A man was minding his own business, shopping in a Co-op in Birmingham, but people were floored when they realised they had seen him before. The individual is actually a huge star, known for his role in a popular Netflix series.
Unexpected celebrity sighting
You do not expect to run into Hollywood royalty when buying a pint of milk from the shop. Most people will never meet a celebrity in their lifetimes. Some believe the only chance of an organic encounter is reserved for trips to London, where West End actors and models may be seen, or holidays to star-studded locations like Los Angeles. However, Birmingham is also a hotspot for celebrity spotting due to its popularity as a filming location.
This was demonstrated recently when a shopper got the shock of his life while picking up groceries at his local Co-op. He ran into a television megastar while paying for his goods.
The video that went viral
Max, a surveyor living in Birmingham, shared a video on social media that showed the back of another Co-op customer's head. People were gobsmacked to discover who it was. Dressed in a cream-coloured coat with a popped collar that partially concealed his face, the man using the Co-op self-service machine was none other than Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton.
Max wrote alongside his video: "Well, seeing Jonathan Byers shopping in my local Co-op in Birmingham was not on my bingo card for 2026." Charlie played Jonathan Byers in the Netflix series and has been spotted in Birmingham multiple times in recent months. While the star lives in the United States with his partner and fellow Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer (who played Nancy Wheeler), he is believed to be in Birmingham to film the new Peaky Blinders sequel series.
Filming in Birmingham
His role in the spin-off, which takes place 10 years after the events of the recent Netflix film The Immortal Man, is being kept under tight wraps. However, he is expected to star alongside Jamie Bell as Duke Shelby, a character played by Barry Keoghan in the film.
The video of Charlie shopping was filmed from afar, and it does not appear that Max approached him or spoke to him. However, commenters were split on whether Max should have filmed him at all.
Public reaction
One person asked: "He is literally just buying groceries in peace, why are we filming him?" Another added: "Recording people secretly going about their daily lives is crazy." A third wrote: "He is only an actor at the end of the day who plays fictional characters. Just your average human who deserves privacy."
But a few commenters could not believe Max's luck, saying they wished they had been the ones to spot the actor doing his shopping. Someone said: "Newhall St Co-op? Oh, now I am p*****, that is like my local Co-op." Another lamented: "What?? I live in Birmingham and I did not see him!"
Who is Charlie Heaton?
Charlie, from Leeds, is best known for his role in Stranger Things but has also appeared in classic British staples like Vera and Casualty. He has also featured in the films The New Mutants, Marrowbone, and As You Are, which viewers may recognise him from as well.
