Bruce Jones
Encyclopedia
Ian Roy Jones is an English
actor, best known for his role as cab driver Les Battersby-Brown
in Coronation Street
. He left the role in 2007. His real name is Ian Roy Jones, but he took the name of his father for professional purposes.
, Manchester
. He was brought up in a typical working class household before he went to live with his grandmother in Wales
where he joined his school drama group at the age of eleven and dreamt of becoming an actor.
On the morning of 9 October 1977, Jones made a gruesome discovery that would have a profound effect on his life. Whilst working with a friend on an allotment in Moss Side
, Manchester, Jones discovered the mutilated body of 20 year old prostitute Jean Jordan - a victim of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe
.
It was during this time that Bruce decided he would like to try his hand at acting and his first big break came in 1993 when he was cast as the lead of Bob Williams in the feature film Raining Stones by director Ken Loach
; the film went on to receive great critical acclaim and won the Evening Standard Awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay. Bruce was presented with the European Actors Award.
In 1995, Jones had a role as a prostitute's client in Band of Gold
. In 1997, he had a small part in the hit film The Full Monty
. He played one of the males who auditioned to be one of the strippers, and he received the Stage Actor's Guild Award, (SAG). He also appeared in the Shane Meadows
film Twenty Four Seven with actor Bob Hoskins
in 1996, before joining the cast of the ITV soap Coronation Street
, playing the role of Les Battersby.
Over the following years Bruce gained numerous credits for Film and Television productions including Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost, Roughnecks, Hillsborough. Jones appeared as Dean Martin
in Celebrity Stars in Your Eyes, Mr Bumble in Scrooge
for Children in Need and the Robber in Granada's televised Christmas Pantomime
Cinderella
. He also made countless television appearances in game shows and chat programmes.
. On 23 March 2008, Jones featured in Celebrity Wife Swap with Sinitta. Jones played Mick the Manager in the film Souled Out
. Jones also appeared on the TV programme The Dark Side of Fame with Piers Morgan
.
Jones took part in the BBC1 show Famous, Rich and Homeless, which aired in June 2009. He was joined by four other celebrities who would leave their life of fame and fortune for the cold and lonely streets of London. Jones was clearly the most affected by the experience, regularly seen breaking into tears and considering pulling out of the show. In a state of frustration, desperation and anger, Jones ranted to the camera expressing his support to the idea of returning the death penalty to the UK, in order to allow money to be freed to aid the homeless and the elderly. In his rant, Jones said that "rippers" should all be hanged in order for taxpayers' money to be spent on the homeless and pensioners instead. He added that he would "smile at him" as it happened and referenced his horrific discovery of one the Yorkshire Ripper's victims, describing himself as a victim. In November 2009, Jones appeared in Celebrity Come Dine With Me
. The competition was won by former Catchphrase host Roy Walker
.
Jones appeared as King Rat in pantomime Dick Whittington at the Contemporary Urban Centre from 14 December 2009 until 3 January 2010. He is currently working with a Manchester
-based production company called "Gritish Films".
In December 2010 a pantomime Jones was starring in was cancelled, allegedly due to his heavy drinking, although his agent denied this. Ticket sales were described as "very low". He had intended to perform in stand up comedy at an hotel in the Costa del Sol
, but this was cancelled in April 2011 after only five tickets were sold. In May 2011 a planned pub gig near County Durham entitled "An Audience with Bruce Jones" was cancelled after no tickets were sold.
Jones is booked to perform as Captain Hook in "Peter Pan" in Boston, Lincolnshire over Christmas 2011.
He published an autobiography (actually ghostwritten) in November 2011.
In 2004, Jones was awarded the Silver Heart by The Variety Club of Great Britain in acknowledgement of his charity work.
In 1998 he pleaded guilty to drink driving after being found more than twice over the limit and was banned from driving for three years. By 2000, his boozing became so heavy he spent a spell in the celebrity rehab clinic The Priory.
In August 2009, Jones grabbed and repeatedly jerked the steering wheel of his car whilst his wife was driving it on the A55
in north Wales, causing it to swerve. On 19 March 2010 at Mold
Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving
and drink-driving. His wife told the court that he had physically and emotionally abused her for years. On 27 April 2010, the same court sentenced him to eight months imprisonment, suspended
for 18 months.
