Corrie: Peter Barlow's back on the street

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Peter Barlow to return to Corrie

Coronation Street actor Chris Gascoyne is set to return to the Manchester soap and reprise his role as Peter Barlow. Barlow was last seen leaving Weatherfield for a new life in Portsmouth with his nephew Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) last year, following his stepsister Tracy's (Kate Ford) murder trial.

He will return in October when the soap's axed betting shop owners Harry Mason (Jack Ellis) and son Dan Mason (Matthew Compton) depart from the street. A Coronation Street spokesperson said: "Viewers loved Peter for being brash and cocky. He will be around for quite a while."

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He was a pretty slippery character, so it will be good to see what he gets up to.

[pirtybirdy]

Sometimes I liked him, and sometimes he annoyed me. Still, I'm glad he's coming back...for now. lol!

[Twirley]

Yeah, he's a good character...but I will miss Harry & Dan.

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Chris Gascoyne on his real-life drink-drinking hell
Mar 28 2009
Paul English
dailyrecord.co.uk

HIS character learns a stiff lesson about the demon drink this week but Corrie actor Chris Gascoyne went through his own dark time because of the booze last year. And he reckons that the soap's bosses are giving him a warning to toe the line with his latest storyline. The 41-year-oldwasbanned from driving after being caught over-the-limit behind the wheel of his car.

He had drunk three and a half pints of lager after playing Captain Hook in the panto Peter Pan in Wales in December 2007. He lost his licence and attended a three day course on drink-driving. Now fully repentant, Chris figures the soap's story liners took the decision to give him another near-thing as a way of rapping him on the knuckles.

This week, his character Peter Barlow puts his son's life at risk by falling as leep drunk with a cigarette in his hands. And, at the risk of turning Corrie into a 1980s public safety information video, the house goes up in flames. Chris says: "I think the storyline was a bit of a dig. I suppose it was their way of giving mea little bit of a slap on the wrists for what happened. But I admitted it and was banned from driving for a year."

Like so many convicted drink drivers, Chris is now evangelical about the virtues of the importance of education. There are, he insists, still too many gaps in the understanding of the law. He says: "That course was a real eye-opener and you realise the enormity of what a tragedy you could cause. They teach you about those grey areas - some guys think they can have two pints and drive, and women have two glasses of wine. But it's not as simple as that, it's down to the measures and the strength of the drink.

"Towards the end of the course, they show you people who have lost loved ones through drink-driving and people who have driven a car drunk. It's actually quite distressing. The guy who taught the course said these things should be taught to everyone. He's right, because it makes you realise the risks just aren't worth taking. It does fill in all the grey areas and enlightens you in a way you're not aware of. Most people have had a drink and driven at some point - they have that 'I'm only round the corner' attitude. But I certainly wouldn't have a pint and drive a car again."

This week Chris's character Peter is also set for a sobering experience. Having turned to the bottle to cope after Leanne left him, his life is in ruins - and it gets worse this week - when his son Simon lies in hospital after attempting to rescue his drunken dad from their burning house. With his father Ken Barlow realising the extent of his son's problem, Peter does all nighters by his son's bed as he fights for life.

Chris says: "It's a big wake-up call for him. He realises that he has to try to get his life back on track." The fire scenes were shot with the help of a special effects crew, and safety was naturally paramount. But Chris didn't escape entirely unscathed.

"My character was rescued by Gray O'Brien, who basically dragged me down the stairs headfirst," says Chris, laughing. "Gray was complaining about how heavy I was but I told him he's just a weakling. Apart from that there was no real stunt acting to be done. The guys who did the effects just brought in a big bar that shoots fire and smoke into the air to create a firewall, which looks like the whole place is alight."

While the fire is the latest in a long line of catastrophes to befall the soap, the real life traumas experienced by co-stars Bill Roache and Kym Marsh have given the cast more to deal with than storylines. Bill lost his wife Sara suddenly to a suspected heart attack, while Kym's baby Archie Jay died shortly after a premature birth.

Chris says: "Both those things affected me, of course they did. Badly. I work closely with Bill and he's such a great fella. But he's doing really well - I don't know how he copes with the workload. Everyday he seems to be getting five or six page scenes. But Bill is a very special man and he has been very positive. It's great to be around him every day. And when you see someone when they're down, that's when you really see the real person.

"You can always learn something from Bill. The one thing I said to him was that we've all lost people in our lives and we all carry on - and we'll all help him to carry on. But I made it clear if he didn't want to, and he needed people to talk to, then we were all there for him. When you lose somebody, and you need someone to talk to, then you don't want people asking you how you are at every minute of every day. He has to go through it and he'll come out the other end hopefully."

Having worked closely with Kym since her return to work after her trauma, he offered similar words of comfort. Chris says: "What do you say to someone in that situation? You just put your arms around them and tell them you're sorry and try to help them carry on. When things were tough in my life I was just thankful to have my work and colleagues. They've got me through some very difficult points in my life."

Married to Caroline Harding, the couple have three kids, and times are happier now for Chris, who has been double nominated for the soap awards this year in the 'best actor' and 'sexiest male' categories. So which one would mean most?

"I suppose best actor would be nice," he says. "But 'sexiest male' is funny considering I'm41, but even back in the day it was touch and go. But it is what it is. I certainly don't think I'm sexy, but I can see why people think Peter is, because of his wild ways. It's always nice to be recognized in anyway for what we do here, as we don't generally get a lot of recognition for all the hard work we do. I was delighted to even be nominated to be honest with you. I've never been to the soap awards before, so I'm looking forward to it."