[4] Resident for a time in Cumbernauld,[3] he has appeared in many television productions, including Taggart, Peak Practice, River City (as serial womaniser Billy Davis), and the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special, "Voyage of the Damned".
[5] Asked about female reaction to his character's on-screen conspiracy to murder love rival Liam Connor, played by pin-up Rob James-Collier, O'Brien joked: "I'm sure most viewers believe that it's just a story.
[2] The Manchester show drew the ire of football fans when, in October 2008, several months after the 2008 UEFA Cup final riots, in a scripted line, O'Brien's evil character made a jibe about Rangers F.C.
[9] Gray left Coronation Street when his character was killed off at the end of a storyline, in which Tony Gordon held Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh) and Carla Connor (Alison King) hostage in the Underworld factory, which he sets ablaze; although his prisoners manage to escape alive.
[5] O'Brien began dating make-up artist Jill Farimond in 2008,[13] but it was reported in April 2009 that the couple had amicably split.