Related ArticlesFans of the ITV soap will recall that Sean joined the show as a teenager in 1985, and over the next two decades was at the centre of some of its biggest plots.

His character Martin married Jim’s Cafe manageress Gail Tilsley (Helen Worth), and later fathered their son David.

At the time it was reported that Sean didn’t agree with producer’s decisions to have Martin and underage Katy together, leading to his departure.

Following his exit, Sean has forged a career as a cheese connoisseur, launching his own company Artisan Farm in 2009.

A brief return stint on Corrie followed in 2018, when his onscreen son David Platt (Jack P Shepherd) turned to Martin for guidance after he was raped by Josh Tucker (Ryan Clayton), but his character was later sent to live in New Zealand.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Sean said: ‘I think the world of soaps is a different vehicle nowadays.’

He added: ‘I think I was part of the British soap industry at the best time, the halcyon years when there was 18 or 21 million people watching it.’

Sean also blamed current storylines for falling viewing figures, including Paul Foreman’s (Peter Ash) heartbreaking battle with motor neurone disease and Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) selling nude photographs online.

He said: ‘They [the stories] were all segwayed together [in his time]; you were five minutes from laughing and five minutes from crying.’

‘Nowadays it seems very much issue-centric, they’re trying to solve the world’s issues, which they’re not going to do.’

On a potential return in the future, he said: ‘Well, we’ll see. If the question was put in front of me then I’d have to think about it,’

‘I’m more than happy living the dream right now.’