Mancester’s Alfie Middlemiss has been following in the footsteps of his soap icon dad as is playing Phil Foden in the new drama
Alfie Middlemiss stars in the BBC’s Dear England(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage)
The son of a Coronation Street legend is making his return to the small screen after sharing how he had swapped acting for his other love – boxing.
Alfie Middlemiss has been following in the footsteps of his soap icon dad Phil with his acting career – while also rising swiftly up the ranks in the boxing world.
On Sunday (May 24), the 22-year-old will be seen taking on the role of Manchester City footballer Phil Foden in Dear England. James Graham’s play hit the stage in June 2023, and no one could have anticipated how much of a smash hit it would become.
The Laurence Olivier Award-winning show tells the uplifting and sometimes heartbreaking story of the England football team and Gareth Southgate’s revolutionary tenure as their football manager.
It is inspired by the open letter Southgate wrote to England fans in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic — follows Southgate as he takes over the England football team as manager, when the team had the worst track record in the world for penalty shoot-outs.
Harry Maguire (ADAM HUGILL); Bukayo Saka (ABDUL SESSAY); Jordan Pickford (JOSH BARROW); Marcus Rashford (EDEM-ITA DUKE); Raheem Sterling (FRANCIS LOVEHALL); Phil Foden (ALFIE MIDDLEMISS) in Dear England(Image: BBC/Left Bank)
Now, a new BBC four-part series of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale star Joseph Fiennes reprises his role as Southgate, alongside Jodie Whittaker, who plays the England men’s team psychologist, Pippa Grange.
Other casting includes Will Antenbring as Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, The Crown’s Jason Watkins as former FA chairman Greg Dyke, and John Hodgkinson as another ex-FA chairman, Greg Clarke. The Bay star Daniel Ryan is set to play Steve Holland, the former assistant manager for the England men’s team, and Fargo actor Sam Spruell will play fictional coach Mike Webster.
Alfie, as mentioned, will take on Foden and speaking to Punchout Boxing about taking on the role, he said: “Obviously, my family are all in acting. My dad was an actor, and I’ve been acting for a long time, but I got this opportunity to play Phil Foden in Dear England, which was in the theatres a long time ago, but now it’s going to be on the BBC.
“It was an amazing opportunity, you know, even though I’m not very good at football, I did embrace it and it was a great opportunity. It’s going to be amazing, obviously, to my profile and everything like that. But yeah, I really enjoyed it.”
Alfie is the son of Coronation Street legend Phil Middlemiss(Image: Alfie Middlemiss)
Alfie’s dad, Phil, famously played bookie Des Barnes in Corrie from 1990 and 1998, during which time his character was married to Denise Welch’s Natalie Horrocks and heroically died after defending his step-son, Tony Horrocks, from a drugs gang.
Alfie has previously credited his parents for being “super supportive” with both of his passions, telling the Manchester Evening News: “They’ve always been supportive of my boxing, and they’re excited for this next stage.”
Back in 2022, Alfie was seen starring in the Madame Blanc Mysteries on Channel 5, alongside the likes of ex-Corrie star Sally Lindsay and Blackadder icon Tony Robinson, having won roles in big TV dramas including Waterloo Road and Doctors.
It came after he had earlier that year been crowned national champion at his weight in the England Boxing Championships, before, in 2024, he made his professional boxing debut in a featherweight bout in Liverpool in December. His progress has earned him a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Alfie actually won his first TV roles at the tender age of 10 with commercial campaigns for Morrisons and a small role in Emmerdale. He started boxing training at the age of 14 and swiftly discovered a passion for it, training at boxer Jamie Moore’s club in Walkden.