Prepared to be shocked! Byker Grove legend, Billy Fane, nearly broke the telly screens after popping up after a whopping quarter-century break from showbiz.
The actor, famed for his portrayal of youth club leader Geoff in the CBBC classic, Byker Grove, popped up on Loose Women for a natter with his former co-stars – Lyndyann Barrass and Denise Welch – leaving fans gobsmacked.
The 77-year-old was barely recognisable, still sporting his trademark handlebar moustache and beard, though a few shades greyer than his Byker days. Fane seemed chuffed to chinwag about his time on the much-loved kids’ TV show.
Billy, whose character was memorably bumped off in a gas explosion, has kept his head down for the past 23 years, choosing to focus on a different sort of gig – teaching in prisons.
Our telly screens have missed him! The TV veteran is set to grace our screens again as Byker Grove is being revamped by the duo we all know and love, Ant & Dec.
The actor, real name Malcolm Collins, gave the Loose Women panel the scoop on his life post-Byker Grove. In his 50s, he trained to teach dyslexic adults and even bagged a university degree at the grand age of 58.
Now, he’s at the helm of a teaching programme spanning six prisons in the north of England, and had plenty to share about his decision to swap the screen for the classroom later in life.
Following his Byker Grove stint, he had a few blink-and-you’ll-miss-it roles in films like Young Hearts Run Free and Billy Elliot, and had a surprise reunion with Ant and Dec on their Saturday Night Takeaway show back in 2014.
Ant and Dec recently announced they will bringing back Byker Grove, collaborating with production company Fulwel 73.
So brace yourself, 90s TV fans! The Byker Grove legend is back and ready to steal the show once more. Here’s to seeing more of Billy in the ‘Byker’ reboot. Roll on the nostalgia.