Keith Duffy may have fond memories of his Coronation Street years, but fans hoping to see Ciaran McCarthy stroll back into the Rovers Return are set for disappointment. The Boyzone star has now made it clear that, despite loving his time on the cobbles, a return no longer feels right to him after so many years away.
Keith Duffy Says Coronation Street Would Feel “Alien” Now
Keith Duffy, who played charming Ciaran McCarthy for a decade, has ruled out ever returning to Coronation Street. The 52-year-old singer, who is preparing to reunite with his Boyzone bandmates next month for two major shows at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, told The Sun that he has “no interest” in going back to the ITV soap after 14 years away.
In an exclusive interview on behalf of Zingo Bingo, Keith said he still values the time he spent on the show, but he feels that era has passed. He explained, “I just feel that I was in Corrie at the right time. Not only for that reason, but also because the iconic stars of Coronation Street, like Mike Baldwin and Fred Elliott and Jack and Vera Duckworth, and Deirdre Barlow and all these iconic characters, I worked with all of them; they were all in the show when I was there, and they’re all gone.”
Keith added that the current version of Coronation Street feels far removed from the one he knew. He said, “I think Ken Barlow’s the only one, Bill Roache is the only one left as far as I know, so I don’t recognise anybody. My mum still watches Corrie regularly; if I’m in her house, I’ll watch it with her, but I don’t recognise anybody. And they’ve moved from Quay Street in Manchester now; they’re out by Media City now in Salford Quays, so I’ve never been in that building, so everything would just be alien to me now.
Keith Reflects On Acting, His Son Jay, And The Changing TV World
Keith also pointed out that the television landscape has changed dramatically since his Corrie days. He said, “At the time I was in Corrie, you didn’t have all these platforms like Amazon and Netflix. And there’s so many different platforms now that people are finding their entertainment on. A lot of these long-running soaps are struggling now, because they don’t have the audiences that they used to.” With 160 tour dates booked this year, the Ireland-based star has little time to seriously consider acting work.
His heart, however, appears to lean more toward theatre and the West End than a soap comeback. Keith said, “I just hope if the day ever arrives again, and I get an opportunity, that I haven’t forgotten what I’m doing, and I’m able to pick it up quickly enough again, that’s the thing. I mean, singing, like anything, it’s a muscle that needs to be exercised, maintained, and looked after.”
He also admitted that script reading does not come as easily now as it once did. He said, “In the Coronation Street days, I could read a script in 10 minutes and retain the information. These days, I pick up a script, because I get scripts from time to time. And I do read them out of interest, knowing that I’ll never be able to do it. But I like to read them. But I find it a difficult read now. I might have to read it once or twice to retain the information. So, it is something that you lose if you don’t stay on top of it.”
For now, music remains Keith’s main focus. Boyzlife’s fifth original single is on the way, and Keith believes the track could push the duo to a new level, describing it as a “great pop tune”. He is also looking forward to performing again with Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, and Mikey Graham. Stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more Coronation Street spoilers and behind-the-scenes updates.