A Byker Grove star looked almost unrecognisable as he make a rare TV appearance on Thursday.
The actor, 77, appeared alongside two of his former co-stars as during an interview on Loose Women – which came 23 years after he left the iconic CBBC series.
The TV personality starred in the drama for 10 years, where he acted alongside stars including Ant and Dec.
Following his time on the show, he’s appeared in countless pantomimes across the country and even had a role in hit film Billy Elliot.
But can you guess who it is?
Here he is: A Byker Grove star looked almost unrecognisable as he make a rare TV appearance on Thursday
TV appearance: The actor, 77, appeared alongside two of his former co-stars as during an interview on Loose Women – which came 23 years after he left the iconic CBBC series
Yes, it’s Billy Fane.
Billy played moustached youth club leader Geoff and was a staple on the show as he kept the youths in check.
However, the character came to a sticky end in 2000 when he was killed off during a gas explosion.
And while he still has his impressive moustache, Billy looks much different from his time on the show, sporting grey hair, a shorter haircut and black-rimmed glasses.
The actor joined fellow Byker Grove star Lyndyann Barrass, who portrayed teen Spuggy, on Loose Women where they spoke about life after the show.
Speaking to the panel, which included fellow Byker Grove alumni Denise Welch, Lyndyann told how she has launched her own cleaning business, with the impressive name of Dusty Spingclean.
She said: ‘At the moment I have my own cleaning company, Dusty Springclean. But I never actually came out of it as such, I got married, I had kids, I got divorced. Life happens.’
Meanwhile, Billy – whose real name is Malcolm Collins – also embarked on a completely different career path since saying goodbye to the Grove.
It’s him! Yes, it’s Billy Fane. Billy played moustached youth club leader Geoff and was a staple on the show as he kept the youths in check
Oh dear: However, the character came to a sticky end in 2000 when he was killed off during a gas explosion
Youths: Billy appeared in the BBC drama alongside a young Ant and De, who portrayed PJ and Duncan
He revealed to the panel that he now teaches in prisons, having initially trained as a teacher for dyslexic adults in his mid-50s.
After undertaking a postgraduate education course at Hull University aged 58, Billy is now now in charge of teaching in six prisons across the north of England.
He told the panel: ‘I went to teach in a young offenders institution. I then did a masters degree in Special Educational Needs and Intuitive Learning and the college I was working for had the contract for delivering education in prisons and young offenders insinuations and prisons across the country.’
Billy previously told the Chronicle Live: ‘It was something I wanted to do from my 20s when I dropped out of working with disadvantaged kids as I didn’t believe I could get the qualifications needed.
Today: While he still has his impressive moustache, Billy looks much different from his time on the show, sporting grey hair, a shorter haircut and black-rimmed glasses
Co-stars: The actor joined fellow Byker Grove star Lyndyann Barrass, who portrayed teen Spuggy, on Loose Women where they spoke about life after the show
Way back when: As bolshy youngster Spuggie, Lyndyann Barrass was one of Byker Grove’s most famous faces and starred on the show for a total of four years and six series
‘But after Byker Grove finished I started a creative writing class at Castington Offenders Institute and things just took off.
‘I loved learning at university and now I am able to pass that knowledge on. I don’t think I’ve been as happy.’
Since his exit from the show, Billy has also had minor roles in films like Cloud Cuckoo Land and Young Hearts Run Free in 2004 and 2011 respectively.
He also returned to his stand-up comedy roots with a spot of pantomime.
His latest TV appearances include Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway in 2014 and The Last Leg in 2020.
Byker Grove, which launched in 1989 and ran for 18 series, attracted audiences of up to 11 million viewers an episode at its peak despite its late afternoon time slot.
Series: The show – which launched in 1989 and aired its final episode in 2006 – was a coming of age series that followed the turbulent lives of the members of a youth centre in Newcastle
Comeback kids: Ant and Dec have confirmed they’re reviving Byker Grove almost two decades after the children’s series aired its final episode
The programme focused on the lives of young people who attended a youth club in the Byker district of Newcastle and featured local accents rarely heard on television at the time.
Ant and Dec soon launched a pop career as their characters PJ and Duncan before going on to become Britain’s most popular TV duo.
The programme also helped launch the careers of actress and Strictly winner Jill Halfpenny, TV presenter and actress Donna Air and Hollywood star Charlie Hunnam.
Earlier this month, in a move set to bring joy to all Nineties nostalgia fans, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have confirmed the return of the beloved Geordie children’s drama.
Renamed as simply Byker, the show will be aimed ‘at a primetime audience’ and will ‘engage with a new generation of teenagers navigating the different challenges faced by young adults today’, said production company Fulwell 73.
