You Ask… Trevor Michael Georges (aka Ed Bailey)
Coronation Street’s Ed Bailey ...faces your questions!
Weatherfield builder Ed might be the joker of the Bailey family, but will
Trevor be straight with us when we ask him your reader questions?
“What is the best thing about working on Coronation Street?”
That’s difficult, as there are so many best things, but top of the pile is the people I’m working with. It feels like Charlie And
The Chocolate Factory – all departments creating their bit of magic then it all comes together. It’s an amazing place, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over being a part of it, no matter how long I’m here.
“Were you a big fan of Corrie before you joined the show?”
I watched Coronation Street from when I was a baby, as my mum watched it. I remember seeing Bill Roache [Ken Barlow] with Pat Phoenix [Elsie Tanner] – it was the crème de la crème of the acting world. My first scene was in the Rovers with Bill, which was absolutely surreal!
“Who is your all-time favourite character on the show?”
Ooh, this is dangerous! Pat Phoenix was my Joan Plowright. She had this amazing energy, presence and gravitas in a time when I think it was difficult for women to stand out. But she was one who stood for women and stood for the north, and it was just amazing to watch her power. She was incredible!
“Would you make a better builder than Ed?”
[Laughs] Well, I’m proud to say that the kitchen sink in my house was fitted by me – as were several other large appliances. I have twin daughters with my wife, they’re 14 and not into fixing anything around the house. So if I’m away from home for too long, I’ll come back to a house that’s slowly falling apart and spend the weekend fixing everything. So I think I could keep up with Ed – I’d stay away from the electrics though.
“What’s it like having Lorna Laidlaw play your on-screen wife Aggie?”
Oh, it’s a scream! She’s a laugh, confident and just wonderful. But few people know we have worked together before. It was nearly 30 years ago and I was the musical director for a show called Buddy
“Who is your all-time favourite Corrie character?”
– The Buddy Holly Story. They asked me to be the musical director for the tour, and guess who should be in the cast but Lorna Laidlaw! We both laughed as she walked into the screening for Coronation Street, and we basically picked up from where we left off.
“What do your family think of Ed?”
They’re more concerned that I have another family elsewhere! They’re a bit jealous – they look at me sideways saying, “What’s going on there? What’s happening with that other woman? Who do you love the most, Dad?” My wife has met my on-screen family, but my girls haven’t – they’re 14 so haven’t been involved in the big party get-togethers yet. But I’m going to bring them up this year so they can meet everyone.
“What would people be surprised to know about you?”
Well, I have shocked people on occasion when I’ve gone roller skating. They’re always surprised to see me do spins and flips and things! It’s the only time I’ve ever been cool with my children in front of their friends. But I have to confess, I had to learn to roller skate to a professional standard as I played
Poppa in Starlight Express.
“What was your experience like in
Starlight Express?”
I’d just finished my last production of Porgy And Bess at Glyndebourne and then had to go straight to Elstree Studios. I arrived and Arlene Phillips was putting the show together, dancewise. But when I was at Glyndebourne, I put on a rather large amount of weight. So I turned up at the rehearsals and everybody looked like gods! They were these Adonis-types with washboard stomachs, but within six months
I was nearly the same as them. It was a wonderful experience, though, and we went on a world tour to Australia and Japan – I opened a show in Germany, and the London show too.
“You have a degree in music – what instruments do you play?”
I started piano at six and then in the same year I took my A-levels, I did Grade Eight piano, trombone and voice. It was stressful – but I got all the Grade Eights! I also fell in love with the bass guitar and I still play to this day. I’ve played steel drums, marimbas, the baritone guitar and all types of percussion. In one show, I played seven instruments, which was confusing, but fun.
“How do you spend your free time?”
If I’m not being dad or learning my lines, I’ll play bass or I compose music. I used to compose for film and TV – just bits of adverts and things like that. I have a little recording studio at home.
“Would you make a better builder than Ed?”