After killing Stephen Reid, Peter Barlow of Coronation Street struggled to move on and lost his sense of purpose in life. He is scheduled to leave the ITV soap opera tonight.
Actor Chris Gascoyne, who plays Peter Barlow on Coronation Street, has talked about his impending departure from the ITV soap opera and acknowledged that his final scenes were poignant. Chris joined the soap opera in 2000, and he only took a vacation from the program once, from 2003 to 2007.
Following his initial comeback, Peter fell in love with Allison King’s character Carla Connor, and the two have been a solid team ever since. But in the last year, Carla nearly experienced a relapse into psychosis, and Peter killed Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce). As a result, the couple has struggled.
The last scenes of Peter and Carla’s relationship, which are scheduled to air tonight, are expected to spark a lot of discussion.
Speaking candidly about his last moments, he disclosed that they will consist “pretty much” of just him and Alison, whom he has heaped praise upon throughout their relationship.
“We never rehearse the scenes really before we do it,” he told the BBC. You have one or two tries, and I can pretty much predict Ali’s style of play.
“Really, the fun part is when I just react and she responds to me. I also believe that if the audience is left in the dark about what will happen next in a scene, then neither am I.
It wasn’t because I was leaving that made me feel emotional when I read the last script; rather, it was because it truly moved me.
“I think it’s as well-written script as you’re going to get at Coronation Street and I think most people will have had exactly the same thing in their life, so they’ll identify with it.”
Chris continued, “Of course, I’ve not ruled [a return] out, it’s been such a part of my life,” leaving the door open for Peter to return.
“I’ve spent so much time there growing up, but I need to take a break and look for new opportunities because I’m not getting any younger.
“Leaving the people I work with—and I’m not just talking about the actors—upset me, though. These are all people I’ve known for almost half of my life.”
Carla gave Peter a one-way ticket to his friend’s boat, about which he has been talking for the past few months, during the Christmas Day episode.
Chris left his role as Weatherfield to make his stage debut as Captain Arthur K. Hook in The All New Adventures of Peter Pan, trading in the drama of the cobbles for pantomime.
