Coronation Street star 'shell shocked' over return as he reprises Jesse Chadwick role
John Thomson has said he was 'shell shocked' when he returned to the Coronation Street set more than a decade after he was last part of the cast.
It's been announced that the actor will reprise the role of Jesse Chadwick in the ITV soap after Sean Wilson's plan to return as Martin Platt as part of Gail Platt's exit storyline was changed.
Back in July, the actor returned to filming as he reprised the role of Martin Platt. The return came six years after he last appeared on the famous cobbles and he was set to appear on screen in October as part of Helen Worth's exit as Gail after an incredible 50 years in the role.
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However, last month it was confirmed that Sean will no longer be reprising his role as Martin later in the year. A spokesperson for the soap told The Mirror: "Sean Wilson has stepped down from filming for personal reasons."
Now, there is set to be a surprise in store for more than one Corrie resident early next month when a familiar face arrives back on the cobbles. Jesse will roll into town just as his ex Eileen Grimshaw returns to Weatherfied from Thailand.
She is stunned to see him, but even more shocked when she discovers he has not come to see her, and is looking for her neighbour and nemesis Gail. And the surprises keep coming when Gail and Jesse reveal that they met each other when Gail was travelling a few years ago and have kept in touch.
Jesse has heard about Gail’s granddaughter Bethany’s Turkish cosmetic surgery nightmare and, worried about his friend, decides to pay a visit. But is there more to Gail and Jesse’s friendship than meets the eye and is he being entirely truthful about his reasons for getting back in touch?
Knowing Jesse’s past history with Eileen, Gail’s family are understandably suspicious of his motives, and with Gail clearly delighted to be reunited with her travelling buddy it looks like there will be more conflict on the cobbles.
When asked how he's found working with the iconic Platt family, John revealed: "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. It was a bit like crank handle starting a car after all these years but the laughs have got us through. Ben 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 - who plays Tim Metcalfe] 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."
But John, who is also famed for roles in Cold Feet and The Fast Show, has told how he was delighted to be given the opportunity to return to the most famous street in the country. He 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.
"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."