‘I was shell-shocked’ admits John Thomson as he breaks silence on return to Coronation Street after Sean Wilson axe
JOHN Thomson has broken his silence on his huge return to Coronation Street.
Sean Wilson was set to return as Martin Platt as part of the exit storyline for Helen Worth.
After over 40 years on Coronation Street, the Gail Platt actress decided to step away from the beloved character.
Her ex-husband Martin was going to make a huge comeback, before he suddenly stopped filming scenes.
The actor left bosses having to rewrite scenes after he decided to step away from the long-running ITV serial drama for “personal reasons.”
It was later announced that John, was to reprise the role as Jesse Chadwick instead.
Now, he has opened up on his sudden comeback, saying that he was ‘shell-shocked’ when he filmed his first scenes.
This was because he said turnaround behind the scenes was fast paced as he labelled the production as a ‘baptism of fire’.
He explained: “I was a bit shell-shocked when I first came in because I’d forgotten the speed of the turnaround so it was an absolute baptism of fire.
“But everyone in the Platts has made me feel so welcome. I just feel secure and proper looked after.
“Helen and I are absolutely thrilled to be working together, everyone’s good company and there’s always fun to be had on set with the Platts which is great.”
Although he said that he was somewhat rusty at the demands of working on the soap, he admitted the actors still had fun behind the scenes.
“It was a bit like crank handle starting a car after all these years but the laughs have got us through,” John remarked.
“Ben [Price] said to me ‘you do know we’re all always word perfect don’t you’ and I thought oh no but thank god he was winding me up.
“My ability to learn lines at speed is getting better and better again so it’s not as daunting as it was.”
He added: “And I’m sharing a dressing room with Joe (Duttine) which is great, he’s a really good guy, we get on really well and we’re both the same juggling childcare and getting on with the job.”
Gail's biggest Corrie storylines
Over the years the character of Gail Platt has been the centre of several major plots.
Here we take a look back over actress Helen Worth’s biggest storylines:
Teenage daughter’s pregnancy
One of Gail’s most controversial storylines was in 1999.
It came when her 13-year-old daughter Sarah became pregnant.
Multiple marriages
Gail holds the record for the series’ most married female character.
She has been wed a whopping six times, each one worse the last.
Married to a serial killer
One of Gail’s multiple marriages saw her wed Richard Hillman, who turned out to be a serial killer.
At the climax of the storyline, 19 million fans tuned in to watch Hillman drive his wife and her family into a canal.
Scrapping on The Street
Gail has proved over the years she can’t resist a good scrap.
Her most memorable bust-up saw her attack Eileen Grimshaw on the cobbles in 2004 while in her dressing gown.
Jail bird
In 2010, Gail found herself wrongly banged up in jail.
She was wrongfully arrested for murdering her 4th husband Joe McIntyre.
At the time he received the call from bosses, it just so happened that the actor was available to commit to the storyline.
John also explained that it also worked well with his home life as he does not have to travel far to go to the Salford set.
He admitted: “I was really happy to get the call, it was always a case of never say never but it came in between jobs for me so the timing was perfect.
“I have a young daughter so I don’t like to travel too far from home and although the last time I was in the show was 15 years ago it has felt like meeting up with an old friend you haven’t seen for a long time and the years just melt away.”
I was a bit shell shocked when I first came in because I’d forgotten the speed
John Thomson
Ahead of the forthcoming scenes, John also gave more details about the upcoming storyline and how it will fit together.
“He met Gail in Thailand, he’s heard about Bethany (Lucy Fallon) and he’s very worried. So on his travels he’s returned via Weatherfield to check on Gail, because they’ve stayed in touch via email.
“He’s heard all about Bethany and he’s very concerned for Gail.
“So two like him and two hate him! Shona (Julia Goulding) and Nick are prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, whereas David (Jack P. Shepherd)and Sarah (Tina O’Brien) are absolutely not, it’s just total mistrust from the start.
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“There is the thinking that they need a decent man in their lives but as soon as David lists all Gail’s previous it’s no wonder that there is a mistrust because Gail’s sense of judgement over men has been very poor.
“Really Shona and Nick are very generous in their offer to wipe the slight clean and see what Jesse might be like given Gail’s history.
“Jesse’s going to have to work really hard to get David and Sarah on his side and see he is just a friend who cares about Gail because there’s a real sense of mistrust about his motives.
John also teased that his character could be set for an awkward reunion with his former partner Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver).
Coronation Street's 2024 shock exits
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let's break down who's left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza’s grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon’s been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she’ll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.
“He’s not really prepared to see Eileen after things ended so badly between them,” he explained.
“When Jesse left he’d been spreading his bets over two sisters, which is slightly morally bankrupt to say the least.
The soap star added: “He’s changed dramatically because he’s very remorseful for that behaviour, so for him to think that Eileen would even contemplate having him back after he made a play for her sister is not on his radar.”
Coronation Street is available to watch on ITV1 and stream on ITVX.