John Thomson, a stalwart of Coronation Street, has announced his comeback to the cobbles.
The actor from Cold Feet appears to be stepping into Sean Wilson’s shoes before Gail Platt icon Helen Worth leaves the soap opera after 50 years. “Personal reasons” caused Sean Wilson’s (Martin Platt) departure from the soap opera, although he was supposed to return for her magnificent farewell.
It was reported that Corrie bosses were searching for a replacement for Sean and that John Thomson was coming back as Jesse Chadwick, Eileen Grimshaw’s old flame. And it’s now been confirmed that he’s marching back onto Weatherfield, for the first time since 2010.
Its been 14 years since Jesse legged it from the Rovers, dogged by a fuming Eileen and her half-sister Julie Carp. Now, ahead of his big return, John Thomson has let us in on how excited he is to come back.
John said: “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”, he then spilled: “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.”, reports.
Asked about what his Corrie character has been up to since he was last seen on the street, the actor revealed: “Well he did remarry, but that didn’t work out. He was also badly let down by a friend which culminated in him being left in some dire circumstances. So as a means to reinvent himself he started to travel the world to, as they say, find himself.”
Upcoming episodes will chart John’s return, and it all kicks off when Eileen comes back from Thailand and unexpectedly runs into her former flame Jesse. Her jaw hits the floor when she discovers he’s returned with the aim of reconnecting with Gail but even juicier twists are in store.
Later, bombshells drop as we learn Gail and Jesse had met years earlier while she was travelling. They’ve been in touch ever since, prompting a worried Jesse to dash back to Weatherfield as soon as he gets wind of Bethany’s cosmetic surgery nightmare in Turkey.
Jesses surprise comeback raises plenty of eyebrows, stirring up Gail’s feelings while simultaneously raising suspicion among others. Will flames reignite with Eileen? And does Jesse’s presence have anything to do with Gail’s potential exit from the soap, following Helen Worth’s departure from the show?
John said: “He met Gail in Thailand, he’s heard about Bethany 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”, John revealed.
After 14 years away from Corrie, John Thomson is absolutely buzzing about his return. It’s believed he’s back to support Gail’s exit from the cobbles after five decades.
John added:: “I was a bit shell-shocked because I’d forgotten the speed of the turnaround, so it was an absolute baptism of fire. “But everyone has made me feel so welcome. I just feel secure and proper looked after.
“Helen and I are absolutely thrilled to be working together, and everyone is good company. It was a bit like a crank handle starting a car after all these years but the laughs have got us through.”
He took the role after Sean Wilson, who previously played Gail’s husband Martin Platt, left the set after just a couple of days.
A source told the Daily Mail of Sean’s exit: “What is really odd, is that they had started filming most of the scenes, obviously with other cast members and lots of crew on set, and everyone was expecting to shoot more with Sean before he left again as part of the Gail Platt exit storyline.”
“So to suddenly be told, ‘We’re not continuing and we’re going to re shoot what we’ve already done with another actor’ without any explanation is extremely unusual – unheard of.”
“If nothing else, the soaps hate wasting time and money – so the situation must be serious enough for them to feel carrying on is untenable – but to not tell the colleagues directly involved what is going on has really got the rumour mill fired up on set.”
Discussing where Jesse left off, John said: “When Jesse left he’d been spreading his bets over two sisters, which is slightly morally bankrupt to say the least. He’s very remorseful for that behaviour, so for him to think that Eileen would even contemplate having him back is not on his radar.” The actor will be back on Corrie from October 9.
