Cope married actress Renny Lister, whom he had met when she worked on Coronation Street, in 1961. They had two sons and a daughter together and lived in Witney, Oxfordshire. Their sons Nick and Mark Cope went on to form a rock band, The Candyskins. Their daughter, Martha Cope, is an actress. In 1997, Lister announced her retirement. In 1974, Cope and his wife opened a restaurant, in Watlington, Oxfordshire, named Martha's Kitchen after his daughter. Cope was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2000, but six years later he was told this was a misdiagnosis; he now suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In January 2014, Cope appeared as a character witness during the trial of former Coronation Street colleague William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow in the series. Cope now resides in Southport, and writes a weekly column for the weekly Southport Visiter newspaper. Filmography Impulse (1954) as Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited) The Gilded Cage (1955) as Hotel Receptionist (uncredited) Doublecross (1956) as Jeffrey X the Unknown (1956) as Private Lansing Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (1957) as Store's Rating HMS Amythest These Dangerous Years (1957) as The Juggler Dunkirk (1958) as Lt. Lumpkin No Time to Die (1958) as 2nd English Soldier Naked Fury (1959) as Johnny The Lady Is a Square (1959) as Dereck Jungle Street (1960) as Johnny The Criminal (1960) as Kelly The Unstoppable Man (1961) as Benny Edgar Wallace Mysteries (1962) as Derek Maitland Tomorrow at Ten (1962) as Sergeant Grey The Damned (1963) as Sid Carry On Jack (1963) as Sailor (uncredited) Father Came Too! (1963) as Ron Change Partners (1965) as Joe Trent Genghis Khan (1965) as Subotai Dateline Diamonds (1965) as Lester Benson Night of the Big Heat (1967) as Tinker Mason Hammerhead (1968) as Motorcyclist A Twist of Sand (1968) as Flag Officer The Desperados (1969) as Carlin A Touch of the Other (1970) as Delger She'll Follow You Anywhere (1971) as Mike Carter Catweazle (1971) ("The Wogle Stone") as Jack Victor Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) as Vic Spanner Carry On Matron (1972) as Cyril Carter Rentadick (1972) as West The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972) 'Sailor on a Horse' as Henry Thackery Juggernaut (1974) as Bridgeman Minder - (1979) "Bury My Half at Waltham Green" as Arthur Stubbs (1985) "Waiting for Goddard" as 'Scooter' (1994) "Bring Me the Head of Arthur Daley" as Phelan George and