenkins – a lover of Ken Barlow’s first wife Val.
Despite his global success, Ben, who grew up five miles from the set in Salford, revealed he still has fond memories of the soap.
He admitted: “We had great writers and extraordinary directors.”
Kylie Minogue
Kylie captured the nation as old Neighbours character Charlene Robinson.
The singer, 51, first rose to fame on the Aussie soap, where she played the feisty mechanic between 1986 and 1988.
Charlenes wedding to Scott,played by Jason Donovan, was watched by an incredible 19.6million Brits in 1988 and over the next five years, nearly 500,000 babies were named Kylie.
Jude Law
Before Jude was winning over the ladies he once starred in daytime soap Families.
The ITV series, which aired from 1990 and 1993, was one of the actor’s first gigs, where he played Nathan Thompson.
