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Former Coronation Street favourite dies aged just 56

Iain Rogerson played Rovers employee Harry Flagg

Iain Rogerson, the actor who played Coronation Street’s Harry Gregg, has died after a suspected insulin overdose.

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The 56-year-old actor featured in Corrie for two years from 2002, leaving in 2004, and had previously appeared in The Bill, Casualty and Doctors.

Iain was taken to Wrexham Maelor hospital where he passed away on October 13. An inquest opened this week heard that the case was a suspected insulin overdose.

Iain’s character, Harry Flagg, arrived on the Coronation Street cobbles after having worked as a cleaner at Manchester Airport, including the VIP suite.

Harry became a regular character after stopping in the Rovers Return and commenting on how ‘unclean’ the pub was, much to the horror of then-landlord, Fred Elliott, played by John Savident.

Harry suggested he could clean the Rovers for the fee of £10 and a few pints, and impressed Fred, winning he job of postman and cellar man on a  full- time basis.

Harry went on to work for Coronation Street icon Mike Baldwin, played by Johnny Briggs, cleaning at the Underworld factory.

While he was there, he even managed to save the life of businessman Preston King, who suffered a heart attack after having a go at Harry.

Harry performed CPR on the stricken man until an ambulance turned up.

Harry didn’t see eye to eye with Frankie, wife of Mike’s son Danny Baldwin, played by Bradley Walsh, and, in an ‘hilarious’ reference to Harry’s surname, she called him ‘Half Mast’.

Harry decided to swap Coronation Street for a driving tour around the sights of Europe, and even offered Eileen Grimshaw, played by Sue Cleaver, the chance to join him on his trip, but she turned him down.

Iain’s exit from the soap saw fans set up an online petition calling for Harry’s return, and, although show bosses at the time said that the door would be left open, Harry Flagg never came back.

Iain’s former agents, CV Actor Management, made a statement on Twitter, saying: “It is with great sadness we say goodbye to our friend & client former @itvcorrie actor Iain Rogerson.”

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Iain had also appeared in several films over a long career, including Ricky Tomlinson’s Mike Bassett: England Manager and Elizabeth Hurley’s Bedazzled.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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