Coronation Street's Roy to take a break

Coronation Street veteran David Neilson - aka Roy Cropper - is to take a two-month break from Weatherfield to return to the stage for the first time in over a decade.

David, 58, will play Lucky in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting For Godot in Manchester next February.

Roy will follow in wife Hayley's footsteps by heading off to Africa to do voluntary work with disadvantaged children.

Becky Grainger will be left holding the fort at Roy's Rolls.

"David will be treading the boards for a while but he remains firmly with the show," said a Coronation Street spokesperson.

"He will only be off screen for a couple of weeks but away from us for a couple of months."

David said: "The last time I was on stage was 13 years ago and I'm interested in being in a rehearsal room again for three or four weeks."

However, he did remark it would be 'a bit of a culture shock'.

Before joining the Corrie cast in 1995, David appeared in Casualty and the Mike Leigh films Life Is Sweet and Secrets & Lies.