London’s Burning and Grange Hill star John Alford, 52, charged with sex offences involving a child
ACTOR John Alford — star of London’s Burning and Grange Hill — has been charged with sex offences involving a child.
The 52-year-old father of two was arrested earlier this year and stands accused of six offences in total.
He faces four allegations of sexual activity with a child, plus one of sexual assault and another of sexual assault by penetration.
The Glasgow-born star was charged under his real name, John Shannon. He will face trial at St Albans crown court on December 2.
A pre-trial review is scheduled at the same court for November.
Alford was just 13 when he found fame as Robbie Wright in school drama Grange Hill in 1985.
His break came after he trained at Anna Scher’s stage school in North London alongside EastEnders stars Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer.
Robbie had an on screen romance with Calley Donnington (Simone Hyams), was pals with Ziggy Greaves (George Christopher) and was part of the show’s anti-drugs single Just Say No.
Alford admitted he struggled with fame in his early career and is reported to have drunk “up to 18 bottles of beer and nine shots of spirits a night”.
He later said: “When I got ill, I went to see somebody. They looked at my liver and told me to stop, which my mum had been telling me for years.”
After leaving Grange Hill, he became a favourite as fireman Billy Ray in ITV drama London’s Burning from 1993 to 1998 — with the show pulling in more than 18million viewers a night.
Alford was on the show at the height of its success, which saw it become ITV’s third longest-running drama behind Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
His role in the Blue Watch led to a short-lived pop career in 1996 when he had three singles in the UK Top 30.
Debut song Smoke In Your Eyes reached No13 and led to him performing on Top Of The Pops.
He released two more songs with Blue Moon/Only You his most successful, reaching No9.
Alford left London’s Burning in 1998, with co-star Glen Murphy, who played firefighter George Green, praising his time in the soap.
Glen said: “John is the best thing in London’s Burning. He is the most popular member with the cast, and the most popular with the public. He is a fabulous actor and we love working with him.”
Alford went on to work as a scaffolder and minicab driver but did manage to break back into acting.
In 2001 he had a minor role in the film Mike Bassett: England Manager before trying his hand in reality television in Trust Me: I’m A Beauty Therapist two years later.
Alford also had minor roles in BBC hospital drama Casualty in 2008 and 2009, and played a prison guard in British film The Hatton Garden Job, alongside Larry Lamb and Joely Richardson, in 2017.