Jones told The People newspaper in January 2009 that he had blown his £
1 million fortune and has not received any offers of work since leaving Coronation Street, and owed £30,000 in taxes. In September 2009 he was living alone in a caravan in north Wales. In May 2010 it was reported that Jones has been made homeless after the bank reposessed his £500,000 Cheshire
house in order to pay his large debts, and that he cannot afford to go into rehab for his chronic alcoholism
.
On 15 July 2011 the bank was forced to repossess his second home, a bungalow in north Wales. Court documents reveal that the Bank of Scotland started proceedings to get back £204,641 in outstanding mortgage debt.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor, best known for his role as cab driver Les Battersby-Brown
Les Battersby-Brown
Leslie Nelson "Les" Battersby-Brown is a fictional character on the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He was played by Bruce Jones...
in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. He left the role in 2007. His real name is Ian Roy Jones, but he took the name of his father for professional purposes.
Early life
Jones was born to Bruce and Irene Jones in CollyhurstCollyhurst
Collyhurst is a locality in Manchester. It is 1½ miles northeast of Manchester city centre, on Rochdale Road and Oldham Road. The River Irk passes through the area...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He was brought up in a typical working class household before he went to live with his grandmother in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
where he joined his school drama group at the age of eleven and dreamt of becoming an actor.
On the morning of 9 October 1977, Jones made a gruesome discovery that would have a profound effect on his life. Whilst working with a friend on an allotment in Moss Side
Moss Side
Moss Side is an inner-city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre and has a population of around 17,537...
, Manchester, Jones discovered the mutilated body of 20 year old prostitute Jean Jordan - a victim of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe
Peter Sutcliffe
Peter William Sutcliffe is a British serial killer who was dubbed "The Yorkshire Ripper". In 1981 Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attacking seven others. He is currently serving 20 sentences of life imprisonment in Broadmoor Hospital...
.
Career
Jones' first introduction into show business was when he formed a comedy duo with a friend and went on to work the club circuit as Clarke and Jones for many years.It was during this time that Bruce decided he would like to try his hand at acting and his first big break came in 1993 when he was cast as the lead of Bob Williams in the feature film Raining Stones by director Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
; the film went on to receive great critical acclaim and won the Evening Standard Awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay. Bruce was presented with the European Actors Award.
In 1995, Jones had a role as a prostitute's client in Band of Gold
Band of Gold (TV series)
Band of Gold is a television drama series written by Kay Mellor and produced by Granada Television. It wasoriginally shown on ITV between 1995 and 1997...
. In 1997, he had a small part in the hit film The Full Monty
The Full Monty
The Full Monty is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy...
. He played one of the males who auditioned to be one of the strippers, and he received the Stage Actor's Guild Award, (SAG). He also appeared in the Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows is an English film director, screenwriter, occasional actor and BAFTA winner.-Background:Meadows grew up in the Westlands Road area of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. His father was a long distance lorry driver and his mother worked in a fish and chip shop...
film Twenty Four Seven with actor Bob Hoskins
Bob Hoskins
Robert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
in 1996, before joining the cast of the ITV soap Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, playing the role of Les Battersby.
Over the following years Bruce gained numerous credits for Film and Television productions including Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost, Roughnecks, Hillsborough. Jones appeared as Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
in Celebrity Stars in Your Eyes, Mr Bumble in Scrooge
Scrooge
Scrooge is a common English term for a miserly person.It may refer to:*Ebenezer Scrooge, the name of the selfish and miserly protagonist of Charles Dickens' 1843 novel A Christmas Carol ....
for Children in Need and the Robber in Granada's televised Christmas Pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
. He also made countless television appearances in game shows and chat programmes.
Suspension
In March 2007, he was suspended from Coronation Street after allegedly getting drunk with an undercover reporter, making inappropriate comments and revealing future storylines. It was confirmed on 30 May 2007 that he would not be returning to the show.After Coronation Street
He performed stand-up comedy in BenidormBenidorm
Benidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean....
. On 23 March 2008, Jones featured in Celebrity Wife Swap with Sinitta. Jones played Mick the Manager in the film Souled Out
Souled Out (film)
Soulboy is a 2010 British film directed by Shimmy Marcus about 17-year-old Joe McCain coming of age in 1974 amidst the northern soul scene. The film was shot in Stoke on Trent.-Plot:...
