Peter Baldwin is best known for 21 years as Derek Wilton in Coronation Street before he died of a heart attack in his car after a road-rage incident. But did you know that he’s harboured a passion for miniature prosceniums for almost 30 years! ‘What’s a miniature proscenium?’ I hear you ask. He likes them so much that in 1988 along with his brother Christopher, Peter bought the the Benjamin Pollock toyshop in London's Covent Garden. It is home to possibly the best selection of toy theatres in the world.
"It all began when my first child, Julia, was a little girl," Peter told the Financial Times.
"We were trying to explain the nativity to her when I remembered my old toy theatre from childhood, which was packed away in the attic. It just happened to depict the nativity scene with all the characters, so I dug it out and put on a little show for her.
It really sparked my interest and I have gone on to build up a huge collection of many thousands of prints from all the major publishers of the 19th century."
From: Coronation Street: August 30, 8.30pm. Will Hayley get to the wedding