Richard Heap appeared in four roles on Coronation Street:
- DI Tyler in June 2000
- Stephen Rawlings in September 2001
- Superintendent Greenback in May 2003
- PC Pickering in April 2012.
With an acting CV dating back to the late 1990s, his numerous credits include roles in London's Burning, Minder, Van der Valk, Heartbeat, The Bill, Cold Feet, Murphy's Law, Casualty, My Parents Are Aliens, Emmerdale, EastEnders and Doctors, as well as feature films There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, The Gospel of John and Outlanders. On stage he has appeared in productions including Doctor Faustus, The Winter's Tale, Chatterton, Peter Pan, Tom Thumb, The Accrington Pals, Great Expectations, Arcadia, Mansfield Park and The Green Bay Tree.