. Jones also appeared on the TV programme The Dark Side of Fame with Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan , known professionally as Piers Morgan, is a British journalist and television presenter. He is editorial director of First News, a national newspaper for children....
.
Jones took part in the BBC1 show Famous, Rich and Homeless, which aired in June 2009. He was joined by four other celebrities who would leave their life of fame and fortune for the cold and lonely streets of London. Jones was clearly the most affected by the experience, regularly seen breaking into tears and considering pulling out of the show. In a state of frustration, desperation and anger, Jones ranted to the camera expressing his support to the idea of returning the death penalty to the UK, in order to allow money to be freed to aid the homeless and the elderly. In his rant, Jones said that "rippers" should all be hanged in order for taxpayers' money to be spent on the homeless and pensioners instead. He added that he would "smile at him" as it happened and referenced his horrific discovery of one the Yorkshire Ripper's victims, describing himself as a victim. In November 2009, Jones appeared in Celebrity Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
. The competition was won by former Catchphrase host Roy Walker
Roy Walker
Robert "Roy" Walker is a television personality and comedian from Northern Ireland, who worked for many years as both a television presenter and comedy actor...
.
Jones appeared as King Rat in pantomime Dick Whittington at the Contemporary Urban Centre from 14 December 2009 until 3 January 2010. He is currently working with a Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
-based production company called "Gritish Films".
In December 2010 a pantomime Jones was starring in was cancelled, allegedly due to his heavy drinking, although his agent denied this. Ticket sales were described as "very low". He had intended to perform in stand up comedy at an hotel in the Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
, but this was cancelled in April 2011 after only five tickets were sold. In May 2011 a planned pub gig near County Durham entitled "An Audience with Bruce Jones" was cancelled after no tickets were sold.
Jones is booked to perform as Captain Hook in "Peter Pan" in Boston, Lincolnshire over Christmas 2011.
He published an autobiography (actually ghostwritten) in November 2011.
Charity work
Together with his Coronation Street colleagues and accompanied by his agent Tony Nyland and Zingari Swing, Bruce raised tens of thousands of pounds for the Variety Club of Great Britain.In 2004, Jones was awarded the Silver Heart by The Variety Club of Great Britain in acknowledgement of his charity work.
Personal life
Jones married Sue Margaret Bailey on 12 June 1971 at St. Oswald's Church, Collyhurst. The couple had two sons, John and Stephen, and divorced in 1982. In 1984, Jones married Sandra; the couple had two children and lived in Marple.In 1998 he pleaded guilty to drink driving after being found more than twice over the limit and was banned from driving for three years. By 2000, his boozing became so heavy he spent a spell in the celebrity rehab clinic The Priory.
In August 2009, Jones grabbed and repeatedly jerked the steering wheel of his car whilst his wife was driving it on the A55
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
in north Wales, causing it to swerve. On 19 March 2010 at Mold
Mold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving
Dangerous driving
Dangerous driving is a statutory offence in England and Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is also a term of art used in the definition of the offence of causing death by dangerous driving...
and drink-driving. His wife told the court that he had physically and emotionally abused her for years. On 27 April 2010, the same court sentenced him to eight months imprisonment, suspended
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
for 18 months.
Jones told The People newspaper in January 2009 that he had blown his £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1 million fortune and has not received any offers of work since leaving Coronation Street, and owed £30,000 in taxes. In September 2009 he was living alone in a caravan in north Wales. In May 2010 it was reported that Jones has been made homeless after the bank reposessed his £500,000 Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
house in order to pay his large debts, and that he cannot afford to go into rehab for his chronic alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
On 15 July 2011 the bank was forced to repossess his second home, a bungalow in north Wales. Court documents reveal that the Bank of Scotland started proceedings to get back £204,641 in outstanding mortgage debt.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Snappers | Bruce |
External links
- http://www.nylandmanagement.com contact Tony Nyland agent for Bruce Jones for Television; Film; Theatre; Pantomime and Celebrity Personal Appearances
- http://www.brucejonesactor.com
- http://www.brucejonesactor.co.uk