Sam Aston has played Chesney Brown on the ITV soap since 2003
Coronation Street enthusiasts were left stunned after discovering that actor Sam Aston’s real-life sister had a role in the ITV soap. Sam is best known for his portrayal of Chesney Brown, a character he first brought to life in 2003 when he was just 10 years old. He played the son of Cilla Battersby-Brown (Wendi Peters) and half-brother to Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine).
Like many child actors, Sam grew up on the show, tackling a range of intense storylines including being held hostage, frequent break-ups, and becoming a single father. Recently, his character has been grappling with the aftermath of Paul Foreman’s (Peter Ash) death, who was the twin brother of his wife Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell).
Over the years, Sam has become a favourite among Corrie fans, even winning the Best Newcomer award at the National Television Awards in 2004. The following year, he received the Best Dramatic Performance for a Young Actor at the British Soap Awards, reports the Mirror.
Sam is a soap favourite (Image: No credit)
It seems acting talent runs in the family, as his sister Emily is also a soap star. Interestingly, she appeared on Coronation Street in the nineties. Emily portrayed Becky Palmer on the ITV soap from 1996 to 1997, appearing in 51 episodes. Since then, she has starred in BBC’s Doctors, This Is England ’88, and Hollyoaks.
Fans were stunned to discover a family connection on Corrie, with viewers expressing their amazement on social media. On a dedicated Corrie Facebook fan page, one viewer remarked: “Wow! ! The girl that played Becky (daughter of one of Des’ girlfriends) is actually Chesneys (Sam Aston) real sister!”
His sister appeared on Corrie(Image: ITV)
Others quickly chimed in, with one person observing: “Spit of each other ain’t they.” Another echoed the sentiment, saying: “Now you said you can see it wow.” One more joined the conversation, exclaiming: “U can tell!” and another simply noted: “She so like him.”
But Emily isn’t the only acting talent in Sam’s family. His brother Joseph once took on the role of Tommy Duckworth, part of the legendary Jack and Vera Duckworth’s family tree, back in 2000. And brother Thomas has also taken to the screen, appearing in episodes of Casualty and The Bill.
She has appeared in several other soaps(Image: Channel 4)
In a chat about how his siblings have influenced his work on the long-running soap, particularly in scenes where his character manages life with quintuplets, Sam shared insights with The Mirror among others. He divulged: “Because I grew up in a big family anyway, I’ve always been used to the chaos.”
He elaborated on his personal experiences, adding: “I’ve got five sisters, three brothers. So I’m used to a lot of people being around in the house and children and all sorts. So it’s not as crazy as it sounds. I don’t think it’s as crazy as what it could be when you initially think there are four babies on set.”
Sam also touched upon the difficulties of working with infants on-set, confiding: “I think it’s harder if anything when there’s newborns and we were brand new to it. Because I’ve got two kids myself, maybe I am a bit more calm in that situation.”
