Adam Bossons
April 19th, 2015
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Hello Adam, thank you very much for sitting down with us today.  Tell me, how long have you been involved in television?

Oh it must be around twenty one years now.  I have always been very interested in how programmes are put together and brought to the small screen.

How did you get started?

I got a chance to do some extra work many years ago on a show called Cracker.  I was booked as a Mortuary Technician in a hospital, and when I taken to location and on set, I was introduced to Robbie Coltrane, Ricky Tomlinson and Robert Carlyle.  Just me and these three stars!  Four hours later I was on my way home and I was hooked (who wouldn't be).   Unfortunately my scene was cut short and all you saw was my back pushing a body on a trolley out of the room.  Ha!  that's extra work for you!!

Yes, I hear that a lot, the bulk of the work you do ends up on the cutting room floor, but I guess they have to leave room for the adverts!

Let's go back to the beginning.  Where are you from?

I was born in Worsley, about five minutes from where I am now.  Being Manchester based, I have always watched Coronation Street, and when I was very young I can remember shopping trips to Manchester with Mum and Dad, and walking past Granada studios where Coronation Street was filmed.  There was a door with a letter box, that you could look through to see the Coronation Street set, to see if you could see anybody famous; I never did but always dreamed to be part of the show.

Did you have any formal training in drama?

I decided to enrol on a naturalistic acting course at Bolton College.  This course builds your confidence and ability for acting.  This was the biggest help to my acting career.  I then joined Nemesis, which is a professional casting agency.  They not only deal in Extras but modelling and featured acting roles also.  I have been with them for twenty years, and they are not only my agent, they are also my friends.   I believe you're only as good as your agent, because they supply the work and advance you through the business.  I do Extra work on Coronation Street but mainly work on featured acting and photographic work.

So this all led you to Coronation Street, can you remember the day that happened?

I certainly can!  One day my agent rang me to work one day as an Extra on Coronation Street, outside on the cobbles.  He said they would be watching me to see if I was suitable to be a regular Extra.  'Very excited' was an understatement!  Soon after, I was booked again to do a few scenes in the Rovers Return.  A few weeks later I was offered a place on the regular artiste list.  I was over the moon!

What does it mean to be a 'Regular'?  Is that the same as being a 'Direct'? i.e. employed directly by ITV?

No, Regulars are Extras who are used mainly in studio and on the street, we are supposed to be locals, so drink in the Rovers and eat in the cafe, we also get invited to weddings, funerals  and parties.  Non regulars are used for location and some studio work.

Oh I see, so you are people who 'live' in Weatherfield, those who get passed on the street every day.

Yes, that's right.  I have done many many episodes over the years; been involved in weddings, funerals, parties, and Christmas/New Year's Eve episodes.  I have been booked as a walk on 3 as well, which means you have a small piece of dialogue.  One of the scenes with dialogue was when I was Gary Mallet's work mate.  We had been laid off work and was in the Rovers having a few beers talking to Vera Duckworth.  Running lines in the Rovers...........Me!

Oh wow!  That must have been such a thrill.  Were you also involved with the Tram Crash live episode?

Yes, I was one of the lucky ones there.  I have an excellent photograph of me lying on the pavement in the aftermath of the crash.  This photo has been enlarged and is now on the stairway wall of the new studios.  I was also the window cleaner with some dialogue with Michelle Collins who played Stella the landlady, just before the most recent  fire in the Rovers.  Recently I have been involved in filming one of the latest Corrie weddings but I can't say whose!

Oh I think most of us can probably hazard a pretty accurate guess on that one! :-)

What have you done besides Coronation Street Adam?

After a few years my agency started sending me for castings for adverts and I have been lucky enough to be the main featured artiste in many adverts for some high profile companies. 
I have also appeared in a few reconstruction programmes and in 2013 a major one of these was appearing as Myra Hindley's Dad in a reconstruction of her life. 

I saw that!  It was called Myra Hindley: The Untold Story - The Brady Factor.  You were fantastic as her father, really scary!  The Moors Murders were dreadful crimes which took place while I was still living in England, and fifty years later, they are still talked about.

Anything else?

I also work on corporate films for businesses, and have done many photographic jobs.  I love working on adverts because each job is different.  I filmed an advert for holiday company Jet2.com in Tenerife.

Nice job if you can get it!  Lounging about in the sun and getting paid for it!

Have you done any stage work?

Yes, well actually a highlight of my acting career came in February this year performing on stage at the Manchester Arena for sixteen shows in front of 14,000 people per show, being a member of the cast of 'Phoenix Nights Live' for Comic Relief, starring alongside Peter Kay.  This was an amazing experience that I'd love to repeat in the future.

I bet you would, I love Peter Kay!  What was your role in the show?

I played a stage hand who helps to rescue Brian Potter (Peter Kay) from his broken stair lift.  Very funny.... I have a photo from it in my Gallery,  I am the guy dressed all in black with the bed sheet and holding ladders.

I would love to have seen that one.  That man can have me in stitches without saying a single word.

What do you do with your time between acting jobs?

