Coronation Street spoilers follow.
It’s a busy time for the team at Coronation Street, who are currently hard at work on urgent rewrites and reshoots following the abrupt departure of Sean Wilson.
Sean returned to filming in his role as Martin Platt last month but has since stepped away “for personal reasons”, according to a statement released by ITV.
The character of Martin had been tipped to play a major role in Gail Rodwell’s upcoming exit storyline, but this will no longer be the case as his filmed scenes will no longer air.
Struggling to keep track of it all? Here’s our quick guide to how Gail’s last-ever Corrie plot has changed at the eleventh hour.
What was Gail and Martin’s scrapped Coronation Street storyline?
Coronation Street icon Helen Worth announced in June that she’d decided to leave her role as Gail Rodwell after 50 years on the cobbles.
The initial announcement shared no official details of how Gail would depart, except to confirm that her emotional exit scenes would air at the end of the year.
Coronation Street‘s executive producer Iain MacLeod later ruled out a tragic ending, telling the Daily Star: “Gail won’t die. It didn’t feel like killing her off would be right. Gail’s exit is a brilliant story. I thought, ‘What do the viewers want to see?’
“Gail has had a hard life. She had a difficult childhood and disastrous marriages. So, we thought what viewers really want is a happy ending for her, so that’s what we’re doing.”
Meanwhile, rumours soon leaked out that Sean Wilson would reprise his role as Gail’s ex-husband Martin Platt for her final months on screen. Martin was a show regular between 1985 and 2005 before returning as a guest in 2018.
Gail was tipped to ultimately reunite with Martin and leave Weatherfield with him, giving her a happy ending after so many decades of being unlucky in love.
Corrie bosses officially confirmed Martin’s comeback on July 24, tying in with Sean’s official return to filming.
The soap shared some early storyline details, revealing that David Platt would be shocked when his father suddenly turned up at 8 Coronation Street.
David would be suspicious over Martin’s unexpected arrival, creating some fresh family tensions for the Platts.
Sean said at the time: “It was great to be invited back to Coronation Street again, to contribute to Helen’s exit story. We’ll have a few months to catch up with Martin and Gail again, following the ebbs and flows of the unfolding storyline.
“Playing Martin has been a joy since day one and, in a way, I’ll be slipping back to where I left off, which no doubt will throw a spanner into the heart of the Platt family.”
These scenes were expected to air in October.
However, last week, Coronation Street confirmed that Sean had stepped away from filming.
A report in The Sun suggested that Sean had left more than two weeks ago and none of his scenes would air, forcing the writers to go back to the drawing board and the cast and crew to reshoot parts of certain episodes.
An ITV spokesperson told Digital Spy: “Sean Wilson has stepped down from filming for personal reasons.”
The actor’s agent added: “Sean left for personal reasons and we’ve no further comment to make.”
How will Gail leave Coronation Street now?
The good news for Gail fans is that the legendary soap character will still get her happy ending.
Despite early fears that Martin’s cancelled return could force bosses to consider a more tragic story, producers are still keen to give Gail the positive send-off she deserves.
While no official announcement has been made, a report in The Sun has revealed that former Cold Feet actor John Thomson will be reprising his role as children’s entertainer Jesse Chadwick this autumn.
Jesse, who appeared in the show between 2008 and 2010, was a love interest for Eileen Grimshaw in his previous stints.
However, it seems that he’ll now be back to sweep Gail off her feet – giving her a last laugh over long-time rival Eileen.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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