Actor Charlie Lawson, famed for his role as Jim McDonald on Coronation Street, has revealed his struggles with finances, expressing concern about the cost of heating his home. The veteran actor described 2024 as the worst year in his 44-year career, attributing part of his lack of work to his outspoken political opinions. Further strain was added when his wife Debbie had to shut down her farm shop in Cheshire due to financial difficulties, leading to almost £50,000 in unpaid debts and potential legal action. Speaking candidly on The Nolan Show about his challenging year, Charlie said: “2024 is the most unsuccessful year I’ve had in 44 years. And there are a lot of issues to do with that. I’ve got lots of white hair, I’m 64 and there are less parts around.”
Charlie Lawson played the role of Jim McDonald on Coronation Street
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
When asked by host Stephen Nolan how he’s managing financially, the Northern Irish star replied: “I work for GB News at the moment and I’ve got to renegotiate that contract next year and my wife Debbie runs a women’s refuge.” He further shared the measures he and his wife are taking to curb their spending, including wearing his field sports gear indoors to avoid using the heater too often, reports the Mirror. “I’m in the living room with my shooting gear on because I’m a field sportsman and because I can’t have the heat on all day and it’s Baltic over here,” he admitted to Nolan. He later added: “You have lean times, I mean last year the heat was on all the time in the winter, this year it will not be.” He elaborated: “Debbie is manager of a women’s refuge, she has a wage. I have a wage at the moment until January so we’re all right but we haven’t been abroad this year, we don’t eat in The Ivy when we go back to Belfast. You cut your cloth. I live 50ft from a local bar in my village – The Rodney so I don’t have to get a taxi there, I can walk there and get a tab. There are a lot of people worse off than me. We have two incomes coming into the house – they’re not huge but we’re better off than an awful lot of people.” Stephen then inquired why he thinks work has slowed, and Charlie revealed that he suspects it’s his political views, including his stance on trans issues, affecting his opportunities. “People in my industry won’t admit this, but it is about your beliefs, your standards and what you speak about on social media, that all has an effect,” he said. However, it’s unlikely Charlie will be receiving a call from the producers of Coronation Street anytime soon, given his recent comments about the show. Earlier, the actor who played Jim McDonald criticised the series, predicting it “won’t be around in 10 years” and alleging that the young stars are not paid adequately.
Charlie said work dried up for him last year as he struggles to heat his home
(Image: Twitter/Charlie Lawson)
The actor thinks his political views are the reason TV bosses aren’t calling with offers
(Image: Twitter/Charlie Lawson)
The Nolan Show heard some candid thoughts from the star of a beloved soap, who admitted he no longer tunes into the programme that airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm. “I don’t watch it. It’s a different animal now. It’s issue driven now as opposed to when I was there in the 90’s, it was character driven. It’s issue driven now, there’s a degree of wokery involved, there’s a degree of political correctness involved and also there are subjects that need to be touched upon, whereas in my day it was character driven.” Additionally, he doesn’t hold much hope for the long-term survival of the show as he said: “I don’t think Corrie will be around in 10 years time. I don’t think it’s going to be having a 94th birthday because television is fundamentally different. I also think EastEnders days are numbered and Emmerdale Farm’s days are numbered because of the ratings.” He shared his disappointment: “It is nothing like the 15 to 21 million we were getting. People dip in and out now. If the income is falling from advertising revenue they are not going to hang around are they?” Finally, he touched on the disparities in actors’ pay: “If you go to do theatre or TV anywhere else in Europe or America or Canada as I have – we are on half the money that we work over here. “Whether that be British actor’s Equity or whatever, traditionally we are on less than any of our acting fellows and ladies and gentlemen around the world,” he observed somberly. I remember working in Canada and the starting negotiations over there for Equity minimum was about £300 a week more than ours.” He continued: “That’s the same in Europe. Actors in this country have been treated poorly for years. If you were doing a show like Coronation Street in America then you would be buying your own vineyard. You’d be shocked how little some of the young people and newcomers are on.”
