Coronation Street legend is declared bankrupt for second time over 'five figure' tax bill

Former Coronation Street star Philip Middlemiss, who played ladies man Des Barnes in the long running ITV soap for eight years from 1990 to 1998, has been declared bankrupt for a second time. The 62-year-old has filed for bankruptcy after failing to pay off "a hefty five figure sum" tax bill. HMRC were named as the petitioner in the High Court. The huge demand includes interest The Sun reported.

This is the second time he has been forced to file for bankruptcy due to tax issues the first being in 2012. On that occassion he blamed his financial difficulties on spiralling costs from a film he was directing in Ghana, which he helped finance. It ground to a halt after three years and he admitted: "[The film] was partly-funded by myself but I didn't have the money to fund the rest of the film. Filming came to a grinding halt. It was nearly three-quarters of the way along the line. It has been a difficult time. Three-and-a-half years is a long time to fund myself without any income. I have had to get money from family and friends."

Phillip faced further legal woes in 2020 when he was sought by Ghanaian police over an alleged £5million bribery. Although he denied any wrongdoing prosecutors named him as one of four people they wanted to question in relation to the £50million sale of three Airbus C-295 military planes to the country.

The incident was said to have happened while he was in the country making the film and Ghana's special prosecutor Martin Amidu stated he was believed to have been a project manager for Airbus, which sold the planes, when the alleged bribery took place.

It was also alleged he had incorporated a company in the UK in 2010 through which he assisted Airbus with the suspect deal.

He was formally cleared by investigators and never charged with anything but he would later say the ordeal turned his life upside down.

Philip made his Corrie debut as Des back in 1990, alongside his on-screen wife Steph (played by Amelia Bullmore). However, their soap relationship soon came to an end and he moved on to find new love with Natalie Horrocks (Denise Welch) in 1998.

Des had a heartbreaking exit from the show as he tried to intervene when a group of men attacked his stepson, Tony Horrocks, played by Lee Warburton, 52.

Having been knocked unconscious, he appeared to be recovering in hospital, however, he then passed away from a heart attack.

After a decade off screens he returned to TV last year to play the role of DI Travis Lennox in the now defunct BBC daytime soap Doctors. He previously had a role in an episode back in 2014, playing the character of Frank Pickard.