PEOPLE shopping in Newton Aycliffe over the weekend got more than they bargained for when a TV actor rocked up at the town’s market and started selling cheese that he’d produced at home.

On Saturday (June 4) – former Coronation Street actor-turned cheesemaker Sean Wilson shocked droves of people at Newton Aycliffe market when he came to set up a stall and start selling cheeses and other food items.

The TV star, who played Martin Platt on hit show Coronation Street from 1985 until 2005 and appeared in Waterloo Road, Casualty and Doctors, also started creating artisan cheeses alongside his on-screen presence.

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Through his Saddleworth Cheese Company, the Lancastrian has cooked in several Michelin starred restaurants, brought out numerous cookbooks and made TV shows on cheese in what has become his alter-ego away from acting.

During his time in Newton Aycliffe on Saturday, the 57-year-old helped local charity Junction 7 to help distribute surplus food that would normally go to waste, as well as helping crowds with tasty recipes and food ideas.

Here's some snaps of Sean Wilson in Newton Aycliffe:

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Pictures: DARRAN WESTON.

This fits in with his charitable side outside acting, which has seen him become a patron of UK charity, Development of Children and Women Centre Nepal.

Dressed in a tartan blazer, jeans and sunglasses, Wilson also greeted fans, took photos and was all smiles as he went about his day of sales as a cheesemaker.

The actor, who appeared in over 1500 episodes of Coronation Street, produces cheeses including one called ‘Muldoons Picnic’, another named ‘Hows Yer Father’, while a comically named ‘Mouth Almighty’ is also a best seller.

According to The Saddleworth Cheese Company site, the business is “committed to making handmade artisan cheese using only PR3 postcoded milk from the heart of the Trough of Bowland to form various cheese including Lancashire crumbly (Muldoons Picnic), Lancashire Creamy (Hows yer father), Lancashire  Tasty (Mouth Almighty) and a specially formulated medium soft blue cheese (Smelly Ha'peth).

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