I've run my own industrial window cleaning business for twenty seven years and loved every minute.

Really?  So you were doing that before you got into show business.  How does your business fare when you land a role in something?

Filming is normally only one or two days, my contracts are on monthly or two monthly basis so moving them for a few days isn't a problem.

Are you hoping that one day Adam Bossons will be a name everyone knows?  See it in lights, or first in the credits?

I am happy mixing my acting with my full time job as I've built my business up over 27 years and wouldn't just give it up. Acting is very unpredictable you can be doing well one minute then have nothing for weeks on end. (Feast or famine).

I have had a few credits in end titles but mainly for reconstruction programmes.

Getting back to Coronation Street, You have worked in both studios, which one do you prefer?

I have a lot of fond memories working at the Quay street studios, the new studios at Media City are state of the art, the Rovers set is larger than Quay St, as is the outside street set, making it easier to work on.  But for the public watching, they wouldn't even notice the difference.

I think you would be amazed at some of the things the diehard fans really do notice, and mention online.

Do any of the cast of Coronation Street mingle with the Extras?  Do any of them ever join you for a drink after work?

The cast are friendly, and sometimes chat to us between takes, but we never socialise out of working hours.  I would never start a conversation on set as the cast member could be running lines, and you don't want to distract them from their job.  As Extras we regularly meet and have evenings out, and arrange Christmas nights out and have a great time, it's hard to relax when working but we really let our hair down  ( those of us that have hair lol ) when we have our get togethers.

Ha ha, we will have to see if we can find some pics of those gatherings!  Now can we get a little personal?  Are you married?

I am, I have been married to my lovely wife Linda for twenty seven years, and we have two children; Mark who is 24 and Emily who is 21.

My word, neither of you look old enough to have children of that age!

Well, I am fifty one, but I won't divulge the age of my wife!

Quite right too, if you want to go home tonight!

Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us Adam.  We wish you all the best for the future, and will watch for you not only in Corrie, but in the ads, the documentaries and everywhere else!

You are welcome.  I must say that all in all, I have had a ball working in the TV and film industry meeting lots of high profile people, and every job brings new friends.  Working as a self employed industrial window cleaner gives me the flexibility to work in this exciting industry.  Long may it continue........ 






































Did you miss any of our previous interviews?  You can find them all listed here in the ARCHIVES
Here we have a man I have been spotting in the background for quite a few years, and we are very lucky, because he has agreed to step forward and let us know a little more about him.  Introducing Adam Bossons:
3D Mascara by Younique
Sharon
Sitting in front of Tommy at Dennis & Rita's wedding.
Watching Andrea Beckett's husband Neil up on the roof of the Rovers.
5th Row back on the left, this time it was the debacle that was Peter & Leanne's second wedding, where it all came out about her affair with Nick.
The spectacular Tram Crash episode, and there is Adam lying prostrate on the pavement - or sidewalk as we say in Canada.
I am sure Adam was a natural for this role, being a professional window cleaner in his other life!  Here he is with Stella in a speaking role.
In the Rovers behind Anna & Owen
As an invited guest at Jason & Sarah's wedding
Letting their hair down, here is Adam, next to Darran Burr, whom you have already met, and he is beside his lovely wife Eileen.  But look at all those others we have yet to meet!  I think we have a few more arms to twist! :-)
A couple more taken when they held their get-together at the Manchester Christmas Market.  Lots more familiar faces in these, Adam of course, Gina, Toni, Jonny, Elisabeth, & Sharon, and loads more that we would really like to meet!
This is where Adam Worked all day on a Stair Lift advert with Sir Henry Cooper
Upholding the law in Hollyoaks
Managing not to get upstaged by the child for Safestyle Windows
Looking rather worse for wear in The Royal
Looks like he was selling washing machines, but it was actually a Dr. Beckman stain advert
Working terribly hard for Jet2.com - Nice work if you can get it!
These two were for a School Lab photo shoot
An Info Car video
Foyle's War, Adam is second right, and you will recognise Graham J. Burton fourth left.
This one was a Brother International Corporate video
With some of the cast of Phoenix Nights Live
Antics with Peter Kay on stage
The above eleven stills were taken from the documentary Myra Hindley - The Untold Story - The Brady Factor, in which Adam played her father.  Excellent he was too!  If you would like to watch it, you can find it HERE
Thankfully Adam is nothing like Bob Hindley, and here he is with his lovely wife Linda
This was the first Dr Breckman ad with Lara Bradban as the green lady
Standing behind Gail at Dennis & Rita's wedding.  Also spotted in this one are Gina Sinclare and Mel Francis
Before we go, thought you might like to see that Adam made it into the newspapers a couple of times:
In case you are on a small screen, and can't read the article on the left, it states that Kate Ford (Tracy Barlow) was complaining about the set stinking of eggy farts.  Her theory was that it was the fault of the Extras, who have to drink the non-alcoholic gassy beer in the Rovers, whereas the red wine she drinks is actually a really strong Vimto, and does not cause bloating.

Now Adam assured me the fault didn't lie with him - but do you see any other Extra in the picture?  I rest my case! LOL!!