Coronation Street star Craig Charles has sparked concern among fans after pulling out of the London Film and Comic Con due to illness.
The 60-year-old actor, who plays Lloyd Mullaney on the soap, was due to appear alongside his co-stars from the BBC sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf, in which he played the last human alive, Dave Lister.
Event organisers released a now-deleted statement saying Charles had initially delayed his appearance due to a “family emergency” but when they knocked on his hotel room door at 11.30am there was no reply.
“At 11:30am we spent 20 minutes knocking on his hotel room door where there was no answer,” they told ticketholders on Facebook, per MailOnline.
“His Red Dwarf colleagues were able to contact him at 12.30 where he confirmed he was ill and unable to attend. These are the facts.”
They added that the meet and greet would still go ahead with Lister’s co-stars Danny John-Jules, Hattie Hayridge and Robert Llewellyn but ticket holders would receive a £60 refund due to Charles' absence.
“If anybody does not want the group shot, any unused tickets will automatically be refunded after the show,” the post read.
Charles shared a statement on X/Twitter hours later explaining that he’d fallen ill and was unable to appear at the event as planned.
“I'd just like to say sorry to [event organisers] Showmasters and the fans at comicon [sic]. I made it to the hotel but woke up at three this morning with stomach pains,” he wrote.
“I then proceeded to be violently ill for hours. Not a pretty sight. I tried to see if it would wear off but at 10am I called it off and came back to Manchester.
“I'm feeling slightly better now and I’m drinking lots of water and electrolytes. Again sorry for the cancellation and I look forward to next time.”
The Independent has contacted Charles’s and London Film and Comic Con’s representatives for comment.
Fans shared their support for the actor in the comment section of his statement, telling him to “take care” of himself and saying he didn’t “have anything to apologise for”.
“As long as you’re on the mend, that’s the main thing,” another person added.
It comes just days after Charles’ co-star Chris Barrie also pulled out of London Film and Comic Con due to an ongoing “medical situation” he was still “beginning to get my head around”.
“In the light of this I shall be attending no more events over the summer and into the autumn,” he said. “Updates on all this will be issued as and when.”
At the peak of its popularity, Red Dwarf attracted more than 8m viewers, sold over 11.5 million DVD and videos worldwide, and was broadcast in some 25 territories worldwide. The series also won International Emmy and British Comedy Awards.
