Television Lonsdale's first major role on television occurred in 1986 when he played
Peter Barlow in
Coronation Street. He has subsequently re-appeared in the show on two further occasions. He first returned in 2011 in a minor role working for a
solicitor and again in May 2012, this time playing
Edwin Soames. Other, more minor television appearances, have seen Lonsdale take roles in the 1989
Inspector Morse episode
Driven to Distraction in which he played a
Detective; in the medical drama
Casualty (2011) and in the
soap opera Emmerdale (2018) in which he played a
private detective. Lonsdale has also twice appeared in the drama series
Vera. His first appearance was in the role of a Policeman, this being followed when he was cast as pub landlord Phil Annerly in the episode 'Dirty' (2020). In addition he has appeared in
The Bay (2022), in the
ITV drama series
Anne and as a
Catholic Priest who takes the
confession of disgraced television personality
Jimmy Savile in the
BBC's four-part drama
The Reckoning (2023).
Film Lonsdale had a minor role as a
repo man in the 1997 feature film
The Full Monty. In 2019 he appeared as a Desk Sergeant in the movie
Downton Abbey. Theatre Lonsdale appeared in the
pantomime Dick Whittington at the
Gracie Fields Theatre,
Rochdale, in 2018 - 2019. In recent years Lonsdale has played the part of Gordon Bennett in
Uncle Eric musical comedy plays at the New Vic Theatre in
Newcastle-under-Lyme. ==Personal life==