Here is our tribute to 10 well-known names linked to the town, which date all the way back to a sugar magnate, nod towards the birth of reality TV in Britain and even include some comedy legends behind cult classics.
5. Dave Spikey
Chorley stand-up comedian Dave Spikey (born David Gordon Bramwell in 1951 can also list actor, writer and film producer on his CV. The award-winning comedy king wrote and starred in the British TV hit Phoenix Nights, and has also enjoyed mainstream success presenting Bullseye and Chain Letters, and serving as team captain for the first four series of 8 Out of 10 Cats.
He is the man behind ITV comedy-drama Dead Man Weds (2005), which co-stars in with Johnny Vegas, and was voted into the Channel 4 100 Greatest Stand-Ups by the British public in 2010. Photo: Google
6. Ken Morley
Kenneth Morley (left) was born in Chorley Hospital in 1943 and went on to become a Coronation Street legend. The actor and comedian played Reg Holdsworth in the ITV soap opera from 1989 to 1995 while also appearing as General Leopold von Flockenstuffen in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! from 1988 to 1991. Photo: Archive
7. Kevin Simm
Former Runshaw College student Kevin Simm graced our TV screens in ITV's music contest Popstars in 2001, missing out on a winning spot in the newly formed band Hear'Say, which in included Kym Marsh, of Coronation Street fame. But Chorley singer Kevin went on to form Liberty X with some of the other runner-ups, winning a gong for Best British Single for their first number one, Just A Little, beating off competition from Atomic Kitten, Gareth Gates and Will Young. Kevin is now the lead singer of chart toppers Wet Wet Wet, replacing original singer Marti Pellow who has gone solo. Photo: Google
8. Phil Cool
Chorley-born impressionist Phil Cool became one of the most recognised faces in Britain in the 1980s.
Having attended St Augustine’s Secondary Modern School (which later became Holy Cross), he left school at 15 and worked in a cotton mill, before becoming an apprentice for a local electrician.
Phil, who also has ties with Chorley Little Theatre, was practising his performances in Preston when he was spotted by an agent. Then in 1984, Phil joined his idol Jasper Carrot's management team, and after being spotted by a BBC producer while working as an audience warm up for Spitting Image, he joined up for the daytime TV show, Pebble Mill at One.
He eventually became a household name, even performing in front of Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the London Palladium. Photo: Google