The 52-year-old, who rose to fame in Grange Hill, is charged under his real name John Shannon.

Alford, of Holloway, north London, is accused of four counts of sexual activity with a child and two relating to a second female of sexual assault and assault by penetration.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he denied all charges at a plea hearing in September last year.

There will be a pre-trial review hearing on 18 November at St Albans Crown Court, before the trial begins on 2 December at the same court.

It is estimated to last seven days.

As a teenager, the Glasgow-born actor played Robbie Wright for five years in the BBC drama Grange Hill.

His highest-profile role came in London's Burning, a show following the lives of firefighters in the capital running from 1988 until 2002.

Alford played Billy Ray in the ITV drama from 1993 until 1998.