Craig Charles faces drug allegations
Tuesday, 20 Jun 2006 15:19
Craig Charles faces drug allegations
Actor Craig Charles has been suspended from both his BBC 6 Music show and his role as cab driver Lloyd Mullaney on Coronation Street following allegations of drug abuse.
Pictures of the 42-year-old apparently smoking crack cocaine during a four-hour journey from London to Manchester appeared in today's Daily Mirror, which claimed that the soap star had taken 60 hits of the class A drug during his trip.
Responding to the publication of the pictures, both ITV and the BBC issued statements confirming Charles' indefinite suspensions.
"These are very serious allegations and we shall be talking to Craig Charles about them," a BBC spokesperson said.
Reports suggest that Charles met with Corrie producer Steve Frost this morning regarding the pictures, which appear to show him leering uncontrollably and looking at porn magazines. Charles appears to use an empty lager bin as a pipe which the Daily Mirror alleges contains cocaine crystals.
Charles originally found fame as Lister in the BBC's Red Dwarf sitcom. He had presented Robot Wars and participated in Channel Four's The Games before beginning his Corrie stint last year.