Tricky Dicky gets back on the box

Former Coronation Street star Brian Capron has joined the cast of ITV drama Where The Heart Is.

Capron helped the Street soap reach a ratings high last year when he played serial killer Richard Hillman.

And the actor’s new role in the cosy Yorkshire drama may also have a hint of villainy.

He plays Ozias Harding, a successful businessman who arrives in Skelthwaite and shows an interest in the struggling paper factory.

At first the community welcome him, believing he has come to save the business and safeguard their jobs.

But viewers will soon suspect that Harding has a hidden agenda.

A show spokesman said: “We are delighted that Brian Capron is joining us and we are sure his addition to the cast will prove popular with our viewers.”

Capron will join regulars Lesley Dunlop, Phil Middlemiss and Kerrie Taylor when the show returns for its eighth series in the summer.

He is not the only former Street star joining the long-running show.

Thelma Barlow, who played Mavis, will appear in a cameo role, along with Only Fools And Horses star Roger Lloyd Pack.

The Coronation Street episode featuring Hillman’s canal death plunge was watched by 19.4 million viewers – making it the most popular British show of 2003.

It trounced arch-rival EastEnders, which drew an audience of 16.7 million for Dirty Den’s return to Walford.