Advertisement

11 soap actors who hated their own storylines

Photo credit: Eamonn M. McCormack / Dave M. Benett / Karwai Tang / WireImage / Graham Stone / Getty Images
Photo credit: Eamonn M. McCormack / Dave M. Benett / Karwai Tang / WireImage / Graham Stone / Getty Images

From Digital Spy

Soap actors are forever harping on about how life on the sets is always like one big happy family with no tension, no disagreements and – most importantly – everyone loving their storylines. But, as nice as that sounds, it's not always the case.

Every now and again, a big plot comes along that a cast member simply doesn't want to act out. Most of the time we never hear about such tense moments, but if you have a particularly outspoken actor on your hands, it can all spill out rather awkwardly into the public arena...

1. Michael Le Vell (Kevin Webster, Coronation Street)

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

After 30 years on the cobbles, we don't often hear about long-serving cast member Michael clashing with his bosses. But there was a rare dispute in 2009 when he threatened (publicly, no less) that he'd quit the show in protest at Kevin Webster's affair with Molly Dobbs.

Michael had heard that a future plot twist would see Kevin's wife Sally diagnosed with cancer, so he was adamant that this should mark the end of the fling with Molly. He said at the time: "If Sally's cancer doesn't end the affair and Kevin's got no remorse towards her, then I'm leaving because I can't be putting up with it."

Kevin did stick by Sally and end his cheating once he knew the truth, so it seems that the writers decided Michael knew best. Phew.

2. Matt Di Angelo (Dean Wicks, EastEnders)

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

When most actors are called up to the producer's office to hear about a big new storyline, their response doesn't usually include the words "f**k off"! But never one to mince his words, Matt broke the mould in 2014 when he heard about plans for his character Dean to rape Linda Carter.

Recalling the moment, Matt later revealed: "My initial response was 'F**k off, that's mental, I don't want to do that, that's really intimidating'." But just when it looked like the whole thing might have to be scrapped, executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins revealed that he was able to smooth the waters.

"Matt and I talked and argued," Dominic explained. "It was a shock for him, but I let him go away and analyse it. Matt came to recognise how important it was and ended up wanting to do it." Well done on those powers of persuasion...

3. Sean Wilson (Martin Platt, Coronation Street)

Photo credit: Ken McKay / ITV / Rex Shutterstock
Photo credit: Ken McKay / ITV / Rex Shutterstock

Martin raised more than a few eyebrows on the Street as he embarked on a relationship with teenager Katy Harris in one of his final storylines. But once the Harris family were written out in 2005 and Martin was at a loose end, producers wanted him to become a fully-fledged villain by having a relationship with a 14-year-old schoolgirl – prompting him to quit the show in protest.

Sean revealed afterwards: "I said I didn't like the idea of that, they said I was doing it, so I said, 'Okay – I'll get my coat'. I didn't think they gave me as much respect as my 21 years on the show deserved. They would have to be very persuasive if they wanted me back."

4. Wendy Richard (Pauline Fowler, EastEnders)

Photo credit: Nigel Howard / Evening Standard / Rex Shutterstock
Photo credit: Nigel Howard / Evening Standard / Rex Shutterstock

Many EastEnders fans feel that Pauline's final storylines were out of character, but the final straw for the late Wendy Richard was the moment that her character tied the knot with Joe Macer.

Wendy disagreed with the plot as she believed that loyal Pauline would never have remarried following the death of her first husband Arthur. The story went ahead, but Wendy later revealed that it was one of the main reasons why she quit the show so soon afterwards: "I think it's the most terrible shame, I really do. I thought in my heart of hearts it was wrong. I would have stayed a bit longer if Pauline hadn't got married."

5. Kyal Marsh (Boyd Hoyland, Neighbours)

Photo credit: FremantleMedia Ltd / Rex Shutterstock
Photo credit: FremantleMedia Ltd / Rex Shutterstock

Muscleman Boyd became one of Ramsay Street's most popular residents during his early years, but all of that goodwill was eroded when he cheated on his wife Janae towards the end of his time on the show. Fans weren't happy with Boyd's antics, but Kyal retaliated by pointing the finger of blame firmly towards the writers.

