Anthony Cotton: from Soap Star Superstar to chat show host

Anthony Cotton, best know as Coronation Street’s gay bar man, Sean Tully, is a very busy man. For an initial five-week period, Cotton will be fronting That Anthony Cotton Show on ITV1. Airing at 5pm every week day, the hourlong chat show puts him in direct competition with the king and queen of chat shows, Richard and Judy, and Paul O’Grady, who appear on rival Channel Four.

Billed as a mix of celebrity chat and topical humor, according to Cotton, it’s going to be “gossipy, light-hearted, chatty and irreverent but most of all fun, with lots of tea and cake."

Thirty-two-year-old Cotton had been in talks with ITV for a couple of years about hosting his own chat show, but it was after winning the celebrity talent show Soap Star Superstar earlier this year that they finally offered him his own show.

Out actor Cotton is shaping up to be a favorite with British TV audiences, no doubt due to his popularity on Coronation Street. And with TV bosses hoping Cotton will prove a teatime ratings hit, it’s all looking good so far. According to overnight estimates, the first edition of the show, broadcast on August 13, 2007, beat teatime stalwarts Richard and Judy. That Anthony Cotton Show pulled in an average audience of 2m, compared to the 1.1m for his Channel Four rivals.

But even if his new chat show proves to be a big success, Cotton has vowed not to quit Coronation Street. He told Britain’s New! Magazine: "I have no ambition to leave Corrie. I've just signed up for another year so I certainly won't be leaving any time soon."

Which is good news for soap fans, especially considering Cotton is currently involved in a rather juicy storyline, which sees his character Sean having a baby with his best friend, Violet.

For Cotton, a life-long fan of the soap, getting the part of Sean Tully on Coronation Street was a dream come true. Although he first came to public attention back in 1999 as Alexander in Queer As Folk, it is thanks to Coronation Street that he has become a household name.

More on Cotton after the jump...

In 2005, he took home the National Television Award for Best Newcomer, as well as the Inside Soap Award that same year for Best Newcomer and Funniest Performance. Already this year, he has won Soap Star Superstar, and been crowned best actor at the British Soap Awards.

Whether it’s soap star, singing star or chat show host, it seems the future looks bright and bubbly for Anthony Cotton.

“I feel very excited. I'm lucky that ITV has given me the opportunity to do this show alongside my role in Coronation Street. I've never done anything like this before so it's entirely new for me.”

Despite being tight-lipped about future guests, Cotton says his dream guest would be “Shirley Bassey… because she's so talented, funny and people absolutely adore her.”