Rockin' The Rafters
Newcastle Herald
Friday October 3, 2008
ACTOR Craig McLachlan is the first to admit that playing an ageing rocker in Packed to the Rafters is not too much of a stretch.
McLachlan will play Steve Wilson, lead singer of The Front an '80s rock band of which series star Dave Rafter (played by Erik Thomson) was a founding member. In the early '90s, McLachlan capitalised on his popularity on Neighbours and churned out Aussie and UK hit singles such as a remake of the Bo Diddley song Mona.He has also starred in musicals such as Grease both in Australia and the UK, where he continues to live most of the time."When they said they wanted me to play an ageing rock guitarist, I said 'what are you trying to tell me? That's a bit close to the bone'," McLachlan said of his latest TV role.Raised on the Central Coast, McLachlan played in bands as a youngster and in the early '80s worked as fitness instructor at Howzat in Newcastle.Following his stint at Howzat, he moved to Sydney where he went on to score a role as Charlene's (Kylie Minogue's) brother on Neighbours.McLachlan will appear on Prime's Packed to the Rafters on Tuesday, October 14, and Tuesday, October 21.He sings in both episodes and appears in the October 21 episode with a band that is actually made up of his own muso buddies.In a few weeks he heads back to London, where his son Jacob lives with his mother, actress Charlotte Avery.
© 2008 Newcastle Herald