Briggs also worked as a stagehand at the Windmill Theatre,[4] before completing two years of national service with the Royal Tank Regiment in Germany.

[6][7] In 2005 Briggs announced his intention to leave the role of Mike Baldwin in Coronation Street, citing the hectic filming schedule as the main reason for his departure.

Briggs' character (who had been ill with Alzheimer's disease for several months) collapsed and died in the arms of Ken Barlow in the street after suffering a heart attack.

[8] Briggs' last theatre appearance was at the Manchester Opera House in the 2007 pantomime in which he played the father of Cinderella alongside former Coronation Street co-star Tina O'Brien.

[9] Despite suggesting he was to retire from acting after leaving Coronation Street, Briggs made appearances in both Agatha Christie's Marple and Holby City in 2007, as well as the short-lived ITV soap opera Echo Beach in 2008.