Considered a career in professional boxing and had 3 training sessions in preparation for his role as a boxer in Francie Nichol when he was a teenager
Received an Honorary Degree from the University of Northumbria in July 1989
Landed a huge chart success in 1995 with the song "Unchained Melody," which he recorded together with Jerome Flynn for an episode of Soldier Soldier
In 1996, he set up an independent production company called Coastal Productions with the aim of supporting and promoting young aspiring actors from the North-East of England
When filming Extreme Fishing near Alaska, the team was hit by a Force 10 hurricane, while in the middle of the ocean, for 36 hours
Has a pyrotechnics license and occasionally puts on displays for events, including weddings