Coronation Street's Sam Aston on 20 years as Chesney: 'The cast call me Old Man Ches!'

"It's weird, I'm always in the green room and it's like 'alright Ches?'" the star explained. "Now they call me 'Old man Chesney!' People say, they might go, 'Oh I'm really sorry, that's obviously not your real name, what is your real name?' And I just say, 'Just call me Chesney, it's just easier.'

"It doesn't help that I've got 'Chesney' on my work shirt as well; I walk round with Chesney on my back, just in case people don't know!"

Can Aston believe he's reached such a milestone on the show? "No, not at all, it's just a whirlwind!" he explained. "Time just seems to absolutely fly here. I came in, I think, with like a six month contract to come in as Cilla's son, Fiz's brother, just to do a few eps, and before you know it, I've been here 20 years."

The star continued: "It's just mad! With getting 12 month contracts and things like that, you always think 'Could it be my time now?' Fortunately enough, I'm still here! I do feel like I've been here forever, but at the same time I try not to rest on my laurels. It's like when maybe a family member comes in or something, you're showing them [around]. You almost become a fan again, you kind of stand back and appreciate [it]."

Asked to name a favourite scene, the actor pondered: "I think I'd have to probably say two, to be honest. The main two really for me, the one where Schmeichel [Chesney's childhood dog] jumps in the bath and he came through the ceiling. I remember filming that vividly.

"Not to go off the topic too much, but when I was a child, all I wanted was a dog, and my mum and dad didn't get me one – just because they worked long hours, it's not fair on the dog, that kind of thing. So when I got a dog on the Street, it was like a bit of a dream come true for me!"

In terms of more recent scenes, Aston said his visit to Wales is also a standout.

"When we went to Llandudno and the quads [were born]. We were on the cable car. We had a good laugh in that period, when we did the caravan, we went off in a caravan. It was kind of all Gemma's idea, really. We had a great week in Llandudno, not sure if I ever want to go on that cable car again, though! I [had] motion sickness!"

Speaking about his current storyline, Aston also discussed Chesney's decision to lie to Gemma about how they've afforded the wedding, which has been secretly funded by his son Joseph's (William Flanagan) other grandmother Linda Hancock (Jacqueline Leonard).

"Certainly in the build up to it, the money issues, even though it's there, I don't think he wants to put that stress on Gemma, because Gemma just wants to have a really good time," the actor explained.

"You don't really see too much of that on that final run up to the wedding. I think it's more, like I say, just wanting Gemma to have the best day possible and we'll worry about the money side later – let's just have a good day.

"It's a bit of a catch 22 in a way. He wants to kind of do it himself and he knows Gemma does. But at the same time, Linda's a massive part of Joseph's life and she just wants the best day for them, which is nice."

Viewers will be able to see how Chesney and Gemma's big day pans out next week.

Read more:

• Coronation Street's Gemma will be "devastated" over Paul's diagnosis
• Michelle Keegan felt like an outsider in first role on Coronation Street

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