Reflecting on the plot, Kyal admitted: "I absolutely hated my character at the end. I couldn't believe what they made me do. I thought it was a stupid storyline and I copped a lot of flack over it. I was really upset. My contract didn't get renewed but I was pretty happy to leave by then."

6. Charles Lawson (Jim McDonald, Coronation Street)

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

When Corrie bosses needed a speedy way to write out Liz McDonald in 2011, they decided that her ex-hubby Jim would hold up a bank with a shotgun to raise cash to buy The Rovers. Fair enough, but why didn't he bother to wear a mask or a balaclava to hide his identity? Hardly a criminal mastermind at work.

Recalling the bonkers moment three years later, Charles admitted: "I thought it was stupid. It was daft, but there was a crisis going on and the writers had to write something pretty damn quick. Beverley was ill, as we all know, and things happened. We played it to the hilt and people enjoyed it, but it was a bit silly."

7. Samantha Womack (Ronnie Mitchell, EastEnders)

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Okay, so Sam wasn't quite as outspoken as many of the actors on this list. But we couldn't not include the 2011 baby swap saga, which caused a tabloid frenzy when Sam reportedly quit EastEnders in protest at the plot. On-set whispers suggested that Sam handed in her notice on the very day she received the scripts, which saw Ronnie switch her dead child James with Kat Moon's son Tommy.

Sam denied any rows with producers and tried to avoid fuelling the fire. But she did later admit: "I thought it was implausible. Most women who lose a child would not go out and abduct one. But Ronnie is a soap character and she is not necessarily representing real life."

8. Robert Mammone (Sid Walker, Home and Away)

Photo credit: Channel 5
Photo credit: Channel 5

You could always count on Dr Sid to solve many problems in the Bay... but it turned out that fixing the Home and Away scripts was a step too far. In May 2013, Robert announced that he'd been written out as punishment for "speaking up for the truth too often".

Robert was particularly critical over a tragic cancer storyline, which saw Sid treating his daughter's partner Romeo Smith. When a fan praised one particular scene on Twitter, Robert admitted: "Luke and I re-wrote most of it, as we felt we needed to get it right. Too important." And when another viewer said that Romeo upping and leaving the Bay without saying goodbye to anyone was a bit weird, Robert agreed: "Yep we thought so too. Sometimes the writers get it wrong!"

9. Pam St Clement (Pat Butcher, EastEnders)

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Pam admitted that she'd been given some of her most challenging work in years when Pat passed away following a short battle with cancer in 2012 - but that didn't mean she approved of the storyline. The soap legend later claimed that she'd only asked for some time off from EastEnders and that producers broke a promise to leave the door open for her.

"I was so shocked," she later confessed. "Someone changed the goalposts. For the sake of a hard-hitting exit Pat would be 'brown bread'. I truly don't know if I could have flatly refused to die – indeed, if I could have made any difference. I went away feeling empty and let down."

10. Deena Payne (Viv Hope, Emmerdale)

Photo credit: Ken McKay / Rex Shutterstock
Photo credit: Ken McKay / Rex Shutterstock

Being axed from her role as Viv Hope after 17 years was bad enough for fan favourite Deena, but don't get her started on how bad her exit storyline was. Viv looked set to go out with a bang when she was caught up in the village's deadly fire in 2011, but the low-key execution left Deena livid.

After her final episodes aired, she complained: "I had to do nothing, which was a shame. It's a bit of an anti-climax after being told that you're going to have one of the biggest storylines that soap has ever seen, but for my character it wasn't at all. The big storyline is the fire and how people get everyone out. And quietly, behind the scenes, Viv just gets burned to death. Without saying a word. The easiest acting I've done in 18 years."

11. Ross Kemp (Grant Mitchell, EastEnders)

Photo credit: Alan Simpson / Rex Shutterstock
Photo credit: Alan Simpson / Rex Shutterstock

Ross may have been lured back to EastEnders for return stints as Grant Mitchell earlier this year, but relations between him and the producers weren't always so rosy. In 1997, Ross clashed with the bosses when they wanted Grant to rape his wife Tiffany in a dark Christmas Day storyline.

Ross didn't criticise the plans publicly, but tabloid reports revealed that he was "absolutely livid" over the proposed plot and would quit EastEnders if it went ahead. Sure enough, the top producers wanted Grant to stick around and so they had to send the planned storyline straight to the soap scrapheap.

You Might Also Like